Nelson Capital Management LLC Lowers Stock Position in AbbVie Inc. (NYSE:ABBV)

Nelson Capital Management LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of AbbVie Inc. (NYSE:ABBV - Free Report) by 5.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 24,386 shares of the company's stock after selling 1,296 shares during the quarter. Nelson Capital Management LLC's holdings in AbbVie were worth $4,333,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. GGM Financials LLC lifted its position in shares of AbbVie by 0.7% in the third quarter. GGM Financials LLC now owns 6,895 shares of the company's stock worth $1,362,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares in the last quarter. Dillon & Associates Inc. raised its position in AbbVie by 0.8% during the third quarter. Dillon & Associates Inc. now owns 6,914 shares of the company's stock worth $1,362,000 after acquiring an additional 52 shares in the last quarter. WFA Asset Management Corp increased its holdings in shares of AbbVie by 0.8% in the third quarter. WFA Asset Management Corp now owns 7,003 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,383,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Physicians Financial Services Inc. increased its holdings in shares of AbbVie by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Physicians Financial Services Inc. now owns 12,150 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,159,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Carr Financial Group Corp increased its holdings in shares of AbbVie by 1.1% in the third quarter. Carr Financial Group Corp now owns 5,274 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,041,000 after purchasing an additional 56 shares during the last quarter. 70.23% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

AbbVie Price Performance

Shares of ABBV stock traded up $2.05 on Thursday, hitting $205.06. 5,671,159 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 5,870,784. The firm has a market cap of $362.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 85.44, a PEG ratio of 1.62 and a beta of 0.58. AbbVie Inc. has a 52 week low of $153.58 and a 52 week high of $207.32. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $183.08 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $186.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 17.94, a current ratio of 0.66 and a quick ratio of 0.55.

AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Friday, January 31st. The company reported $2.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $2.98 by ($0.82). AbbVie had a net margin of 7.59% and a return on equity of 296.28%. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.79 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that AbbVie Inc. will post 12.31 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

AbbVie Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 15th. Investors of record on Tuesday, April 15th will be paid a dividend of $1.64 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, April 15th. This represents a $6.56 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 3.20%. AbbVie's dividend payout ratio is presently 273.33%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Guggenheim upped their price target on shares of AbbVie from $212.00 to $214.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Bank of America reiterated a "neutral" rating and set a $191.00 price objective on shares of AbbVie in a research note on Tuesday, December 10th. Wolfe Research initiated coverage on shares of AbbVie in a research note on Friday, November 15th. They set an "outperform" rating and a $205.00 price objective on the stock. Argus raised shares of AbbVie from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Monday, November 4th. Finally, Daiwa Capital Markets cut shares of AbbVie from an "outperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $180.00 target price for the company. in a report on Thursday, December 5th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, seventeen have issued a buy rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $208.35.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other AbbVie news, EVP Perry C. Siatis sold 5,778 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $197.90, for a total value of $1,143,466.20. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 22,381 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,429,199.90. The trade was a 20.52 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, SVP Kevin K. Buckbee sold 1,800 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, December 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $172.24, for a total transaction of $310,032.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 6,983 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,202,751.92. This trade represents a 20.49 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.25% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

AbbVie Company Profile

AbbVie Inc discovers, develops, manufactures, and sells pharmaceuticals worldwide. The company offers Humira, an injection for autoimmune and intestinal Behçet's diseases, and pyoderma gangrenosum; Skyrizi to treat moderate to severe plaque psoriasis, psoriatic disease, and Crohn's disease; Rinvoq to treat rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, atopic dermatitis, axial spondyloarthropathy, ulcerative colitis, and Crohn's disease; Imbruvica for the treatment of adult patients with blood cancers; Epkinly to treat lymphoma; Elahere to treat cancer; and Venclexta/Venclyxto to treat blood cancers.