Abbott Laboratories $ABT Shares Sold by ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.

ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc. trimmed its position in Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) by 0.8% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 47,488 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock after selling 396 shares during the period. ZWJ Investment Counsel Inc.’s holdings in Abbott Laboratories were worth $6,459,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in ABT. Hughes Financial Services LLC acquired a new stake in Abbott Laboratories in the first quarter worth approximately $27,000. Abound Financial LLC bought a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories during the 1st quarter worth $28,000. Elequin Capital LP acquired a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories during the first quarter worth $30,000. JCIC Asset Management Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories during the first quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Vision Financial Markets LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories during the first quarter worth $33,000. 75.18% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Abbott Laboratories Stock Up 1.1%

NYSE:ABT opened at $134.49 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $234.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.85, a PEG ratio of 2.52 and a beta of 0.69. Abbott Laboratories has a 1-year low of $110.86 and a 1-year high of $141.23. The company has a current ratio of 1.82, a quick ratio of 1.30 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.25. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $131.94 and its 200 day moving average price is $131.33.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 17th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.26 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.26. The firm had revenue of $11.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $11.01 billion. Abbott Laboratories had a return on equity of 18.32% and a net margin of 32.43%.Abbott Laboratories’s quarterly revenue was up 7.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $1.14 earnings per share. Abbott Laboratories has set its FY 2025 guidance at 5.100-5.200 EPS. Q3 2025 guidance at 1.280-1.320 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Abbott Laboratories will post 5.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Abbott Laboratories Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Monday, November 17th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, October 15th will be paid a $0.59 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, October 15th. This represents a $2.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.8%. Abbott Laboratories’s payout ratio is 29.57%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Abbott Laboratories news, CFO Philip P. Boudreau sold 5,550 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $134.55, for a total value of $746,752.50. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 51,003 shares in the company, valued at $6,862,453.65. The trade was a 9.81% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.46% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have recently issued reports on ABT shares. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $153.00 to $157.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday. William Blair raised Abbott Laboratories to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 17th. Leerink Partners started coverage on Abbott Laboratories in a research report on Monday, June 16th. They set a “market perform” rating and a $143.00 target price on the stock. BTIG Research cut their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $148.00 to $145.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 18th. Finally, Raymond James Financial cut their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $142.00 to $141.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 18th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and four have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $145.39.

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.