Better Dividend: Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. AbbVie Inc (ABBV)

The company’s medical device department also has struggled recently, although Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) remains a leader in the drug-eluting stent market with its star Xience stent. There’s room for optimism here: Abbott’s Absorb next-generation stent is an innovative game-changer for the industry that should keep the company at the top of this market. It may not be enough to propel Abbott’s device division into double-digit growth like its nutritionals segment, but the Absorb and Xience offer plenty of sales upside into the future.

Which stock takes the crown?
Both AbbVie Inc (NYSE:ABBV) and Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) are great stocks. There are plenty of reasons to invest in each company: AbbVie’s sales strength behind Humira and success in the all-oral hepatitis-C chase makes this young company’s future look bright indeed, while Abbott’s legacy of dividend increases and booming nutritionals segment bode well for the company, even without its high-power pharmaceuticals division.

It’s hard to pick a winner between these two top-notch health care stalwarts, but for dividend investors looking for stability, solid growth, and a reliable dividend you can count on, it’s impossible to count out Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT). AbbVie Inc (NYSE:ABBV)’s overreliance on Humira takes down this stock by a hair, and while Abbott has sluggish divisions in medical devices and generic drugs, the firm’s well-set to succeed for years to come. Abbott has been a crown jewel for dividend investors for years, and it looks to remain that way for years to come.

Fool contributor Dan Carroll has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD).

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