Abbott posted stronger-than-expected profit and is raising its full-year earnings outlook

Abbott's adjusted diluted earnings came in at $1.31 a share for the second quarter ended June 30, a step up from the $1.26 it recorded in the same period a year earlier. That topped the Wall Street estimate of $1.28, according to Barron's. Second-quarter net sales reached $12.59 billion, a 13% increase on a reported basis and 4.8% on a comparable basis.

Abbott lifted its full-year 2026 adjusted diluted earnings outlook to a range of $5.45 to $5.60 a share, compared with the $5.38 to $5.58 range it had previously communicated. The company reaffirmed its full-year comparable sales growth outlook of 6.5% to 7.5%. For the third quarter, Abbott projected adjusted diluted earnings of $1.38 to $1.46 a share.

"Our second-quarter results reflect the momentum we are building," Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Robert B. Ford $F said in a statement. "We expect this momentum to continue and drive accelerating sales and earnings growth in the second half of the year."

Medical devices, Abbott's largest segment, posted comparable sales growth of 8.4% in the quarter. Growth was led by electrophysiology, up 13.4% on a comparable basis, along with high-single-digit gains in rhythm management, diabetes care, and heart failure. In diabetes care, continuous glucose monitor sales grew 9.5% on a comparable basis.

Diagnostics sales rose 42.3% on a reported basis, though the comparable growth rate was 2.9% once the acquisition of cancer-screening company Exact Sciences is factored into prior-year figures. Cancer diagnostics achieved comparable growth of 13.3%, with Cologuard posting mid-teens gains as the colorectal cancer screening test continued to attract first-time and returning customers. Abbott completed the acquisition of Exact Sciences on March 23, 2026.

Established pharmaceuticals sales grew 8.7% on a comparable basis, led by double-digit growth in key emerging markets across Latin America and Asia Pacific.

Nutrition was the one weak spot, with sales falling 3.1% on a reported basis. The segment has contended with headwinds from reduced volumes and pricing moves made in the fourth quarter of 2025, though nutrition sales climbed $127 million from where they stood in the first quarter.

Abbott returned $2.1 billion to shareholders during the quarter through dividends and share repurchases. Abbott's shares were up 4.2% in Thursday morning trading.