ABT
Abbott just pulled off the classic double-tap
Abbott Laboratories had itself a pretty tidy Thursday: Q2 adjusted EPS came in at $1.31, ahead of the $1.28 analysts were looking for, while revenue rose 13% year over year to $12.59 billion. Translation: the company didn’t just limp past the finish line — it showed enough oomph to make Wall Street revise the scoreboard.
Guidance got the real standing ovation
The bigger tell was Abbott lifting its full-year 2026 adjusted earnings outlook to $5.45 to $5.60 per share, up from $5.38 to $5.58. That new range now wraps around the Street’s $5.49 estimate like it’s no big deal. Abbott also reiterated comparable sales growth of 6.5% to 7.5% for the year, which is management-speak for “we’re still feeling pretty good about ourselves.”
Analysts did what analysts do
Once the earnings confetti settled, the price-target parade started:
- BTIG kept a Buy rating and bumped its target from $131 to $134.
- Evercore ISI stayed at Outperform and lifted its target from $112 to $120.
- RBC kept its Outperform call and left its $130 target alone.
That doesn’t mean the stock is suddenly moon-bound, but it does mean the quarter gave bulls a cleaner story to sell: solid execution, better outlook, and a CEO, Robert B. Ford, talking about momentum building into the second half.
Why investors should care
Abbott shares were already up 0.9% pre-market to $99.75, so the market was clearly nodding along. Big picture: when a healthcare name delivers both a beat and a guide-up, it can change the vibe from “steady compounder” to “maybe this thing has another leg higher.”