Abbott Laboratories stock gets new catalyst from nutrition spin-off

Published on 11/03/2026 at 15:56 | Editorial responsibility: Rafael Müller, Editor-in-Chief AD HOC NEWS

Abbott Laboratories stock gets a fresh strategic catalyst as management plans to separate its nutrition business. The transaction is targeted for completion by the end of 2027.

Abbott reshapes its business portfolio

Management plans to separate the nutrition business into an independent publicly traded company.
The new company is expected to have approximately 8.5 billion US dollars in annual sales.
Abbott retained its full-year adjusted EPS range of 5.50 to 5.55 US dollars.

Abbott Laboratories, US0028241000, Illustration mit AI erstellt.

Abbott Laboratories added a major portfolio decision to its third-quarter update on October 21, 2026: The company intends to separate its nutrition business into an independent, publicly traded company. The plan gives investors a new strategic factor to assess alongside Abbott's operating performance and earnings outlook.

The announcement was made by Chief Executive Officer Robert Ford during Abbott's earnings call. In the earnings call transcript, management said the planned separation should create two more focused businesses. The new nutrition company is expected to have approximately 8.5 billion US dollars in annual sales, 16,000 employees and 14 manufacturing sites.

Spin-off sets a new strategic test

Abbott expects the separation to be completed by the end of 2027, subject to required approvals. The new company would become publicly traded through a planned tax-free distribution to Abbott shareholders, who are expected to own shares in both businesses after completion. The final distribution ratio has not yet been communicated.

Management said the nutrition business returned to growth in the third quarter, while the remaining Abbott portfolio will focus on MedTech, Diagnostics and Established Pharmaceuticals. Excluding the current nutrition profile, Abbott expects sales growth to accelerate by 50 to 100 basis points, gross margin to improve by more than 200 basis points and operating margin to rise by approximately 100 basis points.

Third-quarter growth supports outlook

Abbott's official earnings-call summary said comparable sales rose 7.0 percent in the third quarter, while adjusted diluted EPS increased 9.2 percent to 1.42 US dollars. Abbott tightened its full-year adjusted EPS guidance to 5.50 to 5.55 US dollars and expects comparable sales growth of approximately 6.0 percent in 2026.

Near-term execution remains important. Management expects fourth-quarter adjusted EPS of 1.62 to 1.67 US dollars and identified electrophysiology and diabetes care as areas facing short-term pressure, while new product launches could support subsequent growth.

The real-time quote of Abbott Laboratories stock traded at 98.12 euros on Lang & Schwarz at 15:39 CET on Tuesday, November 3, 2026.