Abbott Laboratories (NYSE: ABT) finished Christmas Eve trading modestly higher, then ticked up again in light after-hours action—an unsurprising pattern for a defensive healthcare name during a holiday-shortened session. Still, the setup into Friday’s reopening (Dec. 26, 2025) matters, because investors are balancing three big Abbott storylines: the new Volt™ PFA system clearance, a fresh dividend hike, and the pending Exact Sciences acquisition that could reshape Abbott’s diagnostics mix.
Here’s a detailed look at where ABT stands after the bell on Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2025, and what investors should keep on the radar before the market’s next open.
ABT stock price after the bell: Christmas Eve close and after-hours check
Because U.S. markets shut early on Dec. 24, “the bell” came sooner than usual. The NYSE and Nasdaq closed at 1:00 p.m. Eastern on Christmas Eve, and markets are closed all day on Christmas Day. [1]
Abbott Laboratories (ABT) on Dec. 24, 2025:
- Close (1:00 p.m. ET):$124.81, up $0.27 (+0.22%) [2]
- After hours (as of ~4:55 p.m. ET):$125.18, up $0.37 (+0.30%), on ~116K shares [3]
- Day range:$124.00 – $125.33 [4]
- Volume: roughly 1.55 million shares (lighter than typical, consistent with the half-day) [5]
Two practical takeaways for anyone watching ABT “after the bell” today:
- Don’t over-read the tape. After-hours moves on Christmas Eve are often driven by thin liquidity and smaller orders.
- Friday is the next real test. With Christmas Day (Dec. 25) closed, the next time you’ll see normal price discovery is the reopen on Friday, Dec. 26. [6]
What moved Abbott stock today? The market backdrop did most of the work
There wasn’t a major Abbott-specific headline dated Dec. 24 that clearly explains the day’s modest uptick. Instead, ABT traded inside a fairly tight range while the broader market leaned risk-on—even with holiday-thin volume.
On Wednesday, the Dow and S&P 500 closed at record highs, with the “Santa Claus rally” period beginning during this shortened session. [7]
Key market context from Dec. 24:
- Dow: +0.60%
- S&P 500: +0.32%
- Nasdaq Composite: +0.22% [8]
- Overall trading volume across U.S. exchanges was notably light versus typical levels. [9]
Macro data also helped set the tone. New U.S. jobless claims came in lower than expected, reinforcing a “resilient-but-cooling” narrative that often supports equities into year-end. [10]
In that kind of tape, Abbott tends to behave like many mega-cap healthcare names: not a high-beta mover, but often a steady participant—especially when investors want exposure to healthcare innovation without swinging into more volatile biotech.
The Abbott headlines investors are still digesting heading into Friday
Even if Dec. 24 didn’t bring a new blockbuster announcement, ABT is still trading with several high-impact developments from recent days and weeks in the background.
1) Volt™ PFA FDA approval: a new catalyst for Abbott’s electrophysiology franchise
One of the most important near-term product catalysts is Abbott’s Volt™ Pulsed Field Ablation (PFA) System, which the company said received FDA approval to treat patients with atrial fibrillation (AFib). [11]
Why investors care:
- PFA is a fast-moving segment in cardiac ablation because it’s designed to treat irregular heart rhythms using high-energy electrical pulses in targeted areas of the heart. [12]
- Abbott says it expects to begin commercial PFA cases in the U.S. soon, and it noted continued EU expansion following earlier CE Mark approval. [13]
- Abbott pointed to results from its VOLT-AF IDE study (392 patients across 40 centers internationally) as the basis for approval. [14]
For ABT stock, the key question into early 2026 isn’t “Is PFA real?”—it’s how quickly Abbott can scale adoption, and whether the Volt system meaningfully strengthens Abbott’s competitive position in electrophysiology.
2) Dividend increase: a fresh signal for income-focused ABT investors
Abbott also recently announced a quarterly dividend increase, continuing its long-running dividend-growth track record. The company said the dividend is payable Feb. 13, 2026 to shareholders of record as of Jan. 15, 2026. [15]
Dividend hikes matter for ABT because the shareholder base includes a large cohort of:
- dividend-focused investors,
- lower-volatility funds,
- and long-term “core holding” portfolios.
Those buyers may not drive dramatic after-hours spikes—but they can provide a supportive bid when markets get choppy.
3) Exact Sciences acquisition: big strategic move, longer digestion period
Abbott’s other major narrative is its agreement to acquire Exact Sciences—a deal Reuters described as valued at up to $23 billion including debt, with Abbott paying $105 per share in cash and targeting a close in Q2 2026 (subject to approvals). [16]
Strategically, Abbott is positioning the deal as a way to:
- expand meaningfully into cancer screening and precision oncology diagnostics (including tests like Cologuard and Oncotype DX), and
- help offset the post-pandemic comedown in COVID testing revenues that pressured diagnostics growth. [17]
For ABT stock into Friday’s reopen, don’t expect “new” news here—but the market continues to weigh the long-term portfolio upside against near-term integration and earnings dilution concerns flagged by analysts when the deal was announced. [18]
Today’s ABT stock analysis and forecasts: what Wall Street and quant screens are saying
With no earnings report today, the most “current” forecasting inputs are analyst price targets, rating consensus, and independent strategy screens published on Dec. 24.
