(Reuters) - Abbott Laboratories Inc , which spun off its branded prescription drugs earlier this month, on Wednesday forecast 2013 earnings above Wall Street expectations.
The company said it expects earnings for the full year, excluding special items, of $1.98 to $2.04 per share. Analysts, on average, have forecast $1.95, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
Abbott issued the forecast as it reported fourth-quarter results.
(Reporting By Ransdell Pierson; editing by John Wallace)
