The EPS miss and lowered sales growth guidance are the primary negatives. Watch for the Q4 earnings call for commentary on whether the ~6.0% comparable sales growth trajectory is sustainable into 2027 and for updates on the Exact Sciences integration and legal settlement costs.
Price Chart
Executive Summary
Abbott reported Q3 2026 adjusted diluted EPS of $1.42, missing consensus of $1.64 by 13.4%, and revenue of $13.013B vs $13.23B consensus. Comparable sales growth was 7.0% (reported +14.5% including Exact Sciences). Full-year adjusted EPS guidance was tightened to $5.50-$5.55 (midpoint reaffirmed), but full-year comparable sales growth guidance was lowered to ~6.0% from 6.5%-7.5%. The miss on both EPS and revenue vs consensus, combined with lowered sales growth guidance, is a clear negative.
Key Financial Metrics
Key Facts
- Q3 2026 adjusted diluted EPS of $1.42 vs consensus $1.64 (-13.4% miss)
- Q3 2026 reported revenue $13.013B vs consensus $13.23B
- Comparable sales growth 7.0% in Q3, full-year guidance lowered to ~6.0% from 6.5%-7.5%
- Full-year adjusted EPS guidance tightened to $5.50-$5.55 (midpoint reaffirmed)
- GAAP diluted EPS $0.53, down 43.6% YoY due to $1.557B in specified items including $670M legal settlements
- Medical Devices comparable sales growth 7.8%; Diabetes Care CGM growth 7.7% comparable
- Diagnostics comparable sales growth 6.4%; Cancer Diagnostics (Cologuard) +13.8% comparable
- Nutrition returned to growth: +4.9% comparable, improving from prior declines
- Established Pharmaceuticals +8.4% comparable; Key Emerging Markets +10.9%
- Quarterly dividend of $0.63 declared (411th consecutive)
Financial Impact
EPS miss of $0.22 (-13.4%) vs consensus; revenue miss of ~$217M; full-year sales growth guidance lowered by ~50-150bps
Risk Factors
- Full-year comparable sales growth guidance lowered to ~6.0% from 6.5%-7.5%
- GAAP operating earnings declined 34% YoY due to acquisition amortization and legal settlements
- Legal settlements of ~$670M in Q3 (Gill case, NEC claims) and ~$400M DOJ settlement in 9M26
- Nutrition segment still declining on a 9M basis (-2.1% comparable)
- Rapid/Molecular Diagnostics declining (-8.0% comparable in Q2, -5.4% 9M)
Investment Themes
Documents Analyzed
This report is based on 6 SEC documents filed with EDGAR.
| Document | Accession Number |
|---|---|
| 8-K Filing (Primary) | 0001628280-26-066601 |
| Document: abt-20261021.htm | 0001628280-26-066601 |
| Document: 0001628280-26-066601-index-headers.html | 0001628280-26-066601 |
| Document: 0001628280-26-066601-index.html | 0001628280-26-066601 |
| Document: 0001628280-26-066601.txt | 0001628280-26-066601 |
| 8-K Data (Synthetic) | 0001628280-26-066601 |
Filters
| Type | Now | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Oct 21, 2026 5d ago | Institutional Cluster | $102.51 | awaiting T+20 | — | $103.70 (+1.16%) |
Oct 21, 2026 5d ago | 8-K | $100.51 | awaiting T+20 | — | $103.70 (+3.17%) |
Oct 21, 2026 5d ago | 8-K | $100.51 | awaiting T+20 | — | $103.70 (−3.17%) |
Oct 21, 2026 5d ago | Press Release | $100.51 | awaiting T+20 | — | $103.70 (+3.17%) |
Oct 20, 2026 7d ago | Court Ruling | $100.51 | awaiting T+20 | — | $103.70 (+3.17%) |
Oct 16, 2026 11d ago | Court Ruling | $104.06 | awaiting T+20 | — | $103.70 (−0.35%) |
Oct 15, 2026 12d ago | Court Ruling | $104.89 | awaiting T+20 | — | $103.70 (−1.13%) |
Oct 7, 2026 19d ago | ANALYST-UPGRADE | $98.69 | awaiting T+20 | — | $103.70 (+5.08%) |
Oct 2, 2026 24d ago | ANALYST-UPGRADE | $97.50 | awaiting T+20 | — | $103.70 (+6.36%) |
Oct 2, 2026 24d ago | ANALYST-UPGRADE | $97.50 | awaiting T+20 | — | $103.70 (+6.36%) |
US Market Status
Subscribe to SecBot
Get Real-Time SEC Filing Intelligence
Comprehensive SEC filing analysis delivered the moment filings hit EDGAR. Sentiment scoring, impact analysis, and actionable insights for every material event.
Create a free account Live analysis, Telegram alerts, watchlists and the MCP server for subscribers