ABT vs. SYK: Abbott Laboratories vs. Stryker Stock Comparison

August 16, 2026

How do Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Stryker (SYK) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Stryker (SYK) are both classified in the Health Care Equipment sub-industry within the broader Health Care Equipment & Supplies industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Company profile comparison for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Stryker (SYK)
Profile Item	ABT	SYK
Name	Abbott Laboratories	Stryker Corporation
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Health Care	Health Care
GICS Industry Group	Health Care Equipment & Services	Health Care Equipment & Services
GICS Industry	Health Care Equipment & Supplies	Health Care Equipment & Supplies
GICS Sub-Industry	Health Care Equipment	Health Care Equipment
Market Capitalization	192.51 billion USD	130.11 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	March 17, 1980	March 17, 1980
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

ABT

SYK

GSPC

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Stryker (SYK), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Stryker (SYK). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Stryker (SYK). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Stryker (SYK)
Metric	ABT	SYK
Total Return (1Y)	-11.96%	-9.47%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	3.73%	7.04%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-0.07%	6.31%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

ABT

SYK

GSPC

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Stryker (SYK), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Stryker (SYK). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Stryker (SYK)
Metric	ABT	SYK
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	26.47%	27.55%
Beta (5Y)	0.60	0.77
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-39.64%	-31.68%
Avg. Volume (3M)	12.06M	2.64M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

ABT and SYK are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Stryker (SYK)
Metric	ABT	SYK
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	-0.60	-0.49
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	-0.85	-0.68

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Stryker (SYK) at 16.51% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 10.58% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for SYK.

ABT

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

10.58%

Max: 47.06%
Q3: 14.60%
ABT: 10.58%
Median: 4.59%
Q1: -14.37%
Min: -56.60%

SYK

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

16.51%

Max: 47.06%
SYK: 16.51%
Q3: 14.60%
Median: 4.59%
Q1: -14.37%
Min: -56.60%

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Stryker (SYK): A comparison of their ROE against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

For every dollar of sales, both Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 11.65% and Stryker (SYK) at 14.43% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.

ABT

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

11.65%

Max: 28.45%
ABT: 11.65%
Q3: 9.22%
Median: 1.85%
Q1: -7.13%
Min: -30.69%

SYK

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

14.43%

Max: 28.45%
SYK: 14.43%
Q3: 9.22%
Median: 1.85%
Q1: -7.13%
Min: -30.69%

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Stryker (SYK): A comparison of their net margin against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 14.71% and Stryker (SYK) at 27.02% convert sales into operating profit at a top-quartile rate, pointing to tighter cost discipline before financing and tax.

ABT

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

14.71%

Max: 38.55%
ABT: 14.71%
Q3: 14.43%
Median: 7.25%
Q1: -2.09%
Min: -24.66%

SYK

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

27.02%

Max: 38.55%
SYK: 27.02%
Q3: 14.43%
Median: 7.25%
Q1: -2.09%
Min: -24.66%

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Stryker (SYK): A comparison of their operating margin against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Stryker (SYK)
Metric	ABT	SYK
ROE (TTM)	10.58%	16.51%
ROA (TTM)	5.33%	8.16%
Net Margin (TTM)	11.65%	14.43%
Operating Margin (TTM)	14.71%	27.02%
Gross Margin (TTM)	56.85%	65.59%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 5.67% and Stryker (SYK) at 11.16% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Stryker (SYK): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Stryker (SYK) at 8.25% is around its peer norm for EPS growth, while Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at -51.31% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker earnings momentum.

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Stryker (SYK): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Stryker (SYK)
Metric	ABT	SYK
Revenue Growth (YoY)	5.67%	11.16%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	0.51%	10.83%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-51.31%	8.25%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	-1.65%	10.83%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 1.38 and Stryker (SYK) at 2.16 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

ABT

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

1.38

Max: 8.18
Q3: 4.20
Median: 1.99
ABT: 1.38
Q1: 1.34
Min: 0.15

SYK

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

2.16

Max: 8.18
Q3: 4.20
SYK: 2.16
Median: 1.99
Q1: 1.34
Min: 0.15

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Stryker (SYK): A comparison of their current ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 0.63 and Stryker (SYK) at 0.64 fund their balance sheets with roughly industry-typical debt-to-equity mixes.

ABT

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.63

Max: 2.02
Q3: 1.01
ABT: 0.63
Median: 0.63
Q1: 0.15
Min: 0.00

SYK

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

0.64

Max: 2.02
Q3: 1.01
SYK: 0.64
Median: 0.63
Q1: 0.15
Min: 0.00

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Stryker (SYK): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Stryker (SYK)
Metric	ABT	SYK
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.38	2.16
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.63	0.64
Net Debt / EBITDA	2.32	1.62

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 2.23% and Stryker (SYK) at 1.02% yield above their industries’ entire benchmark ranges — high enough that dividend safety, not income, becomes the first question.

ABT

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

2.23%

ABT: 2.23%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

SYK

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

1.02%

SYK: 1.02%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Stryker (SYK): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 78.96% and Stryker (SYK) at 36.06% pay out more of their earnings than any of their industry peers — the thinnest cover in their groups, so dividend headroom deserves attention.

ABT

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

78.96%

ABT: 78.96%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

SYK

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

36.06%

SYK: 36.06%
Max: 0.00%
Q3: 0.00%
Median: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Stryker (SYK): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Stryker (SYK)
Metric	ABT	SYK
Dividend Yield (TTM)	2.23%	1.02%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	78.96%	36.06%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 36.00 and Stryker (SYK) at 35.22 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

ABT

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

36.00

Max: 76.75
Q3: 44.61
ABT: 36.00
Median: 28.57
Q1: 20.73
Min: 1.62

SYK

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

35.22

Max: 76.75
Q3: 44.61
SYK: 35.22
Median: 28.57
Q1: 20.73
Min: 1.62

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Stryker (SYK): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 4.16 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Stryker (SYK) at 5.04 sits in the pricier quartile — SYK costs more per dollar of sales.

ABT

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

4.16

Max: 9.63
Q3: 4.61
ABT: 4.16
Median: 2.28
Q1: 1.15
Min: 0.04

SYK

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

5.04

Max: 9.63
SYK: 5.04
Q3: 4.61
Median: 2.28
Q1: 1.15
Min: 0.04

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Stryker (SYK): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

On P/B ratio, both Abbott Laboratories (ABT) at 3.77 and Stryker (SYK) at 5.66 are valued close to their industries’ norm against book — neither stands out from peers.

ABT

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

3.77

Max: 12.92
Q3: 6.30
ABT: 3.77
Median: 3.18
Q1: 1.75
Min: -2.19

SYK

Health Care Equipment & Services industry group

5.66

Max: 12.92
Q3: 6.30
SYK: 5.66
Median: 3.18
Q1: 1.75
Min: -2.19

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) vs. Stryker (SYK): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Health Care Equipment & Services industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Abbott Laboratories (ABT) and Stryker (SYK)
Metric	ABT	SYK
P/E Ratio (TTM)	36.00	35.22
P/S Ratio (TTM)	4.16	5.04
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	3.77	5.66
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	3.74%	3.16%