Abbott (NYSE:ABT) reported financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2026, a period highlighted by the completion of its transformative acquisition of Exact Sciences.
The company posted reported sales of $11.16 billion, representing a 3.7% increase on a comparable basis.
GAAP diluted earnings per share (EPS) stood at $0.61, while adjusted diluted EPS reached $1.15, slightly ahead of the consensus estimate of $1.14.
The quarter’s defining event was the March 23 closure of the acquisition of Exact Sciences, a leader in cancer screening and diagnostics.
The deal establishes a new growth vertical for Abbott, giving it immediate leadership in the $60 billion U.S. cancer screening market through established products like the Cologuard colorectal cancer test and the Oncotype DX platform for breast cancer.
Reflecting the impact of the acquisition, Abbott updated its full-year 2026 guidance.
The company now projects comparable sales growth in the range of 6.5% to 7.5%.
Adjusted diluted EPS for the year is expected to be between $5.38 and $5.58, a range that includes approximately $0.20 of dilution related to the integration and financing of the Exact Sciences transaction.
In the Medical Devices segment, Abbott saw continued momentum from its FreeStyle Libre continuous glucose monitoring system and its structural heart portfolio.
While the Nutrition segment faced some year-over-year headwinds in the first half, management expects a return to growth in the latter half of 2026.