Item 5. MARKET FOR REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

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Principal Market

The principal market for Abbott's common shares is the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "ABT." Shares are also listed on the Chicago Stock Exchange and traded on various regional and electronic exchanges. Outside the United States, Abbott's shares are listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange.

Shareholders

There were 42,827 shareholders of record of Abbott common shares as of December 31, 2018.

Tax Information for Shareholders

In 2001, the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity designated Abbott as an Illinois High Impact Business (HIB) for a period not to exceed twenty years. Dividends paid by a corporation that is designated as a HIB and conducts business in a foreign trade zone may be eligible for a subtraction from base income for Illinois income tax purposes. Abbott certified that the HIB requirements were met for the calendar year ending December 31, 2018.

If you have any questions, please contact your tax advisor.

Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

(1)

These shares include:

(i)

the shares deemed surrendered to Abbott to pay the exercise price in connection with the exercise of employee stock options — 0 in October, 812 in November, and 0 in December; and

(ii)

the shares purchased on the open market for the benefit of participants in the Abbott Laboratories, Limited Employee Stock Purchase Plan — 0 in October, 12,328 in November, and 0 in December.

These shares do not include the shares surrendered to Abbott to satisfy tax withholding obligations in connection with the vesting of restricted stock or restricted stock units.

(2)

On September 11, 2014, Abbott announced that its board of directors approved the purchase of up to $3 billion of its common shares, from time to time.