Which Is the Safer Dividend Stock: Stryker or Medtronic?

Stryker (NYSE: SYK) and Medtronic (NYSE: MDT) are a pair of the biggest and most important medical-device and supply companies out there, but they're a bit different in the stability of the dividend income they offer to investors. Overall, Stryker's business is quite stable: It makes medical equipment, medical instruments, and surgical robotics for healthcare systems worldwide, and there isn't much in the way of rapidly shifting demand for its major segments.​​​​ But it can reliably generate growth by investing in research and development (R&D) to make incremental improvements to its existing products, even if that growth is unlikely to be rapid due to the slow-growing nature of its markets. For example, developing more-advanced hip replacement products for use with its surgical robot system probably won't make investors rich overnight, but it'll keep the top and bottom lines expanding.