Heritage Investors Management Corp Sells 1,081 Shares of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT)

Heritage Investors Management Corp lessened its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) by 2.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 44,391 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock after selling 1,081 shares during the period. Heritage Investors Management Corp’s holdings in Abbott Laboratories were worth $4,886,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ABT. US Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories during the 4th quarter valued at $573,000. Breed s Hill Capital LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories in the fourth quarter worth about $895,000. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 6.7% in the fourth quarter. Catalyst Financial Partners LLC now owns 6,267 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $690,000 after acquiring an additional 394 shares during the period. E Fund Management Co. Ltd. increased its holdings in Abbott Laboratories by 14.9% during the 4th quarter. E Fund Management Co. Ltd. now owns 4,119 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock worth $453,000 after acquiring an additional 533 shares during the period. Finally, Pioneer Trust Bank N A OR lifted its stake in Abbott Laboratories by 4.6% in the 4th quarter. Pioneer Trust Bank N A OR now owns 57,337 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock worth $6,311,000 after purchasing an additional 2,524 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 75.18% of the company’s stock.

Abbott Laboratories Trading Down 0.3 %

NYSE ABT traded down $0.27 during trading on Thursday, hitting $104.67. 5,807,391 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,564,612. The firm has a market cap of $182.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.61, a PEG ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.76. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $111.69 and a two-hundred day moving average of $108.82. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32, a current ratio of 1.60 and a quick ratio of 1.11. Abbott Laboratories has a 12-month low of $89.67 and a 12-month high of $121.64.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 17th. The healthcare product maker reported $0.98 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.96 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $9.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $9.88 billion. Abbott Laboratories had a return on equity of 20.18% and a net margin of 13.96%. Abbott Laboratories’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $1.03 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Abbott Laboratories will post 4.62 EPS for the current year.

Abbott Laboratories Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Shareholders of record on Monday, April 15th will be issued a $0.55 dividend. This represents a $2.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 2.10%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 12th. Abbott Laboratories’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 68.54%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently weighed in on ABT. Raymond James reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $124.00 price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories in a report on Wednesday, April 24th. Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $128.00 to $125.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. Citigroup raised their target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $126.00 to $128.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Barclays decreased their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $141.00 to $140.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 22nd. Finally, Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 4th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $121.50.

Insider Buying and Selling at Abbott Laboratories

In related news, VP John A. Jr. Mccoy sold 472 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.50, for a total value of $55,932.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 18,760 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,223,060. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. In other news, VP John A. Jr. Mccoy sold 472 shares of Abbott Laboratories stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.50, for a total value of $55,932.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 18,760 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,223,060. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Lisa D. Earnhardt sold 22,852 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $106.25, for a total value of $2,428,025.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 61,462 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,530,337.50. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 36,787 shares of company stock worth $4,098,073. 0.47% 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.