Abbott (ABT) has an average brokerage recommendation (ABR) of 1.57, indicating a consensus between Strong Buy and Buy, based on data from 21 brokerage firms. Out of these recommendations, 14 are classified as Strong Buy and 2 as Buy, reflecting 66.7% and 9.5% respectively.
Despite its positive recommendation, the reliability of the ABR is questioned since brokerage analysts often exhibit a positive bias driven by their firms’ vested interests. Consequently, Abbott has received a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) due to unchanged earnings estimates, signaling potential performance in line with the broader market.
The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Abbott remains at $4.66 for the current year, leading to caution regarding the investment outlook, despite the overall favorable ABR.
