Stock price when the opinion was issued
Expects it to growth topline and bottom line going forward, usually around the 10% range. Sells branded generic drugs to EMs, medical devices, infant nutrition. Diabetes monitoring product has very good growth. Likes that it's diversified, well managed. Yield close to 3%, grown for over 50 consecutive years.
Has excellent fundamentals across four businesses, including best-in-class medical devices renown in cardiology. However, they face lawsuits over their similac formula which studies show is not harmful. It's unfair. It lost a lawsuit last summer and was hit a $495 million penalty. More lawsuits are coming, though the latest decision yesterday went in Abbott's favour. Last month, federal agencies found that the formula is not at fault. Two weeks ago, ABT reported a clean top and bottom line beat and raised their full-year forecast. Shares would have rallied more without the lawsuits.
They made the Covid testing kits which generated $20 billion in revenues, so shares got ahead of itself. The market has ignored any such companies since then, but these earnings will eventually work their way up again. ABT has given guidance ex-Covid tests, meaning double-digit organic growth. This is a long-time core holding. They're in medtech and medical procedures are ramping up (a tailwind). Pays a constant and long-growing dividend now around 2.5%. She likes healthcare as a play on the aging population.