AbbVie Stock: What 10 Years of Growth and Dividends Did for $1,000
AbbVie built its empire on a single blockbuster drug, then watched biosimilars gut it almost overnight. Whether the replacement pipeline saved investors or left them holding the bag depends on when they bought and whether they had the nerve to…
How AbbVie Outran the Humira Cliff
For AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV | ABBV Price Prediction), the last decade came down to one problem: life after Humira. AbbVie was spun off from Abbott Laboratories (NYSE:ABT) on January 1, 2013, and for years it relied on Humira, its flagship drug, for most of its cash flow. Humira lost U.S. exclusivity in early 2023, and biosimilars have taken a big share since. In Q2 2026, Humira sales fell 35.9% to $756M.
The replacement drugs arrived on time. Skyrizi grew 24.4% to $5.505B in Q2 2026, and Rinvoq rose 24.5% to $2.525B. The $63B Allergan deal, which closed in May 2020, brought in Botox, Vraylar, and an aesthetics business. Robert A. Michael took over as CEO in 2024. The pending $10.9B purchase of Apogee Therapeutics (NASDAQ:APGE) brings more depth to the immunology pipeline.
A Dividend That Tripled Along the Way
In 2016, AbbVie paid $0.57 per share each quarter. Today it pays $1.73, an increase of about 204%. The payout went up every year in the record, and the forward annual dividend now comes to $6.92, for a yield of roughly 2.30%. If you bought early and held, the cash you receive each year on your original investment has grown with every raise.
Your $1,000 grew to $7,464
AbbVie’s figures include dividends. The S&P 500 figures, measured with the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (NYSEARCA:SPY), count price gains only.
1-Year Return
- Initial Investment: $1,000
- Current Value: $1,294.40
- Total Return: 29.44%
- S&P 500: $1,124.10 (12.41%)
5-Year Return
- Initial Investment: $1,000
- Current Value: $2,981.70
- Total Return: 198.17%
- Annualized Return: 24.42%
- S&P 500: $1,681.70 (68.17%)
10-Year Return
- Initial Investment: $1,000
- Current Value: $7,464.50
- Total Return: 646.45%
- Annualized Return: 22.26%
- S&P 500: $3,633.70 (263.37%)
AbbVie beat the index over all three periods, and over 10 years it more than doubled the market’s price-only result. Part of that edge comes from reinvested dividends, and part from investors coming to believe the Skyrizi and Rinvoq transition would work. Holding on still took patience. The shares closed at $197.99 on April 29, 2026, then reached about $291.48 this morning.
What Could Drive or Derail AbbVie From Here
Optimism depends on Skyrizi and Rinvoq growing in the mid-20% range and Apogee working out. The worry is that Humira and Imbruvica fall faster than the new drugs can make up for. Imbruvica already dropped 29.4% last quarter.
On valuation, the trailing P/E of about 120 looks extreme because one-time acquisition charges have pushed reported earnings down. The forward P/E of about 18 tells a calmer story. My main concern is that the shares are trading above the average analyst target of $283.19, along with the question of where growth comes from after 2028. AbbVie also has negative shareholders’ equity, meaning its liabilities exceed its assets on the books, leaving little room for a deal misstep.
Income investors with a 10-year horizon may find AbbVie’s record worth exploring further. A dividend that has tripled since 2016 makes it easier to ride out the next pullback.
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Chris Lange is a financial and geopolitical writer with more than a decade of experience covering a myriad of topics. He has published thousands of articles for 24/7 Wall St., with past coverage focused heavily on stocks, IPOs, healthcare, defense, global affairs, and technology.
His work has been quoted, or referenced by a number of outlets including Business Insider, USA Today, Yahoo Finance, MSN, The Motley Fool, and many other publications. A graduate of Southwestern University, he studied business with a focus on investments and has previous experience in banking and startups.
When not reading or writing the news, he is following his passion for Lacrosse, playing chess, or building solar projects with his dad.
