AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV) Stock Price Up 3.3% Following Earnings Beat
by Teresa Graham · The Cerbat GemShares of AbbVie Inc. (NYSE:ABBV – Get Free Report) rose 3.3% during trading on Wednesday following a stronger than expected earnings report. The stock traded as high as $205.83 and last traded at $204.2010. Approximately 10,395,928 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 44% from the average daily volume of 7,204,565 shares. The stock had previously closed at $197.69.
The company reported $2.65 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.59 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $15 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $14.72 billion. AbbVie had a net margin of 5.79% and a negative return on equity of 911.57%. AbbVie’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $2.46 earnings per share.
AbbVie Dividend Announcement
The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, April 15th will be paid a $1.73 dividend. This represents a $6.92 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 3.3%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 15th. AbbVie’s payout ratio is currently 293.22%.
AbbVie News Summary
Here are the key news stories impacting AbbVie this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Q1 earnings beat and guidance lift — AbbVie topped Q1 estimates, raised its 2026 outlook and said immunology drugs (Skyrizi, Rinvoq) are offsetting Humira declines. This is the core positive catalyst supporting analyst upgrades. Seeking Alpha: AbbVie hikes 2026 outlook BioSpace: AbbVie tops Q1, raises outlook
- Positive Sentiment: Sell‑side upgrades and higher price targets — Multiple firms raised ratings/targets after the results (Morgan Stanley to $278, Canaccord to $265, Guggenheim reaffirm/ $249 PT, Bank of America upgraded to Buy/$234, Cantor reiterated Overweight/$240). These lifts signal renewed analyst conviction in AbbVie’s post‑Humira pivot. Benzinga: analyst moves InsiderMonkey: BofA upgrade
- Positive Sentiment: Skyrizi competitive defense — AbbVie outlined how Skyrizi will respond to new J&J plaque‑psoriasis rival Icotyde, reinforcing confidence in market share retention for a key growth driver. FiercePharma: Skyrizi defense
- Neutral Sentiment: Corporate R&D/community engagement — AbbVie awarded the AbbVie Biotech Innovators prize to RIME Therapeutics (Quebec), signalling long‑term commitment to immunology innovation, but limited near‑term financial impact. GlobeNewswire: RIME award
- Negative Sentiment: Investors remain jittery despite the beat — WSJ coverage and market commentary highlight that, while results were strong, concerns over Humira erosion, execution risk on acquisitions/pipeline strategy, and valuation keep sentiment cautious and likely drove selling pressure. YouTube/WSJ: Investors still worried
- Negative Sentiment: Pipeline trimming and insider selling — The company discontinued a cancer candidate (noted in Q1 coverage) and recent disclosures show insiders sold shares, which can weigh on near‑term sentiment. BioSpace: discontinued candidate
- Negative Sentiment: Small analyst estimate cuts and mixed institutional flows — Erste trimmed FY2026/27 EPS modestly; recent large institutional portfolio shifts (some big sellers) add uncertainty to demand. These are headwinds for the stock near term. MarketBeat: analyst/flows summary
Wall Street Analyst Weigh In
ABBV has been the subject of a number of research reports. BMO Capital Markets reissued an “outperform” rating on shares of AbbVie in a research note on Monday, March 9th. Berenberg Bank set a $275.00 price target on shares of AbbVie in a research note on Tuesday, January 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $223.00 price target on shares of AbbVie in a research note on Wednesday, January 28th. Evercore cut their price target on shares of AbbVie from $232.00 to $228.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, UBS Group cut their price target on shares of AbbVie from $240.00 to $230.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, February 5th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and eight have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $252.90.
View Our Latest Stock Analysis on ABBV
Insider Buying and Selling
In other news, EVP Perry C. Siatis sold 22,381 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $230.00, for a total value of $5,147,630.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 38,137 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,771,510. The trade was a 36.98% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP David Ryan Purdue sold 5,230 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $233.56, for a total transaction of $1,221,518.80. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president owned 2,654 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $619,868.24. The trade was a 66.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 0.06% of the company’s stock.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On AbbVie
Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Railway Pension Investments Ltd raised its position in AbbVie by 33.0% during the third quarter. Railway Pension Investments Ltd now owns 853,949 shares of the company’s stock valued at $197,723,000 after buying an additional 211,800 shares during the period. Public Sector Pension Investment Board raised its position in AbbVie by 17.0% during the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 1,044,690 shares of the company’s stock valued at $241,888,000 after buying an additional 151,644 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in AbbVie by 0.3% during the third quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 177,747,261 shares of the company’s stock valued at $41,155,601,000 after buying an additional 448,554 shares during the period. Thornburg Investment Management Inc. raised its position in AbbVie by 25.5% during the third quarter. Thornburg Investment Management Inc. now owns 401,760 shares of the company’s stock valued at $93,024,000 after buying an additional 81,625 shares during the period. Finally, Channing Capital Management LLC raised its position in AbbVie by 10.5% during the third quarter. Channing Capital Management LLC now owns 55,647 shares of the company’s stock valued at $12,885,000 after buying an additional 5,302 shares during the period. 70.23% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.
AbbVie Stock Down 2.2%
The stock has a market capitalization of $365.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 101.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.76 and a beta of 0.32. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $214.55 and a two-hundred day moving average of $221.60.
About AbbVie
AbbVie is a global, research-driven biopharmaceutical company that was created as a spin-off from Abbott Laboratories in 2013 and is headquartered in North Chicago, Illinois. The company focuses on discovering, developing and commercializing therapies for complex and often chronic medical conditions. Its operations span research and development, manufacturing, regulatory affairs and commercialization, with an emphasis on bringing specialty medicines to market across multiple therapeutic areas.
AbbVie’s product portfolio and pipeline cover several major therapeutic categories, including immunology, oncology, neuroscience, virology and women’s health.