Axa S.A. Sells 312,735 Shares of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT)

AXA S.A. lessened its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Free Report) by 22.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 1,109,534 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock after selling 312,735 shares during the period. AXA S.A. owned 0.06% of Abbott Laboratories worth $125,499,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Accredited Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Abbott Laboratories during the fourth quarter worth about $70,000. AlTi Global Inc. grew its stake in Abbott Laboratories by 12.7% in the 4th quarter. AlTi Global Inc. now owns 28,969 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock valued at $3,289,000 after buying an additional 3,267 shares in the last quarter. 1248 Management LLC bought a new stake in Abbott Laboratories during the 4th quarter valued at $1,000,000. 4WEALTH Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories during the fourth quarter worth $577,000. Finally, Gallagher Fiduciary Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 26.8% in the fourth quarter. Gallagher Fiduciary Advisors LLC now owns 4,461 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock worth $505,000 after acquiring an additional 942 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.18% of the company's stock.

Abbott Laboratories Trading Up 0.8 %

Abbott Laboratories stock traded up $1.09 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $135.04. The company had a trading volume of 1,876,125 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,112,618. The firm has a market cap of $234.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.65, a P/E/G ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.74. Abbott Laboratories has a 12-month low of $99.71 and a 12-month high of $141.23. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.60 and a quick ratio of 1.14. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $130.01 and a 200 day moving average price of $123.23.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 16th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.09 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.07 by $0.02. Abbott Laboratories had a net margin of 31.95% and a return on equity of 20.74%. The business had revenue of $10.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $10.38 billion. Equities analysts forecast that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.14 earnings per share for the current year.

Abbott Laboratories Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, April 15th will be given a dividend of $0.59 per share. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.75%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 15th. Abbott Laboratories's payout ratio is 30.61%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ABT has been the subject of several analyst reports. Barclays raised their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $158.00 to $159.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Bank of America raised their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $133.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Argus raised shares of Abbott Laboratories to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 28th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $136.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $138.00 to $154.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 4th. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $142.59.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Lisa D. Earnhardt sold 91,167 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, March 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.82, for a total value of $12,199,967.94. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 71,928 shares of the company's stock, valued at $9,625,404.96. This trade represents a 55.90 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director Sally E. Blount sold 2,600 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.66, for a total transaction of $337,116.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now owns 34,058 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,415,960.28. This trade represents a 7.09 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 95,278 shares of company stock worth $12,745,859. 0.46% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Abbott Laboratories Company Profile

Abbott Laboratories, together with its subsidiaries, discovers, develops, manufactures, and sells health care products worldwide. It operates in four segments: Established Pharmaceutical Products, Diagnostic Products, Nutritional Products, and Medical Devices. The company provides generic pharmaceuticals for the treatment of pancreatic exocrine insufficiency, irritable bowel syndrome or biliary spasm, intrahepatic cholestasis or depressive symptoms, gynecological disorder, hormone replacement therapy, dyslipidemia, hypertension, hypothyroidism, Ménière's disease and vestibular vertigo, pain, fever, inflammation, and migraine, as well as provides anti-infective clarithromycin, influenza vaccine, and products to regulate physiological rhythm of the colon.