There are excellent reasons to invest in dividend stocks beyond their regular payouts. Growing a dividend requires companies to deliver solid financial results regularly, and the longer a corporation can keep things going, the more it says about the strength of its operations. Furthermore, investors who choose to reinvest dividends can boost long-term returns. Over several decades, a substantial percentage of market returns are due to dividends being reinvested.

Of course, not all income stocks are equally promising. But one that looks attractive right now is drugmaker (NYSE: ABBV). Here is why.

AbbVie was once a division of the medical device giant Abbott Laboratories. The two companies officially divorced in 2013. But it is through this legacy that AbbVie is considered a Dividend King -- one of the most elite group of dividend payers on the market. What does it take to be a dividend King? Companies must have raised their payouts for at least 50 consecutive years without interruptions. AbbVie officially joined this group in 2022, nine years after splitting from Abbott.

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Source Fool.com