STOCK PICKS: Top 5 Large-Cap for Oct. 8

Each business day, TheStreet.com Ratings compiles a list of the top five stocks in five categories -- fast-growth, all-around value, large-cap, mid-cap and small-cap.

This list is based on data from the close of the previous trading session. Today, large-cap stocks are in the spotlight. These are stocks of companies with market capitalizations of over $10 billion that rank near the top of all stocks rated by our proprietary quantitative model, which looks at more than 62 factors. In addition, the stocks must be followed by at least one financial analyst who posts estimates on the Institutional Brokers' Estimate System. The stocks are ordered by their potential to appreciate.

Note that no provision is made for off-balance-sheet assets such as unrealized appreciation/depreciation of investments, market value of real estate or contingent liabilities that might affect book value. This could be material for some companies with large underfunded pension plans.

Abbott Laboratories(ABT Quote) is a global, broad-based healthcare company that discovers, develops, manufactures, and sells a diversified line of products that range from nutritional products and laboratory diagnostics to medical devices and pharmaceutical therapies.

We have rated Abbott a buy since April 2007, based on a variety of strengths such as the company's revenue growth, impressive record of earnings per share growth, and notable return on equity. For the second quarter of fiscal 2008, the company reported revenue growth of 14.8% year over year, with strong international results leading an overall strong performance across the company's diverse mix of global businesses.