AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV) Shares Up 0.3% - Should You Buy?

AbbVie Inc. (NYSE:ABBV - Get Free Report) traded up 0.3% during mid-day trading on Tuesday . The company traded as high as $180.50 and last traded at $177.93. 2,162,113 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 64% from the average session volume of 5,938,355 shares. The stock had previously closed at $177.46.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have weighed in on ABBV. The Goldman Sachs Group restated a "neutral" rating and set a $194.00 target price on shares of AbbVie in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of AbbVie from $181.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Morgan Stanley reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of AbbVie in a research note on Friday, April 11th. Truist Financial upped their price target on AbbVie from $211.00 to $217.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Raymond James reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $220.00 target price (up from $218.00) on shares of AbbVie in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Seven analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have assigned a buy rating and three have issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $210.71.

AbbVie Trading Down 1.6 %

The firm has a market cap of $301.08 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 70.92, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.55. The company's 50-day moving average price is $198.47 and its 200-day moving average price is $187.71. The company has a quick ratio of 0.55, a current ratio of 0.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 17.94.

AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $2.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.98 by ($0.82). AbbVie had a return on equity of 296.28% and a net margin of 7.59%. During the same period last year, the business earned $2.79 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that AbbVie Inc. will post 12.31 EPS for the current fiscal year.

AbbVie Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 15th will be paid a $1.64 dividend. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.85%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 15th. AbbVie's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 273.33%.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Perry C. Siatis sold 5,778 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 20th. The stock was sold at an average price of $197.90, for a total value of $1,143,466.20. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 22,381 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,429,199.90. This represents a 20.52 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Kevin K. Buckbee sold 18,944 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $203.41, for a total value of $3,853,399.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 11,496 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,338,401.36. This trade represents a 62.23 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 113,471 shares of company stock valued at $23,426,451. 0.25% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of AbbVie

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in AbbVie by 30.4% during the 4th quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 223 shares of the company's stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 52 shares during the period. Steel Grove Capital Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of AbbVie by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Steel Grove Capital Advisors LLC now owns 3,110 shares of the company's stock valued at $553,000 after purchasing an additional 52 shares during the last quarter. Peninsula Wealth LLC grew its stake in shares of AbbVie by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. Peninsula Wealth LLC now owns 1,360 shares of the company's stock worth $242,000 after purchasing an additional 54 shares in the last quarter. Physicians Financial Services Inc. lifted its holdings in AbbVie by 0.5% during the 4th quarter. Physicians Financial Services Inc. now owns 12,150 shares of the company's stock worth $2,159,000 after buying an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Connecticut Wealth Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of AbbVie by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Connecticut Wealth Management LLC now owns 3,711 shares of the company's stock valued at $660,000 after acquiring an additional 57 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 70.23% of the company's stock.

AbbVie Company Profile

AbbVie Inc discovers, develops, manufactures, and sells pharmaceuticals worldwide. The company offers Humira, an injection for autoimmune and intestinal Behçet's diseases, and pyoderma gangrenosum; Skyrizi to treat moderate to severe plaque psoriasis, psoriatic disease, and Crohn's disease; Rinvoq to treat rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, atopic dermatitis, axial spondyloarthropathy, ulcerative colitis, and Crohn's disease; Imbruvica for the treatment of adult patients with blood cancers; Epkinly to treat lymphoma; Elahere to treat cancer; and Venclexta/Venclyxto to treat blood cancers.