Despite lingering economic issues, the broader stock market has recovered this year. But some companies are failing to keep up for a variety of reasons. Take (NYSE: ABBV) and Amgen (NASDAQ: AMGN), two drugmakers that have significantly underperformed the stock market this year. Both healthcare giants are encountering near-term issues that explain their poor performances over the past six months.

However, AbbVie and Amgen have enough in the tank to survive their current ordeals and continue doing what they do best over the long run: reward shareholders with solid dividend increases. Let's find out why.

AbbVie started the year with a lot to prove. The company's naysayers had long considered it a one-trick pony that relied too much on its blockbuster drug Humira, whose patent exclusivity in the U.S. expired this year. The rheumatoid arthritis medicine is, after all, one of the best-selling drugs in the history of the industry, so it's not surprising that it was responsible for a large chunk of AbbVie's revenue.

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Source Fool.com