Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) set a confident tone for 2026, projecting a return to double-digit earnings growth and robust organic sales as it prepares to integrate a massive new cancer-diagnostics vertical.
The Chicago-based healthcare giant reported fourth-quarter adjusted diluted earnings per share of $1.50, a 12% increase from the prior year and slightly ahead of Wall Street estimates.
Full-year 2025 sales reached $44.3 billion, representing 5.5% organic growth, driven primarily by its Medical Devices segment and continued demand for its FreeStyle Libre glucose monitors.
For 2026, Abbott expects organic sales to accelerate, forecasting a growth range of 6.5% to 7.5%.
The company also guided for adjusted diluted EPS of $5.55 to $5.80, with the $5.68 midpoint representing roughly 10% growth over 2025.
Notably, this guidance does not yet fully factor in the financial impact of the pending $21 billion acquisition of Exact Sciences, which is expected to close in the second quarter of 2026.
Chief Executive Officer Robert Ford has positioned the Exact Sciences deal as a "transformative" move into the $60 billion oncology screening market.
The acquisition will add the popular Cologuard colon cancer test to Abbott's portfolio, pushing its annual diagnostics revenue past the $12 billion mark.
Technological milestones also bolstered the quarter's results.
Abbott secured FDA approval for its Volt PFA System, a next-generation treatment for atrial fibrillation, and received a CE Mark in Europe for the TactiFlex Duo.
These products are expected to be key growth drivers in 2026 as the company competes in the rapidly expanding pulsed field ablation (PFA) market.