In the spirit of World Cup competition, we're holding our own tournament in search of the Better Stock Today. We're pitting 32 companies against each other, and you, the reader, will determine the winner.
Ford takes on AbbVie for this first round-robin match up in our search for the better stock today.
Frank Thomas, research analyst for Motley Fool Hidden Gems, thinks rebounding U.S. auto sales should push Ford (F -1.74%) to the next round. Drivers are beginning to replace aging clunkers that have been on the road for more than 11 years, on average. And with its new, fuel-efficient lineup, Ford is better positioned to take advantage than any other Detroit automaker. This will make Ford a market-beater going forward, and that's why it should advance to the next round.
Motley Fool health-care analyst David Williamson makes the case for AbbVie (ABBV -0.84%) to win this matchup. He believes the market has fundamentally undervalued AbbVie. It's cheap compared with its pharma peers, and its pipeline, with hepatitis-C and multiple sclerosis drugs in late-stage development, is underrated. AbbVie still has Humira, the world's best-selling drug, under patent until 2016, and generic-drug makers may struggle to get cheap competitors approved after that. AbbVie is poised to outperform in the meantime.
Vote here to determine the winner of this match, and sound off in the comments. Check back to Fool.com to see who advances in the tournament.
