10 Stocks Jump, Defy Market Uncertainties on Thursday

8. Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT)

Abbott Laboratories extended its rally for a second day, ending Thursday’s trading higher by 3.74 percent at $131.35 each as investor sentiment was fueled by a rating upgrade from an investment firm.

On Thursday, analysts from Oppenheimer gave the company an “outperform” rating and a price target of $134, a 2-percent upside from ABT’s last closing price.

Oppenheimer said its rating was buoyed by ABT’s receiving of the CE Mark in Europe for its Volt PFA catheter, a treatment for patients battling atrial fibrillation.

With the earlier-than-expected CE Mark, Abbott has begun commercial PFA cases in the EU with physicians who have already gained experience with the Volt PFA System within Abbott’s PFA clinical studies. The company will further expand the use of Volt in EU markets throughout the second half of the year.

According to Oppenheimer, the early CE Mark approval may suggest a potential for the US Food and Drug Administration approval to align with the earlier end of the projected timeline.

ABT expects to secure the CE Mark for the catheter in the United States between this year and 2026.