Here is one thing that separates the best dividend stocks from the rest. Even when economic or market troubles hit, solid dividend-paying companies do not decrease or suspend their payouts. That's because they generally have stable businesses that can survive in any environment.

With the downturn that equity markets experienced last year, investors can now find such corporations in the discount bin. Two excellent examples are Abbott Laboratories (NYSE: ABT) and Medtronic (NYSE: MDT). Both are solid dividend stocks with strong, long-term outlooks.

Abbott Labs encountered several problems last year that contributed to its poor performance. First, manufacturing of some of its infant formula products was disrupted due to safety-related issues at some of its facilities. Second, unfavorable currency exchange dynamics affected revenue growth like at many other corporations.

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Source Fool.com