Abbott Laboratories Climbs to 148th in Trading Volume as Institutional Investors Diverge on Bets Analysts Split on Ratings and Defensive Stock Performance Stands Out

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) rose 0.55% on September 3, with a trading volume of $0.63 billion, ranking 148th in market activity. Institutional investors reshaped their positions in the healthcare giant, with 1248 Management LLC cutting its stake by 30.9% in Q1 2025, while Goldman Sachs Group Inc. and Massachusetts Financial Services Co. increased holdings by 29.2% and 12.8%, respectively. Vanguard Group Inc. and Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. also slightly boosted their positions, reflecting divergent institutional strategies.

Analyst activity highlighted mixed sentiment, with William Blair upgrading ABT to "Strong-Buy" and Wells Fargo revising its price target to $142.00. Conversely, Leerink Partners maintained a "Market Perform" rating. The stock’s 12-month forward P/E ratio of 23.09 and 7.4% year-over-year revenue growth from Q2 2025 earnings underscored its valuation dynamics. Abbott’s dividend of $0.59 per share, yielding 1.8%, further attracted income-focused investors amid a 29.57% payout ratio.

Insider transactions included CFO Philip P. Boudreau’s sale of 5,550 shares, reducing his ownership by 9.81%. Despite this, institutional ownership remains robust at 75.18%, with Goldman Sachs and Vanguard collectively holding over 187 million shares. The company’s FY 2025 guidance of $5.10–$5.20 EPS and Q3 2025 forecast of $1.28–$1.32 EPS provided directional clarity, aligning with analysts’ consensus of $5.14 per share for the year.

Historical performance data indicated ABT’s 52-week range of $110.86–$141.23, with a current price above both its 50-day and 200-day moving averages. The stock’s beta of 0.69 and debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25 highlighted its defensive characteristics, contrasting with broader market volatility. Institutional trading patterns and analyst ratings suggest continued interest, though mixed institutional actions reflect cautious positioning ahead of Q3 2025 earnings on October 15.