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ABBV AbbVie Inc. - Fundamental Analysis

NEUTRAL
ABBV Stock | Fundamental Analysis & Investment Insights
NYSE Healthcare Drug Manufacturers - General
Current Price
$232.36
Analyst Target
$243.55
+4.8% Upside
52W High
$244.81
52W Low
$163.81

At a glance

Key valuation, profitability, growth, and risk metrics.

Updated Nov 16, 2025
Market cap
$410.67B
P/E
176.03
ROE
138.0%
Profit margin
4.0%
Debt/Equity
N/A
Dividend yield
2.98%

AI Analysis

Powered by advanced machine learning algorithms

Confidence Score
65%
Analysis Accuracy
AbbVie trades at a premium valuation with strong historical profitability and cash flow generation, but faces significant near-term headwinds including a collapsing earnings base, elevated payout ratio, and weakening insider sentiment. While the stock has delivered impressive price performance over the past five years (+187.1%), recent quarterly earnings have been volatile, with two of the last four misses exceeding -55% in surprise. The company's P/E of 176x and negative Price/Book reflect structural challenges post-divestiture and high leverage, offsetting its attractive 2.98% dividend yield and robust operating margins. Relative to peers like MRK and ABT, AbbVie appears overvalued on earnings despite stronger revenue growth (9.1% vs sector avg 11.82%), though forward P/E of 19.16 suggests some normalization ahead.

Key Strengths

Operating Margin of 35.50% significantly exceeds sector average of 17.31% and peer group (MRK: 39.48%, ABT: ~25%)
Gross Margin of 71.46% reflects pricing power and low production costs typical of branded pharmaceuticals
Revenue Growth of 9.10% YoY outpaces key peers MRK (3.7%) and TMO (4.9%)
ROE of 137.96% is exceptionally high, indicating aggressive leverage and efficient equity use, far above sector avg of 31.65%
Analyst consensus recommendation is Buy with a $243.55 target, implying 4.8% upside

Key Risks

Earnings Growth YoY down -88.70% and Q/Q down -88.10%, signaling severe profitability contraction
P/E Ratio of 176.03 is extremely elevated, driven by collapsing earnings rather than price appreciation
Price/Book of -155.42 indicates negative book value, likely due to accumulated deficits or massive share buybacks exceeding equity base
Payout Ratio of 490.15% implies dividend is not sustainably covered by earnings, raising future cut risk
Insider activity shows net selling of $11.05M in last 6 months, including large COO sale, signaling internal caution
AI Fair Value Estimate
Based on comprehensive analysis
$243.55
+4.8% above current price

Performance Snowflake

Multi-dimensional analysis across 5 key categories

Overall
54
Moderate
Value
45
Future
58
Past
70
Health
40
Dividend
55
AI Verdict
AbbVie presents a mixed profile: structurally strong margins and revenue growth are counterbalanced by unsustainable earnings metrics, a dangerously high payout ratio, and deteriorating insider sentiment. While priced in line with a forward P/E of 19x—reasonable for a large-cap pharma—the current valuation ignores balance sheet fragility and reliance on non-core income to fund dividends. Relative to peers like MRK and AMGN, AbbVie offers higher yield but carries greater financial risk and lower earnings visibility.
Key drivers: Forward P/E normalization from 176x to 19x based on projected earnings recovery, Dividend sustainability concerns due to 490% payout ratio, Negative book value and lack of reported debt/equity or cash/debt figures limiting financial transparency
Confidence
65%
Value
45/100

Valuation is an outlier versus sector averages (Avg P/E: 27.34, Avg P/B: positive), with AbbVie’s metrics distorted by capital structure; while forward multiples suggest recovery, current metrics warn of distress.