Analyst consensus: “Moderate Buy,” with price targets clustered above current levels
One widely tracked compilation shows:
- Consensus rating: Moderate Buy
- Average price target:$147
- High / low targets:$162 / $136 [19]
That’s a meaningful gap versus today’s ~$125 level—though price targets are not guarantees, and Abbott’s path higher often depends on consistent execution across devices, diagnostics, and nutrition rather than sudden step-changes.
“Quality compounder” narrative remains popular—but valuation is part of the debate
A Seeking Alpha analysis published today framed Abbott as operationally resilient with strong dividend growth, while noting that ABT has traded at a premium forward valuation and that upside could be more limited from elevated multiples. [20]
Separately, Nasdaq/Validea’s screen published today ranked Abbott highly in a Peter Lynch-style framework (a fundamentals-plus-valuation approach), another sign that ABT continues to score well in many quality-oriented models. [21]
And in a more retail-friendly framing, The Motley Fool highlighted Abbott today as a “Dividend King” type holding commonly featured in medical equipment exposure baskets. [22]
Bottom line: the “own it for stability + innovation + dividend growth” thesis is intact, but opinions differ on whether the current price already reflects much of that strength.
What to know before the stock market opens “tomorrow” (next session: Friday, Dec. 26)
A quick but important calendar correction: U.S. markets are closed Thursday, Dec. 25 for Christmas. The next time the market opens is Friday, Dec. 26, 2025 at 9:30 a.m. ET. [23]
Here’s what’s worth watching before that reopen.
1) Expect holiday-thinned liquidity and potentially noisy price action
With many desks lightly staffed and volume often reduced between Christmas and New Year’s, ABT can see:
- wider spreads at times,
- quicker moves on smaller orders,
- and “headline sensitivity” even when news is minor.
That matters for premarket and the first hour of trading on Dec. 26.
2) Don’t count on big scheduled macro catalysts on Dec. 26
Several calendars show no major U.S. economic indicators slated for Friday, Dec. 26, which means trading can skew more toward positioning, end-of-year flows, and sentiment. [24]
3) Seasonal tailwinds are being discussed again
MarketWatch noted that Dec. 26 has historically been one of the most consistently positive days for the S&P 500 and that it falls within the “Santa Claus rally” window. [25]
This is not a prediction for ABT specifically—but it does shape the broader narrative heading into Friday’s session.
4) ABT-specific catalysts to track into the open
If you’re watching Abbott Laboratories stock closely, the most actionable “checklist” items before Friday’s bell are:
- Any new detail on Volt PFA commercialization (timing of initial U.S. cases, rollout pace, competitive comparisons). [26]
- Any incremental Exact Sciences deal updates (regulatory milestones, shareholder vote timing, integration commentary). [27]
- Dividend calendar awareness as Jan. 15 approaches for the record date (relevant for income-focused flows). [28]
- Broader market risk appetite (ABT can rally in risk-on tapes, but often lags high-beta leadership; it can also hold up better if the tape turns defensive).
5) Simple price levels investors are watching (based on today’s session)
Without getting into complicated technical analysis, today’s own tape provides natural reference points:
- Today’s low: $124.00
- Today’s high: $125.33
- Close: $124.81 [29]
Those levels often become short-term markers when trading resumes after a holiday break.
The bottom line for Abbott stock heading into Dec. 26
Abbott Laboratories stock closed Christmas Eve trading at $124.81 and was modestly higher in after-hours at about $125.18 as of 4:55 p.m. ET, in a quiet tape consistent with a holiday-shortened session. [30]
Going into the next open on Friday, Dec. 26, the core ABT narrative is less about tonight’s after-hours ticks and more about whether investors continue to reward Abbott for:
- expanding its medical device portfolio (including Volt PFA), [31]
- maintaining shareholder returns via dividend growth, [32]
- and executing a large, strategic diagnostics acquisition (Exact Sciences) without undermining its earnings power in the near term. [33]
Informational note: This article is for news and educational purposes and is not investment advice.
References
1. www.nyse.com, 2. www.marketwatch.com, 3. www.barrons.com, 4. stockanalysis.com, 5. stockanalysis.com, 6. www.nyse.com, 7. www.reuters.com, 8. www.reuters.com, 9. www.reuters.com, 10. www.reuters.com, 11. abbott.mediaroom.com, 12. abbott.mediaroom.com, 13. abbott.mediaroom.com, 14. abbott.mediaroom.com, 15. abbott.mediaroom.com, 16. www.reuters.com, 17. www.reuters.com, 18. www.reuters.com, 19. www.marketbeat.com, 20. seekingalpha.com, 21. www.nasdaq.com, 22. www.fool.com, 23. www.nyse.com, 24. www.economy.com, 25. www.marketwatch.com, 26. abbott.mediaroom.com, 27. www.reuters.com, 28. abbott.mediaroom.com, 29. stockanalysis.com, 30. www.marketwatch.com, 31. abbott.mediaroom.com, 32. abbott.mediaroom.com, 33. www.reuters.com
