Abbott Q3 Sales Up 14.5%, Adjusted EPS $1.42; FY26 EPS Guidance Tightened to $5.50-$5.55
ABT sits 21% above its 52-week low of $81.97.
Summary
Abbott reported Q3 2026 sales of $13.0B (up 14.5% reported, 7.0% comparable) and adjusted EPS of $1.42, while GAAP EPS fell to $0.53 on $1.56B of specified charges led by infant formula litigation settlements. Full-year adjusted EPS guidance was tightened to $5.50-$5.55 with the midpoint reaffirmed.
Key Events · Earnings and Guidance · ABT
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Q3 Sales Grow 14.5% Reported
Third-quarter sales were $13.013B versus $11.369B a year ago; comparable growth was 7.0% after adjusting for the Exact Sciences acquisition and a prior-year competitor payment.
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Adjusted EPS $1.42, GAAP $0.53
Adjusted diluted EPS rose 9.2% to $1.42 from $1.30, while GAAP diluted EPS fell 43.6% to $0.53 on $1.557B after-tax specified items ($0.89/share).
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Litigation Charges Weigh on GAAP
Specified items included approximately $670M for the Gill case and NEC claims covering about 2,000 additional infants, plus ~$400M year-to-date for the DOJ/qui tam resolution.
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FY26 EPS Guidance Tightened
Full-year 2026 adjusted diluted EPS guidance narrowed to $5.50-$5.55 with the midpoint reaffirmed; Q4 2026 adjusted EPS guided to $1.62-$1.67; comparable sales growth projected at ~6.0%.
Analysis · ABT · Life Sciences
The headline tension in Abbott's third quarter is the gap between adjusted and GAAP results. Reported sales rose 14.5% to $13.0B, with 7.0% comparable growth once the Exact Sciences acquisition and a prior-year competitor payment are stripped out. Adjusted EPS of $1.42 beat last year's $1.30, but GAAP EPS fell 43.6% to $0.53 because specified items ballooned to $1.56B after tax, dominated by the ~$670M of infant formula litigation settlements booked this quarter. Management reaffirmed the midpoint of full-year adjusted EPS guidance and narrowed the range to $5.50-$5.55, signaling that the legal costs are being treated as one-time and the underlying franchise is on track. How the market reads that split, plus the pending nutrition spin-off announced today, will drive the stock.
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At the time of this filing, ABT was trading at $99.52 on NYSE in the Life Sciences sector, with a market capitalization of approximately $177.3B. The 52-week trading range was $81.97 to $132.03. This filing was assessed with neutral market sentiment and an importance score of 7 out of 10.