3 Healthcare Stocks Ready to Grow
2019 has been a rocky year for the healthcare industry. The general healthcare market sell-off combined with criticism over high costs poses a cause for concern. Despite the lackluster performance of many healthcare stocks so far in 2019, there are a few standouts with long-term growth potential. Using data from TipRanks, we’ve narrowed down three stocks in the healthcare space that analysts believe are well positioned for future growth.
Boston Scientific Corporation (BSX)
Unlike other stocks in the healthcare industry, Boston Scientific shares saw significant growth over the last year. The medical equipment manufacturer’s stock increased 22.5% while the industry as a whole saw only a 4% increase.
In the quarter ending March 31, the company reported calendar year increases in revenue and net profit. Revenue was up from $2.38 billion to $2.49 billion while net profit increased from $298 million to $424 million.
Boston Scientific’s long-term growth plan, which includes projections of double digit adjusted EPS growth through 2020, gives analysts reason to believe the company will continue to outperform.
Raj Denhoy, a top analyst from Jeffries, raised his price target from $44 to $48 stating that the company’s projections from their investor meeting were “another positive look at a story that has been in sharp ascendancy for the last five years.” He added that the projections are even somewhat conservative given the company’s stability and the addition of new products in the next few quarters.
Another five-star analyst, Matt Miksi of Credit Suisse, explained that he is unsurprised by Boston’s success when discussing the company’s sale of various products from their portfolio to Varian for $90 million. He maintained the stock’s Outperform rating and $45.00 price target, indicating a 5.56% upside.
The Street’s outlook on the stock is bullish, with 10 analysts from TipRanks giving a buy rating vs just 1 hold over the last three months. The stock boasts a ‘Strong Buy’ analyst consensus and an average price target of $45.63, suggesting a 7.04% upside.
Invitae Corporation (NVTA)
Invitae is an innovative biotech company in the genetic testing segment of the market whose goal is to make genetic screenings more affordable and accessible.
Five-star financial blogger, Todd Campbell, notes that the company cut the cost of goods sold by upwards of 20% over the last year as well as reported year-over-year sales of $148 million, a 117% increase. Management is projecting sales of $220 million in 2019 and a test volume of 500,000.
Additionally, the company announced on June 17 that they are set to acquire Singular Bio. “The acquisition of Singular Bio gives Invitae a critical technology that can turn the NIPS business into a 50% gross margin performer once fully integrated into the firm’s process, and if you broke out Invitae's cancer business, it turned a profit as a standalone business as of Q1 of this year,” stated Sean George, the company’s CEO.
Five-star rated Cowen & Co. analyst, Doug Schenkel, is confident in the stocks ability to grow, reiterating his Outperform rating and $30.00 price target. He believes Singular Bio’s “flexible, quick, and less expensive technology will give Invitae a competitive advantage over other companies with sequencing-based and microarray-based approaches for some applications including NIPS/NIPT.”
The consensus among analysts is that the stock is a ‘Strong Buy’, with an average price target of $30.00, suggesting a 23.61% upside.
Teladoc Health, Inc. (TDOC)
The last stock on our list doesn’t appear to be slowing down any time soon. Teladoc meets the growing demand for healthcare access in a cost-effective way by providing virtual medical care through telephone and videoconferencing technology.
Share prices surged by 35.73% year-to-date. Management is confident that this growth will continue throughout the rest of the year. Based on Teladoc’s recent acquisitions as well as their competitive advantage within this segment of the healthcare sector, management is anticipating 37% revenue growth. In the most recent quarter, the company reported 29% organic growth with 1,063,000 total visits.
Richard Close, an analyst at Canaccord Genuity, believes that the telemedicine company’s “penetration into its existing client base will allow it to generate robust organic growth.” He maintains his buy rating on the stock and price target of $95.00 (41.20% upside).
Five-star Piper Jaffray analyst, Sean Wieland, remains bullish on the stock. He explained that he views the completion of their CFO search and an impending United deal as “two important catalysts and remains a buyer of the stock in front of them.” He reiterated his Overweight rating and price target of $86.00, suggesting a 27.82% upside.
While the on-demand remote medical care provider isn’t profitable yet, analysts believe in Teladoc’s growth potential. The stock has a ‘Strong Buy’ analyst consensus, with 12 out of 13 analysts on TipRanks giving a buy rating. The average price target of $79.83 shows that analysts believe the stock price could increase by 18.65%.
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