Should You Buy Abbott Laboratories (ABT) Today? Analysis, Price Targets, and 2026 Outlook.
Conclusion
Buy
Latest Price
106.090
1 Day change
0.04%
52 Week Range
141.230
Analysis Updated At
2026/01/28
Buy now for a long-term beginner portfolio. ABT is technically washed-out (deeply oversold near support) after a Q4 disappointment, but sentiment is stabilizing (CEO bought $2M of stock) and most Wall Street firms kept positive ratings despite cutting targets. Near-term nutrition weakness is a drag, but for an investor who prefers long-term and is unwilling to wait for a “perfect” entry, the current pullback is a reasonable entry point.
Technical Analysis
Price/Trend: ABT is in a clear short-term downtrend (SMA_200 > SMA_20 > SMA_5), but it’s now pressing key support. Pre-market is ~108.05, essentially at S1=108.565 and just below it; next support is S2=104.007. Momentum: MACD histogram is negative (-1.906) but contracting, which often signals downside momentum is fading. RSI(6)=13.567 is extremely oversold, increasing odds of a bounce/reversion from current levels. Levels to watch: Holding 108–104 is critical; upside resistance starts at pivot ~115.94, then R1 ~123.32.
Intellectia Proprietary Trading Signals
- [AI Stock Picker](module://ai_stock_pick): No signal on given stock today.
- [SwingMax](module://swingmax): No signal on given stock today.
Options Data
Bullish
Open Interest Put-Call Ratio
Bullish
Option Volume Put-Call Ratio
Interpretation: Put-call ratios below 1 (OI PCR 0.83; Volume PCR 0.81) lean mildly bullish (more calls than puts), suggesting traders are not positioning for heavy further downside. Implied volatility (30d IV ~22.44 vs historical vol ~17.02) is moderately elevated, consistent with post-earnings uncertainty, but not extreme. Volume is light vs normal (today vs 30D avg ~42.85%), so sentiment is constructive but not “high-conviction.”
Technical Summary
Sell
9
Buy
5
Positive Catalysts
- Insider/influential buying: Abbott CEO Robert Ford bought ~$2M of ABT shares (bullish signal of confidence near these levels).
- 2026 growth setup: Company messaging points to improving conditions (medtech momentum; diagnostics headwinds expected to abate) and ~7% organic growth outlook.
- Strategic catalyst: Planned acquisition of Exact Sciences adds a clearer longer-term growth narrative (subject to integration execution).
Neutral/Negative Catalysts
- Q4 revenue miss and weak 2026 revenue outlook driven largely by Nutrition segment weakness (pricing/promotions and a soft first half expected).
- Trend is still bearish on moving averages; price can continue to drift toward ~104 support if buyers don’t defend current levels.
- Congress trading (last 90 days): 4 sales, 0 buys (cautious/negative political flow).
Financial Performance
Latest quarter: 2025/Q4. Revenue rose to ~$11.459B (+4.42% YoY), showing continued top-line growth. However, net income fell to ~$1.776B (-80.76% YoY) and EPS to 1.02 (-80.72% YoY), a very sharp profitability decline versus last year (likely impacted by non-recurring items and/or segment-specific headwinds, but the reported trend is negative). Gross margin improved to ~53.38% (+4.79% YoY), a positive sign for underlying pricing/mix, but near-term earnings optics are the main overhang until Nutrition stabilizes.
Growth
Profitability
Efficiency
Analyst Ratings and Price Target Trends
Recent trend: Analysts broadly maintained Buy/Outperform/Overweight stances but cut price targets sharply after the Q4 sales miss and softer 2026 revenue guide (multiple reductions on 2026-01-23; e.g., Piper $150→$135, Wells $146→$122, Citi $155→$140, Bernstein $154→$125, Oppenheimer $140→$132; Mizuho remained Neutral and cut $140→$125). Wall Street pros: MedTech strength, expected easing of diagnostics headwinds, and new product launches underpin a recovery narrative into FY2026. Wall Street cons: Nutrition is the key drag, near-term execution risk is elevated, and the stock likely needs a couple of cleaner quarters for momentum to return.
Wall Street analysts forecast ABT stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for ABT is 148.11 USD with a low forecast of 136 USD and a high forecast of 169 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
19 Analyst Rating
Wall Street analysts forecast ABT stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for ABT is 148.11 USD with a low forecast of 136 USD and a high forecast of 169 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
17 Buy
2 Hold
0 Sell
Strong Buy
Current: 106.050
Low
136
Averages
148.11
High
169
Current: 106.050
Low
136
Averages
148.11
High
169
Piper Sandler
Overweight
to
NULL
downgrade
$150 -> $135
AI Analysis
2026-01-23
Reason
Piper Sandler
Price Target
$150 -> $135
AI Analysis
2026-01-23
downgrade
Overweight
to
NULL
Reason
Piper Sandler lowered the firm's price target on Abbott to $135 from $150 and keeps an Overweight rating on the shares. The firm notes the company reported Q4 results that missed on the topline and came in-line on adjusted EPS, with the majority of the top miss driven by the Nutrition business. While Piper concedes the report was disappointing, it still likes the set-up for FY2026 behind a couple of key product launches, the ongoing momentum in the medtech business, and with the headwinds in the diagnostics business set to largely abate.
Mizuho
Anthony Petrone
Neutral
downgrade
$140 -> $125
2026-01-23
Reason
Mizuho
Anthony Petrone
Price Target
$140 -> $125
2026-01-23
downgrade
Neutral
Reason
Mizuho analyst Anthony Petrone lowered the firm's price target on Abbott to $125 from $140 and keeps a Neutral rating on the shares following the Q4 report. The firm cut estimates following the print. With the most recent Nutritional setback, the call for portfolio repositioning is now back in focus, which presents optionality moving forward for the shares, the analyst tells investors in a research note.
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