Victrix Investment Advisors purchased a new stake in Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 2,576 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock, valued at approximately $342,000.
Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Redwood Park Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Abbott Laboratories in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Noble Wealth Management PBC purchased a new position in shares of Abbott Laboratories in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. NewSquare Capital LLC lifted its stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 78.4% during the fourth quarter. NewSquare Capital LLC now owns 239 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock worth $27,000 after buying an additional 105 shares during the period. JCIC Asset Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories during the first quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, WealthTrak Capital Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Abbott Laboratories in the 4th quarter valued at $28,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.18% of the company's stock.
Analysts Set New Price Targets
Several analysts have weighed in on ABT shares. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $136.00 to $147.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada upped their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $138.00 to $154.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Morgan Stanley upped their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $117.00 to $127.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Leerink Partnrs raised shares of Abbott Laboratories to a "hold" rating in a report on Monday, June 16th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $142.61.
Read Our Latest Report on ABT
Insider Transactions at Abbott Laboratories
In related news, Director Sally E. Blount sold 2,600 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $129.66, for a total transaction of $337,116.00. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 34,058 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,415,960.28. The trade was a 7.09% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.46% of the company's stock.
Abbott Laboratories Stock Down 2.7%
ABT stock opened at $133.73 on Friday. Abbott Laboratories has a 52 week low of $99.71 and a 52 week high of $141.23. The company has a quick ratio of 1.27, a current ratio of 1.78 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $132.75 and a 200-day simple moving average of $127.43. The stock has a market capitalization of $232.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.34, a P/E/G ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.73.
Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 16th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.09 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.07 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $10.36 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.38 billion. Abbott Laboratories had a return on equity of 19.01% and a net margin of 31.89%. Equities analysts forecast that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.
Abbott Laboratories Announces Dividend
The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, July 15th will be paid a dividend of $0.59 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, July 15th. This represents a $2.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.76%. Abbott Laboratories's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 30.61%.
Abbott Laboratories Profile
(
Free Report)
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.
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