Abbott Laboratories (NYSE: ABT) reported earnings on April 17. Here are the numbers you need to know.

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

Compared to the prior-year quarter, revenue dropped significantly. Non-GAAP earnings per share shrank significantly. GAAP earnings per share shrank significantly.

Margins dropped across the board.

Revenue details
 Abbott Laboratories booked revenue of $5.38 billion. The 16 analysts polled by S&P Capital IQ wanted to see sales of $5.41 billion on the same basis. GAAP reported sales were 43% lower than the prior-year quarter's $9.46 billion.

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

EPS details
 EPS came in at $0.42. The 17 earnings estimates compiled by S&P Capital IQ predicted $0.40 per share. Non-GAAP EPS of $0.42 for Q1 were 59% lower than the prior-year quarter's $1.03 per share. GAAP EPS of $0.34 for Q1 were 56% lower than the prior-year quarter's $0.77 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 54.8%, 580 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Operating margin was 11.4%, 680 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. Net margin was 10.1%, 300 basis points worse than the prior-year quarter. (Margins calculated in GAAP terms.)

Looking ahead
 Next quarter's average estimate for revenue is $5.60 billion. On the bottom line, the average EPS estimate is $0.44.

Next year's average estimate for revenue is $22.63 billion. The average EPS estimate is $1.99.

Investor sentiment
 The stock has a five-star rating (out of five) at Motley Fool CAPS, with 2,530 members out of 2,623 rating the stock outperform, and 93 members rating it underperform. Among 695 CAPS All-Star picks (recommendations by the highest-ranked CAPS members), 681 give Abbott Laboratories a green thumbs-up, and 14 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 $35.37.

Is Abbott Laboratories the best health care stock for you? Learn how to maximize your investment income and "Secure Your Future With 9 Rock-Solid Dividend Stocks," including one above-average health care logistics company. Click here for instant access to this free report.