Last year was a much-needed reminder that just as there will be plenty of winning years in the stock market, there will also be a year of losses (or sometimes even two or three) sandwiched in between.

But that's what makes high-quality dividend growth stocks so appealing. No matter which way the market goes, the payouts of companies with decades of dividend growth behind them tend to go in one direction: up.

Abbott Laboratories' (NYSE: ABT) 50-year dividend growth streak makes it one of just 43 Dividend Kings. But should income-oriented investors buy the healthcare stock now? Let's assess its fundamentals and valuation to see.

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Source Fool.com