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AbbVie Inc. (ABBV) vs Colgate-Palmolive Company (CL): Which Is the Better Buy in 2026?

As of 2026-08-03, ABBV is overvalued at $251, with a DCF intrinsic value of $178 and a margin of safety of -41%. CL is undervalued at $91, with an intrinsic value of $34301600323 and a margin of safety of 100%. Of the two, CL has the wider margin of safety.

ABBV
AbbVie Inc.
$250.94
VS
CL
Colgate-Palmolive Company
$91.30

Rewards

ABBV
  • ★AbbVie Inc. has maintained ROIC above 10% for 4 consecutive years, suggesting solid business economics.
  • ★Gross margin of 72.8% indicates strong pricing power — typical of businesses with significant intellectual property or brand strength.
  • ★AbbVie Inc. scores 82/100 on the Economic Moat Score (Wide Moat), with reinvestment efficiency as the strongest competitive dimension.
CL
  • ★Colgate-Palmolive Company has maintained ROIC above 15% for 4 consecutive years, indicating a durable competitive advantage.
  • ★Gross margin of 60.4% indicates strong pricing power — typical of businesses with significant intellectual property or brand strength.
  • ★Colgate-Palmolive Company scores 98/100 on the Economic Moat Score (Wide Moat), with roic consistency as the strongest competitive dimension.

Risks

ABBV
  • ⚠Buybacks have been poorly timed — 3 out of 4 years involved repurchases at relatively expensive valuations.
  • ⚠Free cash flow has declined at a 9.8% CAGR over the past 4 years — a concerning trend.
CL
  • ⚠PEG ratio of 2.32 indicates the stock is expensive relative to its expected growth — the market may be pricing in more growth than analysts project.
  • ⚠High leverage (11.31x net debt/equity) combined with thin interest coverage (-1.0x) poses financial risk.
  • ⚠10 insider sales with no purchases over the past 12 months — a persistent pattern of insider selling.

Key Valuation Metrics

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ABBV
CL
Valuation
N/A
Free Cash Flow
$3.46B
N/A
FCF Yield
N/A
70.89
Trailing P/E
35.94
15.41
Forward P/E
22.43
Quality & Moat
27.60%
ROIC
41.39%
N/A
ROE
267.37%
72.79%
Gross Margin
60.43%
0.41
PEG Ratio
2.32
Balance Sheet Safety
N/A
Net Debt / Equity
11.31
N/A
Interest Coverage
N/A
2.06
Net Debt / EBITDA
1.29
2.76%
Dividend Yield
2.32%
ABBV: 4Ties: 1CL: 3
ABBVCL

Historical Fundamentals

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ABBV

Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation. The dashed forward point is the forward P/E — today's price ÷ analyst consensus EPS.

CL

Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation. The dashed forward point is the forward P/E — today's price ÷ analyst consensus EPS.

Price ÷ Earnings Per Share — how many years of current earnings you're paying for at today's price. Lower P/E may indicate undervaluation. The dashed forward point is the forward P/E — today's price ÷ analyst consensus EPS.

$1 Retained Earnings Test

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ABBV
N/A
Net losses over 3 years — test not applicable
Company had negative cumulative retained earnings
Σ Retained
$-19.85B
Δ Market Cap
+$118.02B
Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer
CL
$0.00
created per $1 retained over 3 years
Value Destroyer
Σ Retained
$1.96B
Δ Market Cap
+$0.23
Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer

Buffett's "$1 Test": For every $1 of earnings retained, has management created at least $1 of market value?
> $1 created per $1 retained = Value Creator · < $1 created = Value Destroyer

Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) Analysis

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ABBV
40.7% Overvalued
Price is 40.7% above estimated fair value
Current Price: $250.94
Fair Value: $178.31
Strongly undervalued
Undervalued
Fairly valued
Overvalued
Strongly overvalued
CL
100.0% Margin of Safety
Price is 100.0% below estimated fair value
Current Price: $91.30
Fair Value: $34301600322.55
Strongly undervalued
Undervalued
Fairly valued
Overvalued
Strongly overvalued

Reverse DCF — Market-Implied Growth

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ABBV

Requires positive FCF to compute implied growth rate.

CL

What growth rate is the market pricing in at $91?

-21.3%
Market-Implied Owner Earnings Growth
Standard FCF implies -30.0%

The market implies -21.3% Owner Earnings growth, below historical trends — potential opportunity.

Standard FCF implies a more demanding -30.0%, reflecting heavy growth investment expected to generate future returns.

