Merit Financial Group LLC Has $7.06 Million Holdings in Abbott Laboratories $ABT

Merit Financial Group LLC raised its stake in Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) by 22.0% in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 77,835 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock after purchasing an additional 14,030 shares during the period. Merit Financial Group LLC’s holdings in Abbott Laboratories were worth $7,063,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Cornerstone Financial Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories in the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. MidAtlantic Capital Management Inc. bought a new position in Abbott Laboratories during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Purpose Unlimited Inc. acquired a new position in Abbott Laboratories in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Portfolio Resources Advisor Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories in the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Finally, Abound Financial LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories during the 4th quarter worth approximately $26,000. Institutional investors own 75.18% of the company’s stock.

Abbott Laboratories Trading Down 0.5%

Shares of Abbott Laboratories stock opened at $110.68 on Tuesday. Abbott Laboratories has a 12-month low of $81.97 and a 12-month high of $137.49. The stock has a market capitalization of $191.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 35.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 0.59. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $98.08 and a 200 day simple moving average of $99.79. The company has a quick ratio of 0.97, a current ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.57.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 16th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.31 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.28 by $0.03. Abbott Laboratories had a net margin of 11.65% and a return on equity of 17.69%. The firm had revenue of $12.59 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $12.52 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $1.26 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 13.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Abbott Laboratories has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 1.380-1.46 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 5.450-5.60 EPS. Research analysts expect that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Abbott Laboratories Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Monday, August 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, July 15th were given a $0.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, July 15th. This represents a $2.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.3%. Abbott Laboratories’s payout ratio is presently 81.55%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently commented on ABT. Bank of America cut their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $120.00 to $102.00 in a research note on Friday, June 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $121.00 to $113.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, May 27th. TD Cowen restated a “buy” rating and issued a $115.00 price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Piper Sandler reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $118.00 target price (up from $115.00) on shares of Abbott Laboratories in a research report on Friday, July 17th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $110.00 to $120.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 17th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty have assigned a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Abbott Laboratories currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $118.67.

About Abbott Laboratories

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.