Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) Issues Q1 2026 Earnings Guidance

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) issued an update on its first quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Thursday morning. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 1.120-1.180 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 1.200. The company issued revenue guidance of -. Abbott Laboratories also updated its FY 2026 guidance to 5.550-5.800 EPS.

Abbott Laboratories Stock Performance

NYSE ABT opened at $107.46 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23, a current ratio of 1.70 and a quick ratio of 1.24. Abbott Laboratories has a 1-year low of $105.78 and a 1-year high of $141.23. The firm has a market capitalization of $186.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.89, a P/E/G ratio of 1.80 and a beta of 0.72. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $124.77 and its 200-day simple moving average is $128.36.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, January 22nd. The healthcare product maker reported $1.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.50. Abbott Laboratories had a net margin of 14.72% and a return on equity of 17.94%. The firm had revenue of $11.46 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $11.80 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.34 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 4.4% on a year-over-year basis. Abbott Laboratories has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.120-1.180 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 5.550-5.800 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.14 EPS for the current year.

Abbott Laboratories Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 15th will be given a dividend of $0.63 per share. This is a positive change from Abbott Laboratories’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.59. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 15th. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.3%. Abbott Laboratories’s dividend payout ratio is currently 67.74%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

ABT has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Abbott Laboratories in a research note on Monday, December 29th. William Blair raised shares of Abbott Laboratories to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 20th. Barclays raised their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $162.00 to $169.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, January 5th. Mizuho boosted their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $135.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. Finally, Benchmark began coverage on Abbott Laboratories in a research note on Friday, October 10th. They set a “buy” rating and a $145.00 price objective for the company. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have issued a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $140.79.

More Abbott Laboratories News

Here are the key news stories impacting Abbott Laboratories this week:

• Positive Sentiment: MedTech and pharma strength, and EPS resilience — Abbott reported adjusted Q4 EPS growth (company highlighted margin improvements) and strong MedTech (+~12%) and Established Pharma (+~9%) performance that partly offset Nutrition weakness; management still projects FY‑2026 adjusted EPS growth. Press Release
• Positive Sentiment: Analysts keep buy/outperform stance despite cuts — several major firms trimmed price targets after the print but largely maintained buy/overweight ratings, signaling conviction in the longer‑term story even as near‑term expectations were tempered. Analyst Reaction
• Positive Sentiment: Some commentators view the pullback as a buying opportunity — market commentators highlight ABT’s dividend history, cash flow and buyback capacity, suggesting the drop may create an attractive entry for long‑term investors. MarketBeat: Pullback Analysis
• Neutral Sentiment: Full earnings call and transcripts available — investors can review management commentary and segment detail in the Q4 earnings call transcript for color on nutrition, diagnostics and Exact/other strategic items. Earnings Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Dividend/valuation commentary circulates — value and dividend‑focused outlets are flagging ABT as attractively valued after the pullback; this is background context rather than a near‑term catalyst. Zacks: Value Take
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue miss driven by Nutrition and Diagnostics — Q4 revenue (~$11.5B) fell short of consensus, with Nutrition down sharply (~8–9%) and Diagnostics weak, sparking the initial selloff. Reuters: Revenue Miss
• Negative Sentiment: Guidance slightly below Street — Abbott set Q1 EPS and FY‑2026 EPS ranges that sit near or a touch below consensus, increasing near‑term revenue/growth concerns. Guidance Details
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple price‑target cuts — a raft of firms (Citigroup, Goldman, Raymond James, Sanford Bernstein, Oppenheimer, RBC, etc.) trimmed targets, which can amplify selling pressure even if ratings remain constructive. Benzinga: PT Cuts
• Negative Sentiment: Options and hedging activity spiked — an unusual surge in put buying suggests traders are positioning for further near‑term downside (heightened bearish sentiment).
• Negative Sentiment: Regulatory scrutiny in India — reports of an investigation into alleged misuse of a codeine‑based cough syrup (Abbott Healthcare) add an extra headline risk in emerging markets. Reuters: India Scrutiny

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Abbott Laboratories

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in ABT. Centaurus Financial Inc. lifted its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 3,964 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock worth $531,000 after buying an additional 109 shares during the last quarter. OmniStar Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $1,173,000. Keystone Financial Group lifted its holdings in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 11.3% in the 3rd quarter. Keystone Financial Group now owns 41,285 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock worth $5,401,000 after purchasing an additional 4,204 shares during the last quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC grew its stake in Abbott Laboratories by 12.9% during the 3rd quarter. FSA Wealth Management LLC now owns 885 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock worth $119,000 after buying an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Morningstar Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Abbott Laboratories in the third quarter valued at $5,842,000. 75.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Abbott Laboratories Company Profile

Abbott Laboratories is a global healthcare company headquartered in Abbott Park, Illinois, that develops, manufactures and markets a broad portfolio of medical products and services. Founded in 1888, Abbott operates through multiple business areas that focus on diagnostics, medical devices, nutritionals and established pharmaceuticals. The company supplies hospitals, clinics, laboratories, retailers and direct-to-consumer channels with products intended to diagnose, treat and manage a wide range of health conditions.

In diagnostics, Abbott provides laboratory and point-of-care testing platforms and assays used to detect infectious diseases, chronic conditions and biomarkers; its Alinity family of instruments and rapid-test solutions are examples of this capability.