Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) Shares Sold by Focus Partners Wealth

Focus Partners Wealth cut its position in Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT - Free Report) by 3.0% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 429,464 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock after selling 13,407 shares during the quarter. Focus Partners Wealth's holdings in Abbott Laboratories were worth $48,577,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Three Seasons Wealth LLC bought a new position in Abbott Laboratories in the fourth quarter worth about $1,428,000. Welch Group LLC raised its holdings in Abbott Laboratories by 5.3% in the fourth quarter. Welch Group LLC now owns 68,653 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock worth $7,744,000 after purchasing an additional 3,479 shares in the last quarter. Voleon Capital Management LP bought a new position in Abbott Laboratories in the fourth quarter worth about $273,000. Bank Julius Baer & Co. Ltd Zurich grew its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 57,499 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG grew its stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 1.9% during the fourth quarter. Bank Pictet & Cie Europe AG now owns 152,719 shares of the healthcare product maker's stock worth $17,274,000 after acquiring an additional 2,774 shares during the last quarter. 75.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Abbott Laboratories Price Performance

Shares of ABT stock traded down $0.60 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $128.45. 5,266,685 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 6,115,403. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The firm has a market cap of $223.48 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.79, a P/E/G ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.74. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $129.57 and a two-hundred day moving average of $123.72. Abbott Laboratories has a fifty-two week low of $99.71 and a fifty-two week high of $141.23.

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, beating the consensus estimate of $1.07 by $0.02. Abbott Laboratories had a return on equity of 20.74% and a net margin of 31.95%. The firm had revenue of $10.36 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.38 billion. Sell-side analysts forecast that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.14 EPS for the current year.

Abbott Laboratories Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, April 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 1.84%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, April 15th. Abbott Laboratories's dividend payout ratio is presently 30.61%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on ABT. Royal Bank of Canada boosted their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. StockNews.com lowered Abbott Laboratories from a "strong-buy" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Bank of America boosted 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. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $135.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $146.00 to $148.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, January 23rd. Four investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, fifteen have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $142.59.

Insider Transactions at Abbott Laboratories

In other 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 transaction of $337,116.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 34,058 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,415,960.28. This represents a 7.09% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Lisa D. Earnhardt sold 91,167 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, March 6th. The shares were sold at an average price of $133.82, for a total value of $12,199,967.94. Following the transaction, 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety 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 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.