Manufacturing is highly complex and subject to strict FDA oversight, as seen with past recalls at its Sturgis plant.
The Medical Device segment, led by cardiovascular devices, brought solid growth, but Abbott is seeing a slowdown in new users for its glucose monitoring system FreeStyle Libre CGM.
Deciding between Abbott Laboratories (NYSE: ABT) and Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ: ISRG) requires balancing steady dividends and broad diversification against pure-play innovation in robotic medicine.