We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience.
This includes personalizing content and advertising.
By pressing "Accept All" or closing out of this banner, you consent to the use of all cookies and similar technologies and the sharing of information they collect with third parties.
You can reject marketing cookies by pressing "Deny Optional," but we still use essential, performance, and functional cookies.
In addition, whether you "Accept All," Deny Optional," click the X or otherwise continue to use the site, you accept our Privacy Policy and Terms of Service, revised from time to time.
You are being directed to ZacksTrade, a division of LBMZ Securities and licensed broker-dealer. ZacksTrade and Zacks.com are separate companies. The web link between the two companies is not a solicitation or offer to invest in a particular security or type of security. ZacksTrade does not endorse or adopt any particular investment strategy, any analyst opinion/rating/report or any approach to evaluating individual securities.
If you wish to go to ZacksTrade, click OK. If you do not, click Cancel.
AbbVie Q1 Earnings Loom: Buy or Sell the Stock Ahead of Results?
Read MoreHide Full Article
Key Takeaways
AbbVie is set to report Q1 2026 results on April 29, with sales and EPS expected to rise year over year.
AbbVie's growth is driven by Skyrizi and Rinvoq, while Humira sales continue to decline from biosimilars.
The company has a negative Earnings ESP and faces pressure from Imbruvica and pricing changes.
AbbVie (ABBV - Free Report) is set to report first-quarter 2026 earnings on April 29, before the opening bell. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for sales and earnings is pegged at $14.78 billion and $2.69 per share, respectively. Both metrics indicate an increase over the year-ago period.
Over the past 30 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2026 EPS has declined from $14.62 to $14.29, while that for 2027 has fallen from $16.18 to $16.17. This decline can be attributed to the impact of acquired IPR&D and milestone expenses expected to be recorded in the first quarter of 2026, as noted in an SEC filing released by the company earlier this month.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
ABBV’s Earnings Surprise History
AbbVie’s performance has been impressive, with its earnings exceeding expectations in each of the trailing four quarters. It delivered a trailing four-quarter average earnings surprise of 3.17%. In the last reported quarter, the pharma giant delivered an earnings surprise of 1.88%.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
What Our Model Predicts for ABBV
Per our proven model, companies with the combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) have a good chance of delivering an earnings beat. This is not the case here. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.
For the first quarter of 2026, AbbVie expects adjusted earnings to be in the range of $2.56-$2.60 per share. The company expects net revenues of approximately $14.7 billion. Currency is expected to have a positive impact of around 2% on sales.
AbbVie’s top-line growth in the quarter is likely to have been driven by higher sales of newer immunology drugs, Skyrizi and Rinvoq. We expect both drugs to have continued expanding their market share across all approved indications. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Skyrizi sales is pegged at $4.41 billion, while the same for Rinvoq is pinned at $2.09 billion.
Sales of the company’s flagship drug Humira are likely to have continued their downward trend due to biosimilar erosion. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the drug’s sales is pegged at $697 million.
AbbVie has provided its quarterly forecast for the immunology franchise. It expects to generate revenues worth $7.1 billion (from this franchise), which includes Skyrizi sales of $4.4 billion and Rinvoq sales of $2 billion.
In the oncology franchise, we expect J&J (JNJ - Free Report) -partnered Imbruvica sales to have continued their downward trajectory. The drug’s sales have been declining over the past few years due to rising competitive pressure from novel oral therapies. This trend is expected to have intensified in the quarter as IRA-driven pricing changes, which came into effect at the start of 2026, must have further impacted sales. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the J&J-partnered drug’s sales is pegged at $565 million.
Roche (RHHBY - Free Report) -partnered Venclexta sales are likely to have risen as new patient starts might have improved, driven by strong demand for both CLL and AML indications. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the Roche-partnered drug’s sales is pegged at $719 million.
AbbVie expects oncology revenues of approximately $1.6 billion in the first quarter, while the Zacks Consensus Estimate is pegged at $1.57 billion. Both estimates indicate a slight decline from the year-ago period's level.
Sales of the neuroscience franchise have shown strong growth in recent quarters. The growth is likely to have been driven by higher sales of Botox Therapeutic, depression drug Vraylar and new migraine drugs — Ubrelvy and Qulipta. We also expect the Parkinson’s disease drug Vyalev to have contributed to the franchise’s growth during the quarter. While the Zacks Consensus Estimate for neuroscience product sales is pegged at about $2.83 billion, ABBV expects to generate $2.8 billion from the segment.
