Moody Lynn & Lieberson LLC Acquires 38,916 Shares of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT)

Moody Lynn & Lieberson LLC increased its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Free Report) by 16.2% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 279,830 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock after purchasing an additional 38,916 shares during the period. Abbott Laboratories makes up about 2.4% of Moody Lynn & Lieberson LLC's portfolio, making the stock its 14th biggest holding. Moody Lynn & Lieberson LLC's holdings in Abbott Laboratories were worth $37,119,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Three Seasons Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories during the 4th quarter valued at $1,428,000. Kelly Financial Services LLC bought a new position in Abbott Laboratories in the first quarter worth approximately $216,000. Voleon Capital Management LP bought a new stake in Abbott Laboratories during the 4th quarter worth approximately $273,000. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich boosted its holdings in Abbott Laboratories by 5.5% during the fourth quarter. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich now owns 1,095,443 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock worth $133,691,000 after purchasing an additional 57,499 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG grew its holdings in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 152,719 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock valued at $17,274,000 after acquiring an additional 2,774 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 75.18% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other Abbott Laboratories news, Director Sally E. Blount sold 2,600 shares of the stock in a transaction on Wednesday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $129.66, for a total value of $337,116.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 34,058 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,415,960.28. This trade represents a 7.09% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.46% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on ABT shares. Bank of America lifted their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $133.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, March 10th. Leerink Partners began coverage on shares of Abbott Laboratories in a report on Monday, June 16th. They set a "market perform" rating and a $143.00 target price on the stock. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $117.00 to $127.00 and gave the stock an "equal weight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Piper Sandler reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $145.00 price target (up previously from $133.00) on shares of Abbott Laboratories in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Abbott Laboratories currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $142.61.

Abbott Laboratories Stock Performance

NYSE:ABT traded down $2.18 during midday trading on Wednesday, reaching $134.08. 4,319,615 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 6,143,947. The firm has a market capitalization of $233.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.39, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $133.03 and a 200 day moving average price of $127.97. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 1.78 and a quick ratio of 1.27. Abbott Laboratories has a twelve month low of $99.71 and a twelve month high of $141.23.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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 firm had revenue of $10.36 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $10.38 billion. Abbott Laboratories had a net margin of 31.89% and a return on equity of 19.01%. On average, analysts expect that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Abbott Laboratories Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, July 15th will be issued a dividend of $0.59 per share. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.76%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, July 15th. Abbott Laboratories's payout ratio is 30.61%.

Abbott Laboratories 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.