Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) will release its first-quarter earnings results before the opening bell on Wednesday, April 16.

Analysts expect the company to report quarterly earnings at $1.07 per share, up from 98 cents per share in the year-ago period. According to data from Benzinga Pro, Abbott Laboratories projects quarterly revenue at $10.41 billion, compared to $9.96 billion a year earlier.

On March 10, Bank of America Securities analyst Travis Steed maintained Abbott with a Buy rating and raised the price target from $133 to $150.

With the recent buzz around Abbott Laboratories, some investors may be eyeing potential gains from the company's dividends. Currently, Abbott offers an annual dividend yield of 1.84%. That’s a quarterly dividend amount of 59 cents per share ($2.36 a year).  

So, how can investors exploit its dividend yield to pocket a regular $500 monthly?

To earn $500 per month or $6,000 annually from dividends alone, you would need an investment of approximately $325,274 or around 2,542 shares. For a more modest $100 per month or $1,200 per year, you would need $65,004 or around 508 shares.

To calculate: Divide the desired annual income ($6,000 or $1,200) by the dividend ($2.36 in this case). So, $6,000 / $2.36 = 2,542 ($500 per month), and $1,200 / $2.36 = 508 shares ($100 per month).

Note that dividend yield can change on a rolling basis, as the dividend payment and the stock price both fluctuate over time.

How that works: The dividend yield is computed by dividing the annual dividend payment by the stock’s current price.

For example, if a stock pays an annual dividend of $2 and is currently priced at $50, the dividend yield would be 4% ($2/$50). However, if the stock price increases to $60, the dividend yield drops to 3.33% ($2/$60). Conversely, if the stock price falls to $40, the dividend yield rises to 5% ($2/$40).

Similarly, changes in the dividend payment can impact the yield. If a company increases its dividend, the yield will also increase, provided the stock price stays the same. Conversely, if the dividend payment decreases, so will the yield.

ABT Price Action: Shares of Abbott Laboratories gained 0.9% to close at $127.96 on Monday.

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