Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) Holdings Raised by North Star Asset Management Inc.

North Star Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Free Report) by 1.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 308,496 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock after purchasing an additional 3,176 shares during the period. Abbott Laboratories makes up 1.5% of North Star Asset Management Inc.'s investment portfolio, making the stock its 15th largest position. North Star Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in Abbott Laboratories were worth $34,894,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of Abbott Laboratories in the 4th quarter worth approximately $2,373,461,000. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Abbott Laboratories by 383.1% during the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 8,358,698 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock worth $945,453,000 after acquiring an additional 6,628,310 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories during the fourth quarter worth about $635,056,000. Capital International Investors lifted its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 3.4% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 67,972,953 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock worth $7,688,160,000 after purchasing an additional 2,229,026 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Northern Trust Corp lifted its holdings in Abbott Laboratories by 10.3% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 22,056,860 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock worth $2,494,851,000 after buying an additional 2,060,650 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.18% of the company's stock.

Abbott Laboratories Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of NYSE:ABT traded up $0.41 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $132.43. The company's stock had a trading volume of 977,301 shares, compared to its average volume of 6,115,680. The firm has a market cap of $230.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.31, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Abbott Laboratories has a 1 year low of $99.71 and a 1 year high of $141.23. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $130.19 and a 200 day moving average price of $124.95.

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

Insider Activity

In other Abbott Laboratories news, EVP Andrea F. Wainer sold 949 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $138.17, for a total value of $131,123.33. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 74,381 shares of the company's stock, valued at $10,277,222.77. This represents a 1.26% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, SVP Eric Shroff sold 562 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, March 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $138.17, for a total transaction of $77,651.54. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 31,970 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,417,294.90. This represents a 1.73% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 95,278 shares of company stock valued at $12,745,859 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.46% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on ABT shares. Morgan Stanley increased their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $117.00 to $127.00 and gave the company an "equal weight" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Barclays boosted their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $158.00 to $159.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, April 17th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $138.00 to $154.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 4th. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and set a $145.00 price objective (up from $133.00) on shares of Abbott Laboratories in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Bank of America upped their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $133.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $142.59.

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.