In the aesthetics franchise, we expect overall sales to have started recovering from the sluggish sales of Botox and Juvederm fillers, as experienced in the past few quarters. The improvement is likely to have been driven by stabilizing demand in the facial injectable market in the United States and easing macroeconomic pressures, which is expected to have improved consumer sentiment. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for aesthetics product sales is pegged at $1.18 billion. AbbVie expects to generate $1.2 billion from the sale of its aesthetic products.
A single quarter’s results are not so important for long-term investors. Let us delve deeper to understand whether to buy, sell or hold the stock at present.
ABBV’s Share Price Performance & Valuation
Shares of AbbVie have underperformed the industry year to date, as seen in the chart below.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
From a valuation standpoint, AbbVie is trading at a discount to the industry. Based on the price/earnings (P/E) ratio, the shares currently trade at 13.51 times forward earnings, lower than the industry’s average of 16.61.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Our Investment Thesis on ABBV Stock
AbbVie combats its share of headwinds, including the impact of Humira's loss of exclusivity (LOE), increasing competitive pressure on Imbruvica and continued macro woes for Aesthetics. The company has effectively fended off its biggest challenge — Humira biosimilar erosion — quite well. Strong execution of newer immunology drugs Skyrizi and Rinvoq, both approved across major Humira indications as well as newer areas like atopic dermatitis, has driven a solid recovery. Backed by these launches, AbbVie delivered 8.5% year-over-year sales growth in 2025, marking just the second full year post-Humira LOE in the United States.
Looking ahead, AbbVie expects another strong year, guiding approximately 9.5% revenue growth in 2026, likely driven by continued momentum in Skyrizi and Rinvoq, a meaningful ramp-up of Vyalev and sustained double-digit growth in its migraine portfolio. These gains are expected to be partially offset by continued Humira erosion and pricing pressure on Imbruvica under the IRA.
Beyond 2026, AbbVie projects high single-digit revenue growth through 2029, supported by the absence of major LOE events and continued portfolio expansion. The company is investing in its future pipeline through strategic collaborations across multiple therapeutic areas. Earlier this year, AbbVie signed a licensing deal with China-based RemeGen for its PD-1xVEGF bispecific antibody candidate, RC148, further enhancing its oncology pipeline.
Stay Invested in ABBV Stock
A solid pipeline and the prospect of growth in 2026 sales and profits are good enough reasons to stay invested in AbbVie stock. Any major decline in the company’s share price could be an opportunity for long-term investors to add the stock to their portfolio.
Zacks' 7 Best Strong Buy Stocks (New Research Report)
Valued at $99, click below to receive our just-released report
predicting the 7 stocks that will soar highest in the coming month.
View the Zacks #1 Rank List
Image: Shutterstock
AbbVie Q1 Earnings Loom: Buy or Sell the Stock Ahead of Results?
Key Takeaways
AbbVie (ABBV - Free Report) is set to report first-quarter 2026 earnings on April 29, before the opening bell. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for sales and earnings is pegged at $14.78 billion and $2.69 per share, respectively. Both metrics indicate an increase over the year-ago period.
Over the past 30 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2026 EPS has declined from $14.62 to $14.29, while that for 2027 has fallen from $16.18 to $16.17. This decline can be attributed to the impact of acquired IPR&D and milestone expenses expected to be recorded in the first quarter of 2026, as noted in an SEC filing released by the company earlier this month.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
ABBV’s Earnings Surprise History
AbbVie’s performance has been impressive, with its earnings exceeding expectations in each of the trailing four quarters. It delivered a trailing four-quarter average earnings surprise of 3.17%. In the last reported quarter, the pharma giant delivered an earnings surprise of 1.88%.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
What Our Model Predicts for ABBV
Per our proven model, companies with the combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) have a good chance of delivering an earnings beat. This is not the case here. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.
AbbVie currently has an Earnings ESP of -2.65% and a Zacks Rank #3. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Factors Likely to Shape AbbVie’s Upcoming Results
For the first quarter of 2026, AbbVie expects adjusted earnings to be in the range of $2.56-$2.60 per share. The company expects net revenues of approximately $14.7 billion. Currency is expected to have a positive impact of around 2% on sales.
