Boston Common Asset Management LLC Buys 21,262 Shares of Abbott Laboratories $ABT

Boston Common Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) by 87.2% during the 3rd quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 45,643 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock after buying an additional 21,262 shares during the period. Boston Common Asset Management LLC’s holdings in Abbott Laboratories were worth $6,113,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of ABT. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Abbott Laboratories in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $3,026,180,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of Abbott Laboratories by 13,347.0% in the second quarter. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 6,056,934 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock worth $823,804,000 after buying an additional 6,011,891 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Abbott Laboratories by 1.8% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 172,800,851 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $23,502,644,000 after buying an additional 2,977,715 shares during the last quarter. First Trust Advisors LP boosted its position in Abbott Laboratories by 180.7% during the 2nd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 3,063,443 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock valued at $416,659,000 after buying an additional 1,972,097 shares during the period. Finally, TD Asset Management Inc grew its holdings in Abbott Laboratories by 98.6% in the 2nd quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 3,467,896 shares of the healthcare product maker’s stock worth $471,669,000 after acquiring an additional 1,721,523 shares during the last quarter. 75.18% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Abbott Laboratories Trading Down 0.3%

NYSE ABT opened at $120.82 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $210.10 billion, a PE ratio of 15.14, a P/E/G ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 0.72. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $125.65 and its 200 day moving average is $128.68. Abbott Laboratories has a twelve month low of $113.50 and a twelve month high of $141.23. The company has a quick ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.23.

Abbott Laboratories Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 13th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, January 15th will be given a $0.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 15th. This represents a $2.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.1%. This is a boost from Abbott Laboratories’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.59. Abbott Laboratories’s payout ratio is currently 31.58%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories from $157.00 to $152.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 9th. Jefferies Financial Group upped their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $145.00 to $149.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, October 16th. BTIG Research reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $145.00 price objective on shares of Abbott Laboratories in a research report on Thursday, November 20th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on Abbott Laboratories from $142.00 to $146.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. Finally, Raymond James Financial raised their price target on Abbott Laboratories from $141.00 to $146.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, seventeen have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $147.42.

Abbott Laboratories Profile

Abbott Laboratories is a global healthcare company headquartered in Abbott Park, Illinois, that develops, manufactures and markets a broad portfolio of medical products and services. Founded in 1888, Abbott operates through multiple business areas that focus on diagnostics, medical devices, nutritionals and established pharmaceuticals. The company supplies hospitals, clinics, laboratories, retailers and direct-to-consumer channels with products intended to diagnose, treat and manage a wide range of health conditions.

In diagnostics, Abbott provides laboratory and point-of-care testing platforms and assays used to detect infectious diseases, chronic conditions and biomarkers; its Alinity family of instruments and rapid-test solutions are examples of this capability.