Abbott (ABT) stock price steadies after Barclays trims target; Exact Sciences vote is next key date

2 February 2026

New York, February 2, 2026, 16:03 (EST) — After-hours

Abbott Laboratories (ABT.N) shares were last up 0.1% at $109.43 on Monday after Barclays lowered its 12-month target price to $142 from $169, citing reduced estimates and a lower valuation multiple but keeping an Overweight rating. A price target is an analyst estimate; Overweight signals it expects the stock to outperform its coverage universe.

The note lands as investors search for a floor after Abbott’s late-January results underscored how much the nutrition business has slowed. Traders are also watching whether diagnostics can stabilize while devices — led by glucose monitors — keep the growth engine running.

One more thing sits on the calendar: a February 20 shareholder vote at Exact Sciences on Abbott’s planned takeover, which would expand its diagnostics portfolio into cancer screening.

U.S. stocks rallied on Monday, with the S&P 500 up 0.7% and the Nasdaq up 0.9% as earnings season rolled on. Dexcom, a rival in continuous glucose monitors, slipped 0.5%.

On Jan. 22, Abbott forecast first-quarter adjusted earnings per share — a profit measure that strips out some one-off items — of $1.12 to $1.18 after missing Wall Street’s revenue estimate for the December quarter. Chief executive Robert Ford said, “We’ll have a couple quarters here where growth in nutrition is going to be challenged,” while the company projected a return to growth in the second half. Nutrition sales fell 8.9% to $1.94 billion and diagnostics slid 2.5% to $2.46 billion, Reuters reported; analysts also flagged possible spillover from infant formula recalls by rivals Nestle and Danone. Reuters

Abbott agreed in November to buy Exact Sciences in a deal valued at up to $23 billion including debt, paying $105 per share in cash. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2026 and would be dilutive to Abbott’s adjusted earnings through 2027, Reuters reported. “We would not anticipate meaningful regulatory hurdles,” RBC analyst Shagun Singh said. Reuters

A proxy filing showed Exact Sciences will hold a virtual special meeting on Feb. 20 at 10 a.m. Central Time to vote on the merger. If shareholders approve, Abbott still needs the usual regulatory clearances before it can close.

But the stock’s near-term risk is simple: if nutrition volumes do not respond to price and promotion moves, or if diagnostics stays soft, the turnaround pitch loses air. A delay on the merger timetable would not help.

Ahead of Tuesday’s session, investors will look for follow-on analyst notes and any fresh signals on demand, but the next hard date on the calendar is February 20.

Khadija Saeed Latest posts

Khadija Saeed is a financial markets reporter at TS2.tech. Her coverage ranges from stocks and technology to emerging industries and developments across global markets. She studied economics and finance at the London School of Economics and worked in market research before becoming a financial journalist. Follow Khadija Saeed on Google News.

View all