AbbVie’s top-line growth in the quarter is likely to have been driven by higher sales of newer immunology drugs, Skyrizi and Rinvoq. We expect both drugs to have continued expanding their market share across all approved indications. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Skyrizi sales is pegged at $4.41 billion, while the same for Rinvoq is pinned at $2.09 billion.
Sales of the company’s flagship drug Humira are likely to have continued their downward trend due to biosimilar erosion. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the drug’s sales is pegged at $697 million.
AbbVie has provided its quarterly forecast for the immunology franchise. It expects to generate revenues worth $7.1 billion (from this franchise), which includes Skyrizi sales of $4.4 billion and Rinvoq sales of $2 billion.
In the oncology franchise, we expect J&J (JNJ - Free Report) -partnered Imbruvica sales to have continued their downward trajectory. The drug’s sales have been declining over the past few years due to rising competitive pressure from novel oral therapies. This trend is expected to have intensified in the quarter as IRA-driven pricing changes, which came into effect at the start of 2026, must have further impacted sales. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the J&J-partnered drug’s sales is pegged at $565 million.
Roche (RHHBY - Free Report) -partnered Venclexta sales are likely to have risen as new patient starts might have improved, driven by strong demand for both CLL and AML indications. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the Roche-partnered drug’s sales is pegged at $719 million.
AbbVie expects oncology revenues of approximately $1.6 billion in the first quarter, while the Zacks Consensus Estimate is pegged at $1.57 billion. Both estimates indicate a slight decline from the year-ago period's level.
Sales of the neuroscience franchise have shown strong growth in recent quarters. The growth is likely to have been driven by higher sales of Botox Therapeutic, depression drug Vraylar and new migraine drugs — Ubrelvy and Qulipta. We also expect the Parkinson’s disease drug Vyalev to have contributed to the franchise’s growth during the quarter. While the Zacks Consensus Estimate for neuroscience product sales is pegged at about $2.83 billion, ABBV expects to generate $2.8 billion from the segment.
In the aesthetics franchise, we expect overall sales to have started recovering from the sluggish sales of Botox and Juvederm fillers, as experienced in the past few quarters. The improvement is likely to have been driven by stabilizing demand in the facial injectable market in the United States and easing macroeconomic pressures, which is expected to have improved consumer sentiment. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for aesthetics product sales is pegged at $1.18 billion. AbbVie expects to generate $1.2 billion from the sale of its aesthetic products.
A single quarter’s results are not so important for long-term investors. Let us delve deeper to understand whether to buy, sell or hold the stock at present.
ABBV’s Share Price Performance & Valuation
Shares of AbbVie have underperformed the industry year to date, as seen in the chart below.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
From a valuation standpoint, AbbVie is trading at a discount to the industry. Based on the price/earnings (P/E) ratio, the shares currently trade at 13.51 times forward earnings, lower than the industry’s average of 16.61.
Image Source: Zacks Investment Research
Our Investment Thesis on ABBV Stock
AbbVie combats its share of headwinds, including the impact of Humira's loss of exclusivity (LOE), increasing competitive pressure on Imbruvica and continued macro woes for Aesthetics. The company has effectively fended off its biggest challenge — Humira biosimilar erosion — quite well. Strong execution of newer immunology drugs Skyrizi and Rinvoq, both approved across major Humira indications as well as newer areas like atopic dermatitis, has driven a solid recovery. Backed by these launches, AbbVie delivered 8.5% year-over-year sales growth in 2025, marking just the second full year post-Humira LOE in the United States.
Looking ahead, AbbVie expects another strong year, guiding approximately 9.5% revenue growth in 2026, likely driven by continued momentum in Skyrizi and Rinvoq, a meaningful ramp-up of Vyalev and sustained double-digit growth in its migraine portfolio. These gains are expected to be partially offset by continued Humira erosion and pricing pressure on Imbruvica under the IRA.
Beyond 2026, AbbVie projects high single-digit revenue growth through 2029, supported by the absence of major LOE events and continued portfolio expansion. The company is investing in its future pipeline through strategic collaborations across multiple therapeutic areas. Earlier this year, AbbVie signed a licensing deal with China-based RemeGen for its PD-1xVEGF bispecific antibody candidate, RC148, further enhancing its oncology pipeline.
Stay Invested in ABBV Stock
A solid pipeline and the prospect of growth in 2026 sales and profits are good enough reasons to stay invested in AbbVie stock. Any major decline in the company’s share price could be an opportunity for long-term investors to add the stock to their portfolio.