LWM Advisory Services LLC Invests $207,000 in Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT)

LWM Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 1,877 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock, valued at approximately $207,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Steele Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories in the fourth quarter valued at about $1,059,000. Naviter Wealth LLC lifted its stake in Abbott Laboratories by 19.0% in the 4th quarter. Naviter Wealth LLC now owns 16,938 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $1,864,000 after buying an additional 2,708 shares in the last quarter. Choreo LLC increased its position in Abbott Laboratories by 13.4% during the fourth quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 26,181 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock worth $2,882,000 after buying an additional 3,088 shares in the last quarter. Mather Group LLC. raised its holdings in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Mather Group LLC. now owns 35,931 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock worth $3,955,000 after acquiring an additional 789 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Gilbert & Cook Inc. lifted its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 17.4% in the fourth quarter. Gilbert & Cook Inc. now owns 7,556 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $832,000 after acquiring an additional 1,120 shares in the last quarter. 75.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Abbott Laboratories Stock Down 0.2 %

Shares of NYSE:ABT traded down $0.24 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $107.29. 3,306,015 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,632,260. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $113.64 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $108.22. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 1.16 and a current ratio of 1.64. Abbott Laboratories has a twelve month low of $89.67 and a twelve month high of $121.64. The company has a market cap of $186.17 billion, a PE ratio of 33.66, a P/E/G ratio of 2.59 and a beta of 0.74.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 17th. The healthcare product maker reported $0.98 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.96 by $0.02. Abbott Laboratories had a return on equity of 20.32% and a net margin of 13.96%. The company had revenue of $9.96 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $9.88 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $1.03 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Abbott Laboratories will post 4.62 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Abbott Laboratories Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Stockholders of record on Monday, April 15th will be given a dividend of $0.55 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 12th. This represents a $2.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.05%. Abbott Laboratories’s payout ratio is currently 68.54%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Abbott Laboratories

In other news, VP John A. Jr. Mccoy sold 472 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.50, for a total value of $55,932.00. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 18,760 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,223,060. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other Abbott Laboratories news, EVP Andrea F. Wainer sold 12,500 shares of Abbott Laboratories stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.00, for a total value of $1,500,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 78,704 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,444,480. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP John A. Jr. Mccoy sold 472 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The stock was sold at an average price of $118.50, for a total transaction of $55,932.00. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 18,760 shares in the company, valued at $2,223,060. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 13,935 shares of company stock worth $1,670,048 in the last ninety days. 0.47% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Abbott Laboratories Company 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.