Illinois-based Abbott Laboratories (ABT) is a diversified healthcare company that develops and manufactures medical devices, diagnostics, nutritional products, and branded generic medicines. Valued at $149.2 billion by market cap, it operates in more than 160 countries and is one of the world's largest healthcare companies.
Companies worth $10 billion or more are generally described as “large-cap stocks,” and ABT definitely fits that description, with its market cap exceeding this threshold, reflecting its substantial size, influence, and dominance in the medical devices industry.
Despite its notable strength, ABT slipped 37.9% from its 52-week high of $139.06, achieved on June 24, 2025. Over the past three months, ABT stock declined 25.8%, trailing the Dow Jones Industrial Average’s ($DOWI) 3.5% rise during the same time frame.
Shares of ABT fell 31.1% on a YTD basis and dipped 34.6% over the past 52 weeks, underperforming DOWI’s 5.4% YTD rise and solid 20.4% returns over the last year.
To confirm the bearish trend, ABT has been trading below its 50-day and 200-day moving averages since mid-October 2025.
Abbott Laboratories has lagged the broader market over the past year as investors grappled with slowing growth in its diagnostics and nutrition businesses, including continued normalization of COVID-related testing demand, softer sales of rapid diagnostic products, and weakness in infant nutrition. Sentiment was further pressured by concerns over slower-than-expected growth in its FreeStyle Libre diabetes franchise, acquisition-related earnings dilution, and several earnings reports that fell short of market expectations.
In the competitive arena of medical devices, Boston Scientific Corporation (BSX) has lagged behind ABT, with a 53% downtick over the past 52 weeks and a 48.5% loss on a YTD basis.
Wall Street analysts are bullish on ABT’s prospects. The stock has a consensus “Strong Buy” rating from the 28 analysts covering it, and the mean price target of $118.67 suggests a potential upside of 37.5% from current price levels.
On the date of publication, Kritika Sarmah did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. For more information please view the Barchart Disclosure Policy here.
More news from Barchart
- Why Morgan Stanley Is Betting That $1,100 Is in Store for AppLovin Stock
- Unusual Options Activity Points to Boston Scientific Stock as a Hot M&A Target
- Snowflake Stock Rallies on Blockbuster Q1 Results. It Turns Out That Gen AI Isn’t Eating Its Lunch.
- Dycom Industries Stock Just Skyrocketed. It's the Latest Winner from Data Center Demand.