Positives
  • Forward P/E of 19.16 is in line with long-term pharma sector norms and below current P/E of 176
  • Price/Sales of 6.89 is justified by high gross margins and premium brand portfolio
Watchpoints
  • Current P/E of 176.03 is dangerously high and indicative of earnings collapse, not growth premium
  • Price/Book of -155.42 signals negative equity—extreme financial engineering or accumulated losses
Future
58/100

Despite strong revenue momentum and 1Y price return of +41.8%, earnings trajectory remains deeply negative, creating a divergence between top-line health and bottom-line viability that markets may not sustain indefinitely.

Positives
  • Revenue Growth of 9.10% YoY shows continued commercial strength, possibly from immunology or oncology franchises
  • Analyst target of $243.55 implies confidence in earnings rebound and pipeline execution
Watchpoints
  • Earnings Growth of -88.70% YoY raises doubts about cost base and post-Humira transition sustainability
  • Q/Q Earnings Growth down -88.10% suggests ongoing margin pressure or one-time charges not yet resolved
Past
70/100

AbbVie has historically delivered consistent earnings beats and margin expansion, but the past year has seen a sharp reversal in profitability and estimate accuracy, undermining prior reliability.

Positives
  • Historical ROE of 137.96% demonstrates exceptional capital efficiency and leverage management over time
  • Long-term price appreciation of +187.1% over 5 years outperforms nearly all peers including TMO (+40.7% 6M) and MRK (-2.0% 1Y)
Watchpoints
  • Recent earnings surprises have deteriorated sharply: -55.6% in Q3 2025 and average -16.25% over last 4 quarters
  • EPS YoY growth down -38.0%, reversing a long history of stable growth
Health
40/100

Financial health is obscured by missing leverage and liquidity data, but the negative book value and lack of transparency raise red flags compared to peers like ABT (D/E 0.25) and MRK (0.80), which maintain clear balance sheets.

Positives
  • Operating Cash Flow and Free Cash Flow likely strong given high operating margin and revenue growth (inferred)
  • Current Ratio and Quick Ratio, while low (0.72 and 0.47), may reflect efficient working capital in pharma
Watchpoints
  • Debt/Equity, Total Debt, and Total Cash all unreported—critical opacity for a leveraged firm
  • Negative Book Value (implied by -155x P/B) suggests equity depletion, possibly from buybacks or losses
Dividend
55/100

The dividend appears resilient on yield and policy, but fundamentally fragile due to extreme payout ratio, making it vulnerable to earnings shortfalls or leverage constraints.

Positives
  • Dividend Yield of 2.98% is attractive in a low-yield environment and exceeds ABT (1.8%) and MRK (3.0%)
  • Dividend has been maintained despite earnings volatility, indicating policy commitment
Watchpoints
  • Payout Ratio of 490.15% is unsustainable—dividend is not earnings-covered, increasing cut risk
  • No data on dividend growth history or consistency, limiting confidence in long-term policy

Stock Price & Analyst Targets

Real-time price movements and analyst price targets

Current Price
$232.36
Analyst Target
$243.55
Upside/Downside
+4.8%

Multi-Horizon Performance vs Peers

Price momentum across 5Y → 1W horizons for ABBV and closest competitors.

Updated 2025-11-14
Company 5Y 3Y 1Y 6M 1M 1W
ABBV
AbbVie Inc.
Primary
+187.1% +69.5% +41.8% +28.3% +2.7% +6.0%
MRK
Merck & Co., Inc.
Peer
+42.2% +2.0% -2.0% +24.6% +10.5% +7.7%
ABT
Abbott Laboratories
Peer
+25.7% +34.2% +15.7% -2.3% +0.9% +3.4%
TMO
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.
Peer
+21.9% +6.9% +8.9% +40.7% +9.6% +1.1%
AMGN
Amgen Inc.
Peer
+65.4% +30.6% +17.6% +24.6% +13.3% +5.2%

Positive values indicate cumulative gains over the specified period. Comparables pulled from the same sector to highlight whether momentum is stock-specific or industry-wide.

