Abbott Labs (ABT 0.42%) ran into tough times in the first quarter. A supplier recall in China pounded the diversified health care giant's nutritional business, sinking sales at Abbott's most important unit for the future by 4%. Abbott wasn't the only nutritional company affected: Rival Danone (DANOY 0.13%) took a hit of its own, suffering a 4.8% drop in early life nutrition unit volume in its most recently reported quarter. But better days could be ahead: The nutrition market's set to continue surging higher, and for major multinationals like Abbott and Danone, this market is too big of an opportunity to ignore.
Abbott can impress Wall Street with a big beat on Wednesday, when the health care giant reports its Q2 earnings. But will this company's nutritional business rebound in the second quarter and keep this company on the right track for the long term? Find out the three biggest keys you need to keep an eye on when Abbott reports its second quarter earnings results on Wednesday, as the slideshow below takes you through the major opportunities-and risks-at play for this health care giant.
