Abbott Laboratories $ABT Shares Purchased by B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG

Key Points

• B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG increased its holdings in Abbott Laboratories by 87.5%, owning approximately 1,715,370 shares, making it the 11th largest position in their portfolio.
• Several institutional investors, including Hughes Financial Services and Vision Financial Markets, purchased new positions in Abbott Laboratories, contributing to the total institutional ownership of 75.18% in the company.
• Abbott Laboratories reported earnings of $1.26 per share for the last quarter, matching analyst expectations, and its revenue increased by 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year.

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG lifted its holdings in Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Free Report) by 87.5% in the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,715,370 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock after purchasing an additional 800,735 shares during the quarter. Abbott Laboratories comprises about 2.3% of B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG's portfolio, making the stock its 11th biggest position. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG owned approximately 0.10% of Abbott Laboratories worth $227,544,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Hughes Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in Abbott Laboratories in the 1st quarter worth $27,000. Abound Financial LLC purchased a new position in Abbott Laboratories in the 1st quarter worth $28,000. Elequin Capital LP purchased a new position in Abbott Laboratories in the 1st quarter worth $30,000. JCIC Asset Management Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Abbott Laboratories in the 1st quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, Vision Financial Markets LLC acquired a new position in shares of Abbott Laboratories in the 1st quarter valued at about $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.18% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Philip P. Boudreau sold 5,550 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $134.55, for a total value of $746,752.50. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer directly owned 51,003 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,862,453.65. This represents a 9.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.46% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Raymond James Financial decreased their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $142.00 to $141.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Friday, July 18th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $147.00 to $142.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 18th. BTIG Research cut their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $148.00 to $145.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, July 18th. Leerink Partnrs upgraded Abbott Laboratories to a "hold" rating in a research note on Monday, June 16th. Finally, Leerink Partners initiated coverage on Abbott Laboratories in a research note on Monday, June 16th. They issued a "market perform" rating and a $143.00 price target for the company. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and four have assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $144.47.

Abbott Laboratories Price Performance

NYSE:ABT opened at $131.59 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $229.03 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.49, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.50 and a beta of 0.70. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $131.03 and a two-hundred day moving average of $131.33. Abbott Laboratories has a 12 month low of $110.86 and a 12 month high of $141.23. The company has a current ratio of 1.82, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, July 17th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.26 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $1.26. The business had revenue of $11.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $11.01 billion. Abbott Laboratories had a return on equity of 18.32% and a net margin of 32.43%.The business's revenue for the quarter was up 7.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $1.14 EPS. Abbott Laboratories has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.100-5.200 EPS. Q3 2025 guidance at 1.280-1.320 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Abbott Laboratories Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, July 15th were issued a $0.59 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, July 15th. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. Abbott Laboratories's dividend payout ratio is currently 29.57%.

About Abbott Laboratories

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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