Abbott Laboratories (NYSE: ABT) is expected to report Q4 earnings on Jan. 23. Here's what Wall Street wants to see:

The 10-second takeaway
 Comparing the upcoming quarter to the prior-year quarter, average analyst estimates predict Abbott Laboratories's revenues will grow 2.3% and EPS will grow 3.4%.

The average estimate for revenue is $10.62 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $1.50.

Revenue details
 Last quarter, Abbott Laboratories booked revenue of $9.77 billion. GAAP reported sales were 0.4% lower than the prior-year quarter's $9.82 billion.

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

EPS details
 Last quarter, non-GAAP EPS came in at $1.30. GAAP EPS of $1.21 for Q3 were much higher than the prior-year quarter's $0.19 per share.

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

Recent performance
 For the preceding quarter, gross margin was 62.9%, 340 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 23.8%, 250 basis points better than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 19.9%, 1,680 basis points better than the prior-year quarter.

Looking ahead

The full year's average estimate for revenue is $39.72 billion. The average EPS estimate is $5.05.

Investor sentiment
 The stock has a five-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 2,542 members out of 2,632 rating the stock outperform, and 90 members rating it underperform. Among 654 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 637 give Abbott Laboratories a green thumbs-up, and 17 give it a red thumbs-down.

Of Wall Street recommendations tracked by S&P Capital IQ, the average opinion on Abbott Laboratories is hold, with an average price target of $68.14.

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