Abbott Laboratories (ABT) Competitors

DexCom (NASDAQ:DXCM) and Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) are both large-cap medical companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, earnings, analyst recommendations, risk, media sentiment, profitability, valuation and institutional ownership.

Does the media refer more to DXCM or ABT?

In the previous week, Abbott Laboratories had 62 more articles in the media than DexCom. MarketBeat recorded 83 mentions for Abbott Laboratories and 21 mentions for DexCom. DexCom's average media sentiment score of 1.35 beat Abbott Laboratories' score of 1.05 indicating that DexCom is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
DexCom	17 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	4 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Abbott Laboratories	53 Very Positive mention(s)	7 Positive mention(s)	14 Neutral mention(s)	5 Negative mention(s)	3 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Which has more volatility & risk, DXCM or ABT?

DexCom has a beta of 1.44, suggesting that its stock price is 44% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Abbott Laboratories has a beta of 0.73, suggesting that its stock price is 27% less volatile than the S&P 500.

Which has higher valuation and earnings, DXCM or ABT?

Abbott Laboratories has higher revenue and earnings than DexCom. Abbott Laboratories is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than DexCom, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
DexCom	$4.03B	8.25	$576.20M	$1.34	63.34
Abbott Laboratories	$41.95B	5.53	$13.40B	$7.71	17.30

Do institutionals & insiders have more ownership in DXCM or ABT?

97.8% of DexCom shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 75.2% of Abbott Laboratories shares are held by institutional investors. 0.3% of DexCom shares are held by company insiders. Comparatively, 0.5% of Abbott Laboratories shares are held by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that hedge funds, endowments and large money managers believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Is DXCM or ABT more profitable?

Abbott Laboratories has a net margin of 31.89% compared to DexCom's net margin of 12.90%. DexCom's return on equity of 30.05% beat Abbott Laboratories' return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
DexCom	12.90%	30.05%	10.00%
Abbott Laboratories	31.89%	19.01%	10.82%

Do analysts recommend DXCM or ABT?

DexCom presently has a consensus target price of $98.50, indicating a potential upside of 16.06%. Abbott Laboratories has a consensus target price of $143.11, indicating a potential upside of 7.27%. Given DexCom's stronger consensus rating and higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe DexCom is more favorable than Abbott Laboratories.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
DexCom	0 Sell rating(s)	4 Hold rating(s)	15 Buy rating(s)	3 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.95
Abbott Laboratories	0 Sell rating(s)	6 Hold rating(s)	14 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.76

Summary

DexCom beats Abbott Laboratories on 10 of the 17 factors compared between the two stocks.