Lincoln National Corp Purchases 4,610 Shares of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT)

Lincoln National Corp boosted its holdings in shares of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) by 7.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 64,846 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock after buying an additional 4,610 shares during the period. Lincoln National Corp’s holdings in Abbott Laboratories were worth $7,138,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Concord Wealth Partners boosted its holdings in Abbott Laboratories by 223.3% during the third quarter. Concord Wealth Partners now owns 2,780 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock worth $269,000 after purchasing an additional 1,920 shares during the last quarter. WealthShield Partners LLC increased its position in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 15.9% in the third quarter. WealthShield Partners LLC now owns 3,117 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock worth $302,000 after purchasing an additional 428 shares during the last quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 13.5% during the 3rd quarter. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC now owns 21,851 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock worth $2,116,000 after acquiring an additional 2,606 shares during the last quarter. Crescent Grove Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 3.0% in the 3rd quarter. Crescent Grove Advisors LLC now owns 4,905 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $475,000 after purchasing an additional 143 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Brighton Jones LLC grew its position in Abbott Laboratories by 9.1% during the 3rd quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 14,672 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock worth $1,421,000 after acquiring an additional 1,221 shares during the last quarter. 75.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Abbott Laboratories Stock Down 0.3 %

Shares of ABT traded down $0.27 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $105.63. 3,789,472 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,541,432. The company has a market capitalization of $183.76 billion, a P/E ratio of 32.91, a PEG ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a current ratio of 1.60, a quick ratio of 1.11 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Abbott Laboratories has a 52 week low of $89.67 and a 52 week high of $121.64. The company’s 50 day moving average is $112.26 and its two-hundred day moving average is $108.78.

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

Abbott Laboratories Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.08%. Abbott Laboratories’s payout ratio is 68.54%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP John A. Jr. Mccoy sold 472 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.50, for a total value of $55,932.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 18,760 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,223,060. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In related news, EVP Daniel Gesua Sive Salvadori sold 963 shares of Abbott Laboratories stock in a transaction on Friday, March 1st. The shares were sold at an average price of $118.50, for a total transaction of $114,115.50. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 125,697 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $14,895,094.50. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, 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 transaction of $55,932.00. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 18,760 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,223,060. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 13,935 shares of company stock valued at $1,670,048. 0.47% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on ABT. Evercore ISI raised their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $120.00 to $125.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 4th. 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. Raymond James restated a “buy” rating and set a $124.00 target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th. Citigroup raised their price objective on Abbott Laboratories from $126.00 to $128.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 3rd. Finally, Royal Bank of Canada dropped their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $128.00 to $125.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 18th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price 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.