AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV) Upgraded to “Strong-Buy” at DZ Bank

DZ Bank upgraded shares of AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a report issued on Thursday morning,Zacks.com reports.

Several other brokerages have also weighed in on ABBV. William Blair restated an “outperform” rating on shares of AbbVie in a research report on Monday, March 9th. Barclays began coverage on shares of AbbVie in a research report on Thursday, February 19th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $275.00 price target on the stock. Bank of America upgraded shares of AbbVie from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $234.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Thursday. The Goldman Sachs Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $223.00 price target on shares of AbbVie in a research report on Wednesday, January 28th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of AbbVie from $240.00 to $230.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $252.90.

AbbVie Price Performance

Shares of ABBV stock traded down $4.69 during trading on Thursday, hitting $206.63. 6,339,492 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,641,580. The firm has a market capitalization of $365.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 101.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 0.38. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $214.55 and its 200-day moving average price is $221.60. AbbVie has a 52-week low of $176.57 and a 52-week high of $244.81.

AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 29th. The company reported $2.65 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.59 by $0.06. AbbVie had a net margin of 5.79% and a negative return on equity of 911.57%. The firm had revenue of $15 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $14.72 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.46 earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 12.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts expect that AbbVie will post 14.21 earnings per share for the current year.

AbbVie Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 15th will be issued a $1.73 dividend. This represents a $6.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 15th. AbbVie’s payout ratio is presently 340.89%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other AbbVie news, EVP Perry C. Siatis sold 22,381 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.00, for a total value of $5,147,630.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 38,137 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,771,510. This represents a 36.98% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, SVP David Ryan Purdue sold 5,230 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $233.56, for a total transaction of $1,221,518.80. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 2,654 shares in the company, valued at approximately $619,868.24. The trade was a 66.34% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On AbbVie

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of ABBV. LGT Fund Management Co Ltd. increased its stake in shares of AbbVie by 384.5% in the first quarter. LGT Fund Management Co Ltd. now owns 48,331 shares of the company’s stock valued at $10,512,000 after buying an additional 38,356 shares during the period. Global Assets Advisory LLC increased its stake in shares of AbbVie by 1.3% in the 1st quarter. Global Assets Advisory LLC now owns 7,174 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,560,000 after acquiring an additional 90 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its position in AbbVie by 0.7% in the 1st quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 18,840 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,050,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares during the period. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in AbbVie by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Trifecta Capital Advisors LLC now owns 40,702 shares of the company’s stock valued at $8,852,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the period. Finally, Anchor Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in AbbVie by 0.7% during the 1st quarter. Anchor Investment Management LLC now owns 87,821 shares of the company’s stock valued at $19,100,000 after acquiring an additional 618 shares in the last quarter. 70.23% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

AbbVie News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting AbbVie this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 earnings beat and guidance lift — AbbVie topped Q1 estimates, raised its 2026 outlook and said immunology drugs (Skyrizi, Rinvoq) are offsetting Humira declines. This is the core positive catalyst supporting analyst upgrades. Seeking Alpha: AbbVie hikes 2026 outlook BioSpace: AbbVie tops Q1, raises outlook
• Positive Sentiment: Sell‑side upgrades and higher price targets — Multiple firms raised ratings/targets after the results (Morgan Stanley to $278, Canaccord to $265, Guggenheim reaffirm/ $249 PT, Bank of America upgraded to Buy/$234, Cantor reiterated Overweight/$240). These lifts signal renewed analyst conviction in AbbVie’s post‑Humira pivot. Benzinga: analyst moves InsiderMonkey: BofA upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Skyrizi competitive defense — AbbVie outlined how Skyrizi will respond to new J&J plaque‑psoriasis rival Icotyde, reinforcing confidence in market share retention for a key growth driver. FiercePharma: Skyrizi defense
• Neutral Sentiment: Corporate R&D/community engagement — AbbVie awarded the AbbVie Biotech Innovators prize to RIME Therapeutics (Quebec), signalling long‑term commitment to immunology innovation, but limited near‑term financial impact. GlobeNewswire: RIME award
• Negative Sentiment: Investors remain jittery despite the beat — WSJ coverage and market commentary highlight that, while results were strong, concerns over Humira erosion, execution risk on acquisitions/pipeline strategy, and valuation keep sentiment cautious and likely drove selling pressure. YouTube/WSJ: Investors still worried
• Negative Sentiment: Pipeline trimming and insider selling — The company discontinued a cancer candidate (noted in Q1 coverage) and recent disclosures show insiders sold shares, which can weigh on near‑term sentiment. BioSpace: discontinued candidate
• Negative Sentiment: Small analyst estimate cuts and mixed institutional flows — Erste trimmed FY2026/27 EPS modestly; recent large institutional portfolio shifts (some big sellers) add uncertainty to demand. These are headwinds for the stock near term. MarketBeat: analyst/flows summary

About AbbVie

AbbVie is a global, research-driven biopharmaceutical company that was created as a spin-off from Abbott Laboratories in 2013 and is headquartered in North Chicago, Illinois. The company focuses on discovering, developing and commercializing therapies for complex and often chronic medical conditions. Its operations span research and development, manufacturing, regulatory affairs and commercialization, with an emphasis on bringing specialty medicines to market across multiple therapeutic areas.

AbbVie’s product portfolio and pipeline cover several major therapeutic categories, including immunology, oncology, neuroscience, virology and women’s health.