Abbott Q3 Sales Rise 14.5% as Adjusted EPS Guidance Tightens

Abbott on Oct. 21, 2026, reported third-quarter net sales of $13.013 billion (U.S.), up 14.5 percent on a reported basis and 7.0 percent on a comparable basis from $11.369 billion a year earlier, and tightened its full-year 2026 adjusted diluted earnings-per-share guidance range to $5.50 to $5.55 while reaffirming the midpoint of the previously provided range.

The results, detailed in Abbott’s third-quarter 2026 earnings release, cover the quarter ended Sept. 30, 2026. GAAP diluted earnings per share were $0.53 versus $0.94 in the third quarter of 2025, a decrease of 43.6 percent. Adjusted diluted EPS, which exclude specified items, were $1.42, up 9.2 percent from $1.30 a year earlier. Net earnings were $920 million versus $1.644 billion, and operating earnings were $1.358 billion versus $2.057 billion. Net interest expense was $297 million versus $44 million in the prior-year quarter, and the third-quarter tax rate was 25.3 percent on a GAAP basis and 15.2 percent excluding specified items.

Abbott said it now projects full-year 2026 adjusted diluted EPS of $5.50 to $5.55 and projects full-year 2026 comparable sales growth of approximately 6.0 percent. For the fourth quarter of 2026, the company projects adjusted diluted EPS of $1.62 to $1.67. Abbott said it has not provided the related GAAP financial measures on a forward-looking basis because it is unable to predict with reasonable certainty and without unreasonable effort the timing and impact of items such as restructuring and cost-reduction initiatives, charges for intangible asset impairments, acquisition-related expenses, and foreign exchange.

“Abbott delivered strong third-quarter results, reflecting balanced growth across our portfolio,” said Robert B. Ford, chairman and chief executive officer. “With strong performance across multiple businesses and a robust pipeline of innovation, we are well-positioned to deliver sustainable growth in the years ahead.”

Comparable sales growth includes the prior- and current-year sales of Exact Sciences, the cancer diagnostics company Abbott acquired on March 23, 2026, and excludes the impact of foreign exchange and revenue in both years related to compensation payments that Abbott’s Structural Heart business received under a multi-year agreement with a competitor. The final payment under that agreement was recognized in the first quarter of 2026. Abbott said management believes measuring sales growth on a comparable basis is an appropriate way for investors to best understand the underlying performance of the business. In 2025, total worldwide sales were $44.328 billion, and total worldwide sales for Exact Sciences were $3.247 billion, according to a footnote in the release.

Segment Performance

Worldwide Medical Devices sales were $5.826 billion, up 6.9 percent on a reported basis and 7.8 percent on a comparable basis. Abbott said sales growth in the quarter was led by double-digit growth in Electrophysiology and Rhythm Management; Electrophysiology was up 15.0 percent on a reported basis, and Rhythm Management was up 9.7 percent reported and 10.0 percent on a comparable basis. Diabetes Care sales were $2.185 billion, with continuous glucose monitor sales up 7.3 percent reported and 7.7 percent comparable.

Worldwide Diagnostics sales were $3.305 billion, up 46.7 percent reported and 6.4 percent comparable. Cancer Diagnostics, which presents the sales of Exact Sciences following the acquisition, contributed $968 million, up 13.8 percent on a comparable basis; Abbott attributed the results to growth of Cologuard and to contributions from the precision oncology and international businesses. Core Laboratory Diagnostics grew 5.4 percent on a comparable basis, which the company said was driven by balanced growth across major geographic regions including the U.S., Europe, Japan, and Latin America. Beginning in 2026, Abbott aggregated its previously reported Rapid Diagnostics, Molecular Diagnostics, and Point of Care businesses into the Rapid and Molecular Diagnostics business, which grew 0.9 percent on a comparable basis in the quarter.

Established Pharmaceuticals sales were $1.614 billion, up 6.8 percent reported and 8.4 percent comparable. Sales in Key Emerging Markets, which Abbott describes as the emerging countries representing the most attractive long-term growth opportunities for its branded generics portfolio, rose 10.9 percent on a comparable basis, led by double-digit growth in India and several markets across the Latin America and Asia Pacific regions.

Worldwide Nutrition sales were $2.262 billion, up 5.1 percent reported and 4.9 percent comparable, with Pediatric Nutrition sales up 8.8 percent on a reported basis. On a sequential basis, worldwide Nutrition sales increased $118 million compared to the second quarter of 2026.

U.S. sales were $5.504 billion, up 28.0 percent on a reported basis, and international sales were $7.509 billion, up 6.2 percent reported. For the first nine months of 2026, sales were $36.770 billion, up 11.9 percent reported and 5.2 percent comparable. Nine-month GAAP diluted EPS were $1.67 versus $2.70 a year earlier, and adjusted diluted EPS were $3.88 versus $3.65.

Specified Items and Legal Settlements

Third-quarter adjusted results exclude net after-tax specified charges of $1.557 billion, or $0.89 per share. The charges comprise $841 million of intangible amortization, legal settlements of approximately $670 million, and $178 million of other net expenses associated with acquisitions, restructuring actions, and other items. According to the release’s specified-items table, the approximately $670 million relates to agreements entered into to resolve the Gill case and necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) claims asserted on behalf of approximately 2,000 additional infants; the same “other” category also includes incremental costs to comply with the European Union’s Medical Device Regulations and In Vitro Diagnostics Medical Device Regulations requirements for previously approved products.

For the first nine months of 2026, specified items totaled $3.864 billion, or $2.21 per share. In addition to the third-quarter items, the nine-month charges include approximately $400 million, including attorneys’ fees and accrued interest, related to an agreement to resolve U.S. Department of Justice investigations and a civil qui tam lawsuit brought by certain relators and joined by the DOJ and the attorneys general of several states.

In August 2026, Abbott announced U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval for Libre Duo, which it describes as the world’s first dual glucose-ketone biowearable sensor; CE Mark for the Amulet 360 Left Atrial Appendage Occluder, a device designed to reduce the risk of stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation; and the U.S. launch of Similac 360 Total Care Made With Whole Milk, which Abbott called the first and only commercially sterile, ready-to-feed liquid infant formula made with whole milk in the United States. In September 2026, the company announced FDA approval of the TactiFlex Duo Ablation Catheter, Sensor Enabled, designed to deliver both pulsed field ablation and radiofrequency energy to treat patients with atrial fibrillation, and launched SimpleScreen CRC, an FDA-approved blood-based colorectal cancer screening test for adults age 45 and older who are at average risk for the disease.

On Sept. 17, 2026, Abbott’s board of directors declared a quarterly dividend of $0.63 per share, payable Nov. 16, 2026, to shareholders of record at the close of business on Oct. 15, 2026. Abbott said it is the company’s 411th consecutive quarterly dividend, that it has increased its dividend payout for 54 consecutive years, and that it is a member of the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats Index, which tracks companies that have annually increased their dividend for at least 25 consecutive years.

Abbott live-webcast its third-quarter earnings conference call through its investor relations website at 8 a.m. Central time on Oct. 21, 2026, and said an archived edition of the webcast would be available later in the day.