Schechter Investment Advisors LLC Has $6.05 Million Stock Holdings in Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT)

Schechter Investment Advisors LLC grew its position in Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) by 11.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 54,929 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,835 shares during the period. Schechter Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in Abbott Laboratories were worth $6,046,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Halpern Financial Inc. bought a new stake in Abbott Laboratories during the 3rd quarter worth about $26,000. Altshuler Shaham Ltd bought a new stake in Abbott Laboratories during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC bought a new stake in Abbott Laboratories during the 2nd quarter worth about $28,000. CGC Financial Services LLC bought a new stake in Abbott Laboratories during the 2nd quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, FWL Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in Abbott Laboratories during the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 75.18% of the company’s stock.

Abbott Laboratories Stock Up 1.4 %

Shares of NYSE ABT traded up $1.50 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $111.51. The company had a trading volume of 7,770,695 shares, compared to its average volume of 5,724,864. The stock has a market capitalization of $193.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.21, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.66 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a quick ratio of 1.16, a current ratio of 1.64 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. Abbott Laboratories has a 1-year low of $89.67 and a 1-year high of $121.64. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $115.18 and its 200-day moving average is $106.29.

Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 24th. The healthcare product maker reported $1.19 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $1.19. The company had revenue of $10.24 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $10.19 billion. Abbott Laboratories had a return on equity of 20.65% and a net margin of 14.27%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 1.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $1.03 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Abbott Laboratories will post 4.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Abbott Laboratories Dividend Announcement

The firm 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 1.97%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, April 12th. Abbott Laboratories’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 67.48%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have recently commented on ABT. Royal Bank of Canada reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $128.00 price target on shares of Abbott Laboratories in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $116.00 to $121.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, December 13th. TheStreet raised Abbott Laboratories from a “c+” rating to a “b-” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 21st. Raymond James upped their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $124.00 to $127.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, January 25th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $133.00 to $141.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $120.00.

Insider Activity at Abbott Laboratories

In related news, 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 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other Abbott Laboratories news, 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 transaction, the vice president now owns 18,760 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,223,060. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP Andrea F. Wainer sold 12,500 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 quarter, insiders have sold 56,435 shares of company stock worth $6,451,298. Company 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.