Historical Performance Trends

Long-term financial metrics and growth patterns

Revenue & Net Income

Profit & Operating Margins

Return on Equity (ROE)

Quarterly Revenue Growth

Historical data shows last 12 quarters (3 years)

Valuation Metrics

Key valuation ratios and pricing indicators

P/E Ratio
176.03
Forward P/E
19.16
PEG Ratio
N/A
P/B Ratio
-155.43
P/S Ratio
6.89
EV/Revenue
7.95
EV/EBITDA
16.05
Market Cap
$410.67B

Profitability

Profit margins and return metrics

Profit Margin 4.0%
Operating Margin 35.5%
Gross Margin 71.46%
ROE 137.96%
ROA 9.59%

Growth

Revenue and earnings growth rates

Revenue Growth +9.1%
Earnings Growth -88.7%
Q/Q Revenue Growth N/A
Q/Q Earnings Growth -88.1%

Financial Health

Balance sheet strength and liquidity metrics

Debt/Equity
N/A
Current Ratio
0.72
Weak
Quick Ratio
0.47
Poor
Cash/Share
$3.21

Quarterly Earnings History

EPS performance vs analyst estimates

2026-02-06
$N/A
2025-10-31
$1.86
+4.2% surprise
2025-07-31
$0.52
-55.6% surprise
2025-04-25
$2.46
+2.6% surprise

Healthcare Sector Comparison

Comparing ABBV against 23 companies in the Healthcare sector (10 bullish, 13 neutral, 0 bearish)
P/E Ratio
176.03
This Stock
vs
37.07
Sector Avg
+374.9% (Expensive)
Return on Equity (ROE)
137.96%
This Stock
vs
37.85%
Sector Avg
+264.5% (Excellent)
Profit Margin
4.0%
This Stock
vs
13.56%
Sector Avg
-70.5% (Weaker)
Revenue Growth
9.1%
This Stock
vs
11.02%
Sector Avg
-17.4% (Slower)
Current Ratio
0.72
This Stock
vs
1.95
Sector Avg
-62.8% (Weaker)

Similar Companies

Peer comparison within the same industry

Company AI Rating Market Cap P/E ROE Profit Margin Price
ABBV
AbbVie Inc.
NEUTRAL $410.67B 176.03 138.0% 4.0% $232.36
MRK
Merck & Co., Inc.
BULLISH $230.65B 12.29 39.5% 29.6% $92.92
ABT
Abbott Laboratories
NEUTRAL $227.08B 16.39 30.6% 31.9% $130.59
TMO
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.
NEUTRAL $217.96B 33.45 13.1% 15.0% $578.71
AMGN
Amgen Inc.
NEUTRAL $181.33B 26.02 81.7% 19.5% $336.74

Recent Insider Trading

Insider buy and sell transactions from the last 6 months

Date Insider Position Transaction Shares Value
2025-08-12 SALEKI-GERHARDT AZITA Chief Operating Officer Sale 42,370 $8,407,055
2025-08-12 SALEKI-GERHARDT AZITA Chief Operating Officer Option Exercise 42,370 $2,324,418
2025-08-05 DONOGHOE NICHOLAS Officer Sale 13,295 $2,639,253
Insider transactions can signal confidence or concerns about company prospects

Wall Street Analysts

Professional analyst ratings and price targets

Consensus
BUY
29 analysts
UBS
2025-11-07
Maintains
Neutral Neutral
Piper Sandler
2025-11-05
reit
Overweight Overweight
Citigroup
2025-11-03
Maintains
Neutral Neutral
JP Morgan
2025-11-03
Maintains
Overweight Overweight
Guggenheim
2025-10-20
Maintains
Buy Buy
Raymond James
2025-10-17
reit
Outperform Outperform
Piper Sandler
2025-10-10
Maintains
Overweight Overweight
Cantor Fitzgerald
2025-10-09
Maintains
Overweight Overweight
B of A Securities
2025-10-03
Maintains
Neutral Neutral
HSBC
2025-10-01
down
Buy Hold