Abbott (ABT) Rises Yet Lags Behind Market: Some Facts Worth Knowing

Company Overview - Abbott's stock closed at $114.31, reflecting a slight increase of +0.07% from the previous day, underperforming the S&P 500's gain of 0.73% [1] - Over the past month, Abbott's shares have decreased by 3%, which is better than the Medical sector's decline of 3.8% but worse than the S&P 500's increase of 0.34% [8] Financial Performance - Abbott is expected to report earnings of$ 1.34 per share, indicating a year-over-year growth of 12.61%. The consensus revenue estimate is $11.02 billion, representing a 7.64% increase from the same quarter last year [3] - For the entire fiscal year, consensus estimates project earnings of$ 4.67 per share and revenue of $42 billion, reflecting increases of +5.18% and +4.71% respectively from the prior year [9] Valuation Metrics - Abbott's Forward P/E ratio stands at 24.45, which is lower than the industry average of 25.12, suggesting that Abbott is trading at a discount compared to its peers [5] - The company has a PEG ratio of 2.69, compared to the industry average PEG ratio of 2.29, indicating a higher expected earnings growth rate relative to its price [11] Industry Context - Abbott operates within the Medical - Products industry, which ranks 124th in the Zacks Industry Rank, placing it in the top 50% of over 250 industries [6] - The Zacks Rank system indicates that Abbott currently holds a rank of 2 (Buy), with a historical average annual return of +25% for 1 ranked stocks since 1988 [10]