Abbott Laboratories

New York Stock Exchange
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Bullish +75

Analysts Offer Insights on Healthcare Companies: Abbott Laboratories (ABT), Pfizer (PFE) and Wave Life Sciences (WVE)

AI-generated analysis

🔬 Wells Fargo analyst Larry Biegelsen maintained a Buy rating on Abbott Laboratories (ABT) with a price target of $122.00.

💰 The report notes ABT shares closed near its 52-week low of $99.71, below the latest analyst price target.

📊 Street consensus for Abbott is Strong Buy with a $137.14 average price target implying 28.1% upside.

⚕️ TD Cowen's Steve Scala issued a Hold rating on Pfizer (PFE) with a price target of $30.00 per share.

📈 Pfizer maintains a Moderate Buy consensus with a $29.07 average price target suggesting 7.5% upside from current levels.

🌊 Wedbush analyst Yun Zhong upgraded Wave Life Sciences (WVE) to a Buy rating with a $35.00 price target today.

🚀 Market consensus for Wave Life Sciences is Strong Buy with an average price target of $34.40 representing 184.1% upside.

⚠️ Analyst performance metrics show varying success rates and star ratings across the three healthcare companies covered.

🩺 Abbott is also finalizing its acquisition of Exact Sciences to expand its cancer diagnostics portfolio.

Bullish Signals
  • Wells Fargo analyst Larry Biegelsen maintains a Buy rating on Abbott Laboratories (ABT) with a price target of $122.00, implying upside from current levels near $104.85.
  • The Street consensus indicates a Strong Buy rating for Abbott Laboratories with an average price target of $137.14, representing a significant 28.1% upside potential.
  • Abbott has just completed its acquisition of Exact Sciences, which will expand its cancer diagnostics capabilities.
  • Analysts maintain a Buy rating on Wave Life Sciences (WVE) with an average price target of $34.40, suggesting an impressive 184.1% upside from current market levels.
  • Canaccord Genuity maintains a Buy rating on Wave Life Sciences with an aggressive $52.00 price target, further validating positive analyst sentiment.
Risk Factors
  • Analyst Larry Biegelsen from Wells Fargo has a 2-star rating with only a 47.1% success rate, casting doubt on the credibility of his Buy rating for Abbott Laboratories despite the positive outlook.
  • Abbott's shares are trading near its 52-week low of $99.71 after closing at $104.85, indicating weak recent price performance and potential investor sentiment issues.
  • TD Cowen analyst Steve Scala maintains a Hold rating on Pfizer with a $30.00 price target, suggesting limited growth potential or concerns about the company's current trajectory.
  • UBS has also maintained a Hold rating on Pfizer with a lower $25.00 price target, reflecting divergent and cautious analyst opinions that could pressure the stock price.
  • Wedbush analyst Yun Zhong holds a 0-star rating with a -7.0% average return and only a 40.1% success rate, raising concerns about the reliability of Buy ratings on Wave Life Sciences.
  • Abbott is completing its acquisition of Exact Sciences on March 23, which could strain capital resources and introduce integration risks during a period of already weak share performance.
Full Analysis
Analysts have issued new ratings and price targets for key healthcare companies, with significant attention focused on Abbott Laboratories (ABT), Pfizer (PFE), and Wave Life Sciences (WVE). In a report released today, Wells Fargo analyst Larry Biegelsen maintained a Buy rating on Abbott Laboratories, setting a price target of $122.00, while the stock closed last Monday at $104.85, near its 52-week low of $99.71. The broader Street consensus for Abbott is a Strong Buy with an average price target of $137.14, implying approximately 28.1% upside from current levels, following a previous upgrade to Buy by TipRanks and Google with a $124.00 target on March 10. Conversely, analyst sentiment for Pfizer remains mixed. TD Cowen analyst Steve Scala issued a Hold rating on Pfizer today with a price target of $30.00, based on shares that closed last Monday at $26.77. Scala, a 5-star analyst according to TipRanks, covers other major pharmaceutical names including Merck and Eli Lilly. Overall, the consensus for Pfizer is Moderate Buy with a price target of $29.07, representing 7.5% upside, though UBS maintained a Hold rating with a lower $25.00 target in their March 10 report. For Wave Life Sciences (WVE), Wedbush analyst Yun Zhong provided a Buy rating today with a price target of $35.00 against a Monday closing price of $11.62. Despite Zhong's lower individual star rating and negative historical return profile, the general Street consensus for Wave Life Sciences is Strong Buy, suggesting significant potential with a $34.40 average price target representing 184.1% upside from current levels. This optimism was reinforced by Canaccord Genuity, which maintained a Buy rating with a high $52.00 target in their March 10 report. Abbott Laboratories is also noted for finalizing its acquisition of Exact Sciences, expanding its cancer diagnostics portfolio, with the deal expected to close around March 23.