Abbott Laboratories (NYSE: ABT) reported earnings on April 18. Here are the numbers you need to know.

The 10-second takeaway
For the quarter ended March 31 (Q1), Abbott Laboratories beat expectations for both revenue and earnings per share.

Compared to the prior-year quarter, revenue improved and GAAP earnings per share grew significantly.

Margins grew across the board.

Revenue details
Abbott Laboratories reported revenue of $9.46 billion. The 18 analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ expected to see revenue of $9.36 billion on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 4.6% higher than the prior-year quarter's $9.04 billion.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Dollar amounts in millions. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

EPS details
Non-GAAP EPS came in at $1.03. The 21 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ averaged $1 per share on the same basis. GAAP EPS of $0.78 for Q1 were 39% higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.56 per share.

Source: S&P Capital IQ. Quarterly periods. Non-GAAP figures may vary to maintain comparability with estimates.

Margin details
For the quarter, gross margin was 60.6%, 270 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 18.3%, 150 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 13.1%, 350 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead
Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $9.91 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $1.21.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $39.93 billion. The average EPS estimate is $5.01.

Investor sentiment
The stock has a five-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 2,559 members rating the stock outperform and 94 members rating it underperform. Among 634 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 618 give Abbott Laboratories a green thumbs-up, and 16 give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Abbott Laboratories is outperform, with an average price target of $61.61.

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