Economic Moat Score

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ABBV
82/100
Wide Moat
70+ Wide · 40-69 Narrow · <40 None

Wide moat with strength across all dimensions. Reinvestment Efficiency is the standout factor.

Composite score measuring competitive advantage durability across four dimensions: returns above cost of capital, pricing power stability, revenue predictability, and capital efficiency. Based on 4 years of fundamental data.
CL
98/100
Wide Moat
70+ Wide · 40-69 Narrow · <40 None

Wide moat with strength across all dimensions. ROIC Consistency is the standout factor.

Composite score measuring competitive advantage durability across four dimensions: returns above cost of capital, pricing power stability, revenue predictability, and capital efficiency. Based on 4 years of fundamental data.

Forensic Accounting

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ABBV
-2.86
Unlikely Manipulator
Above -1.78 = likely manipulator · -2.22 to -1.78 = grey zone

M-Score Trend

Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.
CL
-3.00
Unlikely Manipulator
Above -1.78 = likely manipulator · -2.22 to -1.78 = grey zone

M-Score Trend

Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.

Beneish's 8-variable model estimates the probability of earnings manipulation. An M-Score above -1.78 signals elevated risk — companies in this range have historically been 3-5× more likely to be manipulating earnings. Scores between -2.22 and -1.78 fall in a grey zone warranting further investigation.

Ownership Breakdown

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ABBV
Insiders 0.1%Institutions 76.9%Retail & Other 23.0%
No. of Institutional Holders5,146
High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders — a key signal in Buffett-style analysis. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.
CL
Insiders 0.1%Institutions 88.0%Retail & Other 11.8%
No. of Institutional Holders2,640
High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders — a key signal in Buffett-style analysis. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.

High insider ownership aligns management incentives with shareholders. Institutional concentration can indicate smart-money conviction but also crowding risk.

Insider Buying Activity

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ABBV
0
Buys (3M)
0
Buys (12M)
No open market insider purchases found.
Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises
CL
0
Buys (3M)
0
Buys (12M)
No open market insider purchases found.
Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises

Open market purchases · includes direct & indirect ownership · excludes option exercises.

Insider Selling Activity

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ABBV
0
Sells (3M)
5
Sells (12M)
Total value (12M): $21.79M
PURDUE DAVID RYAN
Officer
$1.22M
@ $233.56 · 2026-03-04
SIATIS PERRY C.
General Counsel
$4.38M
@ $234.39 · 2026-03-02
SIATIS PERRY C.
General Counsel
$5.15M
@ $230.00 · 2026-02-25
SALEKI-GERHARDT AZITA
Chief Operating Officer
$8.41M
@ $198.42 · 2025-08-12
DONOGHOE NICHOLAS
Officer
$2.64M
@ $198.51 · 2025-08-05
STEWART JEFFREY RYAN
Officer
$12.36M
@ $210.08 · 2025-03-31
REENTS SCOTT T.
Chief Financial Officer
$3.75M
@ $212.34 · 2025-03-14
SIATIS PERRY C.
General Counsel
$5.82M
@ $208.69 · 2025-03-03
GONZALEZ RICHARD A
Director
$20.26M
@ $205.45 · 2025-03-03
RICHMOND TIMOTHY J
Officer
$4.47M
@ $210.45 · 2025-03-03
BUCKBEE KEVIN K
Officer
$3.85M
@ $203.41 · 2025-02-26
RICHMOND TIMOTHY J
Officer
$6.07M
@ $202.90 · 2025-02-26
SIATIS PERRY C.
General Counsel
$1.14M
@ $197.90 · 2025-02-20
BUCKBEE KEVIN K
Officer
$310,032
@ $172.24 · 2024-12-16
GONZALEZ RICHARD A
Officer and Director
$12.40M
@ $186.52 · 2024-08-05
Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives
CL
2
Sells (3M)
10
Sells (12M)
Total value (12M): $26.11M
MALCOLM GREGORY
Officer
$203,412
@ $88.44 · 2026-05-15
MASSEY SALLY
Officer
$751,633
@ $87.41 · 2026-05-07
TSOURAPAS PANAGIOTIS
Officer
$4.78M
@ $95.57 · 2026-02-12
HAZLIN JOHN
Officer
$1.98M
@ $94.25 · 2026-02-10
MALCOLM GREGORY
Officer
$1.21M
@ $94.91 · 2026-02-06
MASSEY SALLY
Officer
$1.51M
@ $95.03 · 2026-02-05
SUTULA STANLEY J III
Chief Financial Officer
$9.22M
@ $94.27 · 2026-02-04
DANIELS JENNIFER M.
Officer
$2.08M
@ $94.34 · 2026-02-04
WALLACE NOEL R
Chief Executive Officer
$4.28M
@ $93.91 · 2026-02-04
MASSEY SALLY
Officer
$100,061
@ $80.89 · 2025-11-21
MASSEY SALLY
Officer
$200,183
@ $88.97 · 2025-05-15
MASSEY SALLY
Officer
$736,152
@ $92.02 · 2025-02-25
MALCOLM GREGORY
Officer
$101,121
@ $95.94 · 2024-11-26
WALLACE NOEL R
Chief Executive Officer
$3.17M
@ $95.00 · 2024-11-22
SUTULA STANLEY J III
Chief Financial Officer
$4.27M
@ $94.11 · 2024-11-05
SUTULA STANLEY J III
Chief Financial Officer
$4.68M
@ $93.53 · 2024-11-01
HUND-MEJEAN MARTINA
Director
$240,228
@ $103.86 · 2024-08-23
TSOURAPAS PANAGIOTIS
Officer
$1.52M
@ $102.94 · 2024-08-08
DANIELS JENNIFER M.
Officer
$2.26M
@ $102.76 · 2024-08-08
MALCOLM GREGORY
Officer
$1.09M
@ $103.10 · 2024-08-06
KOOYMAN JOHN W
Officer
$2.55M
@ $102.88 · 2024-08-06
MASSEY SALLY
Officer
$1.64M
@ $103.28 · 2024-08-06
Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives

