Abbott Reveals Positive Outcome From REFLECT Studies, Stock Climbs

Abbott ABT recently announced results from its REFLECT real-world studies, conducted using data from the comprehensive Swedish National Diabetes Register. The findings revealed that the company’s FreeStyle Librecontinuous glucose monitoring (CGM) technology helps significantly reduce the risk of hospitalization for heart complications in people with diabetes.Additionally, a similar reduction in heart-related hospitalizations was observed for those with Type 2 diabetes on insulin, using the Libre biowearable technology.ABT Stock’s Likely Trend Following the NewsAfter the announcement on May 15, Abbott shares edged up 1.1%, finishing at $134.80 on Friday. The company benefits from pioneering ground-breaking technology to support people living with diabetes, with its leading FreeStyle Libre continuous glucose monitoring portfolio, used presently by more than 7 million people across more than 60 countries. The latest transformative data shows how valuable the technology is for managing both diabetes and heart health. Hence, we expect the market sentiment toward ABT stock to remain positive surrounding this development.Abbott holds a market capitalization of $234.53 billion. The company’s earnings yield of 3.83% surpasses the industry’s average yield of 0.04%. ABT delivered an average earnings beat of 1.6% in the trailing four quarters.  Relevance of Abbott’s New ResearchDiabetes remains a serious chronic disease that affects approximately 589 million people globally and often comes with cardiovascular complications. People with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes are two to four times more likely to develop heart disease, a leading cause of death for both groups.  While heart risks for Type 2 diabetes are well known, there's low awareness about heart complications in people with Type 1 diabetes. Those who have had serious low blood sugar episodes are twice as likely to be hospitalized for heart-related issues.Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchThe REFLECT research considered a range of cardiovascular-disease-related conditions, including non-fatal heart attack, non-fatal stroke, coronary artery disease, heart failure, atrial fibrillation and cardiovascular death, which are common in people with diabetes. Findings suggest that the use of Libre technology could potentially lead to lower healthcare costs due to the reduction in hospital admissions related to heart complications.Additionally, the risk of hospitalizations for cardiovascular disease was reduced by 80% among people with Type 1 diabetes with no prior history of cardiovascular disease when using the Libre biowearable technology compared to those who used a traditional blood glucose monitor. For individuals with a prior history of cardiovascular disease, the risk of hospitalization was reduced by 49%.Industry Prospects Favoring ABTPer a research report,the global CGM market was valued at $4.6 billion in 2023 and is set to witness a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.2% through 2030. The rising prevalence of diabetes due to aging, obesity and unhealthy lifestyles is one of the factors contributing to the growth of this market. More Updates From AbbottLast month, Abbott announced an agreement with healthcare software company Epic to integrate Libre CGM data into their electronic health record systems in the United States. The first-of-a-kind collaboration aims to improve workflow efficiency for providers through Epic's Aura software, which brings health systems together with diagnostics labs and medical device manufacturers.ABT Stock Price PerformanceOver the past year, Abbott shares have risen 30.6%, surpassing the industry’s 10.7% growth.ABT’s Zacks Rank and Key PicksAbbott currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).Some better-ranked stocks in the broader medical space include Hims & Hers Health HIMS, Boston Scientific BSX and Cardinal Health CAH. Each of these carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.Estimates for Hims & Hers Health’s 2025 earnings per share have jumped 21.2% to 63 cents in the past 30 days. Shares of the company have surged 247.6% in the past year compared with the industry’s 19.9% growth. Its earnings yield of 1.1% compares comfortably with the industry’s -9.7% yield. HIMS’ earnings surpassed estimates in two of the trailing four quarters, matched in one and missed on another occasion, the average surprise being 19.6%.Boston Scientific shares have rallied 40.7% in the past year. Estimates for the company’s 2025 earnings per share have jumped 2.1% to $2.91 in the past 30 days. BSX’s earnings beat estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 8.8%. In the last reported quarter, it posted an earnings surprise of 11.9%.Estimates for Cardinal Health’s fiscal 2025 earnings per share have increased 2% to $8.09 in the past 30 days. Shares of the company have jumped 56.4% in the past year against the industry’s 0.8% fall. CAH’s earnings surpassed estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 910.3%. In the last reported quarter, it delivered an earnings surprise of 9.3%.7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 DaysJust released: Experts distill 7 elite stocks from the current list of 220 Zacks Rank #1 Strong Buys. They deem these tickers "Most Likely for Early Price Pops."Since 1988, the full list has beaten the market more than 2X over with an average gain of +23.0% per year. So be sure to give these hand picked 7 your immediate attention. See them now >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Abbott Laboratories (ABT): Free Stock Analysis Report Boston Scientific Corporation (BSX): Free Stock Analysis Report Cardinal Health, Inc. (CAH): Free Stock Analysis Report Hims & Hers Health, Inc. (HIMS): Free Stock Analysis ReportThis article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).Zacks Investment ResearchWeiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks Weiter zum vollständigen Artikel bei Zacks