Earnings Preview: Abbott Labs

Abbott Labs (ABT) is expected to report Q2 earnings Wednesday, July 15 before market open, with a conference call scheduled for 9:00 am ET.

Guidance

Analysts are looking for EPS of 89c on revenue of $7.55B. The consensus range is 87c-90c for EPS, and $7.31B-$7.85B for revenue, according to First Call. For Q1, Abbott reported EPS of 73c vs. consensus of 70c, on revenue of $6.72B vs. consensus of $7.1B. In mid-April, the company gave Q2 EPS guidance of 87c-89c. Possible positive drivers include Humira sales, which account for a significant percentage of Abbott's revenue, and may have benefited from positive clinical data. Additionally, Abbott could see revenue increases from its Xience stent. Possible negative drivers this quarter could come from generic erosion in the company's Depakote line.

Analyst Views

On July 9, Bernstein said it expects Abbott Labs to report strong results based on positive recent prescription trends for Humira. The firm believes the company's EPS will surpass the consensus and it maintains an Outperform rating on the stock.