Direct ownership only · excludes indirect, option exercises, planned (10b5-1) sales & derivatives.

🎭 Mr. Market's Mood

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ABBV
FearGreed
😏Greed(61/100)

"Market is optimistic — be cautious and ensure you have a margin of safety"

Composite sentiment score based on 6 market signals. Inspired by Buffett's "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.
CL
FearGreed
😐Neutral(57/100)

"Market is pricing this stock without strong emotion in either direction"

Composite sentiment score based on 6 market signals. Inspired by Buffett's "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.

Composite sentiment score based on market signals. Inspired by Buffett’s "Mr. Market" allegory — fear = potential opportunity, greed = potential risk. Must be used alongside fundamental analysis, not in isolation.

⚖️ Buffett Signal

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ABBV
⚪Awaiting DCF Data

The Buffett Signal cross-references market sentiment with DCF valuation. Configure the DCF Analysis above to generate a signal.

DCF Margin of Safety: N/AMr. Market's Mood: Greed (61)
CL
⚪Awaiting DCF Data

The Buffett Signal cross-references market sentiment with DCF valuation. Configure the DCF Analysis above to generate a signal.

DCF Margin of Safety: N/AMr. Market's Mood: Neutral (57)
View ABBV Full AnalysisView CL Full Analysis

Frequently Asked Questions: ABBV vs CL

Is AbbVie Inc. or Colgate-Palmolive Company more undervalued in 2026?▼

Based on our discounted cash flow model, CL trades at a 100.0% margin of safety (intrinsic value $34301600323 vs. price $91), compared to ABBV's -40.7% margin of safety (intrinsic $178 vs. $251).

Which stock has a wider economic moat, AbbVie Inc. or Colgate-Palmolive Company?▼

CL scores 98/100 (Wide moat), while ABBV scores 82/100 (Wide moat). The moat score measures competitive advantage durability across ROIC consistency, margin stability, revenue predictability, and reinvestment efficiency.

Is AbbVie Inc. in financial distress?▼

ABBV's Altman Z-Score of 2.4 places it in the Grey zone, signaling elevated bankruptcy risk. CL scores 4.3 (Safe zone). The Altman Z-Score is a five-factor model that predicts insolvency within two years; scores below 1.81 indicate significant distress.

Which stock has higher return on invested capital, AbbVie Inc. or Colgate-Palmolive Company?▼

CL earns 41.4% ROIC versus ABBV's 27.6%. A higher ROIC means the company generates more profit per dollar of capital employed, a hallmark of durable competitive advantage in Buffett-style analysis.

Which dividend is safer, AbbVie Inc.'s or Colgate-Palmolive Company's?▼

CL's dividend earns a safety score of 64/100 (Safe), compared to ABBV's 39/100 (Unsafe). CL has raised its dividend for 3 consecutive years.

ABBV vs CL: Which Is the Better Buy in 2026? | SafetyMargin.io