Abbott Labs' (ABT -0.65%) stock has surged this year, shooting up more than 15% since the start of 2013. Despite the company's spinoff of former pharmaceutical firm AbbVie (ABBV -1.03%) -- a move that waved goodbye to its high-growth pharmaceuticals business, including massive immunology blockbuster Humira that pulled in $9 billion in sales last year -- Abbott has still managed to find growth by turning to a new engine: emerging markets.
The company has spread globally, aggressively targeting Brazil in its recent attempt to bid for Ache Labs, one of the country's leading drugmakers. Abbott faces tough competition in the acquisition bid from Pfizer (PFE -0.19%) and Novartis (NVS 1.10%), each of which also want to expand their emerging markets push into Brazil's fast-growing health care market, but Abbott has also done a good job growing in China, India, and more. Is this a strategy that will keep Abbott stock growing enough to support your portfolio's future? Fool contributor Dan Carroll and health care analyst Max Macaluso discuss Abbott's recent international push in the video below and how these moves can pay off for the company.
