West Oak Capital LLC Sells 745 Shares of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT)

West Oak Capital LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) by 3.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 22,763 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock after selling 745 shares during the period. Abbott Laboratories comprises approximately 1.2% of West Oak Capital LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 22nd largest position. West Oak Capital LLC’s holdings in Abbott Laboratories were worth $2,593,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Altshuler Shaham Ltd bought a new position in shares of Abbott Laboratories in the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC bought a new position in Abbott Laboratories in the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. Halpern Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in Abbott Laboratories in the 3rd quarter worth $26,000. CGC Financial Services LLC bought a new position in Abbott Laboratories during the second quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, FWL Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories during the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. 75.18% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Abbott Laboratories Stock Performance

ABT traded down $0.39 during trading on Thursday, reaching $113.09. 1,253,184 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 5,677,773. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $115.14 and its 200-day simple moving average is $106.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $196.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.68 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 1.64 and a quick ratio of 1.16. Abbott Laboratories has a 1 year low of $89.67 and a 1 year high of $121.64.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 24th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.19 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.19. The company had revenue of $10.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $10.19 billion. Abbott Laboratories had a return on equity of 20.65% and a net margin of 14.27%. Abbott Laboratories’s quarterly revenue was up 1.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $1.03 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts predict that Abbott Laboratories will post 4.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Abbott Laboratories Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 15th. Investors of record on Monday, April 15th will be paid a $0.55 dividend. This represents a $2.20 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, April 12th. Abbott Laboratories’s dividend payout ratio is presently 67.48%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

ABT has been the topic of several recent research reports. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $116.00 to $121.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, December 13th. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $123.00 to $126.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 25th. TheStreet raised shares of Abbott Laboratories from a “c+” rating to a “b-” rating in a research report on Thursday, December 21st. Royal Bank of Canada restated an “outperform” rating and set a $128.00 target price on shares of Abbott Laboratories in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. Finally, Barclays increased their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $133.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $120.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Andrea F. Wainer sold 42,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, January 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $112.50, for a total value of $4,781,250.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 65,027 shares in the company, valued at $7,315,537.50. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In other Abbott Laboratories news, EVP Andrea F. Wainer sold 42,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, January 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.50, for a total value of $4,781,250.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 65,027 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,315,537.50. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Andrea F. Wainer sold 12,500 shares of Abbott Laboratories stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 23rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.00, for a total value of $1,500,000.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 78,704 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,444,480. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 56,435 shares of company stock worth $6,451,298. Insiders own 1.10% of the company’s stock.

About Abbott Laboratories

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.