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Where to Find Value in Healthcare Stocks

Tracey Ryniec
Updated
The Biotech stocks have been on a big run in 2017, but that doesn't mean there aren't some healthcare values still out there.

  • (0:45) - Emerging Biotech Market: Is It Time To Invest?

  • (6:10) - Is Large Cap Biotech a Value Trap: Gilead, Biogen and Bluebird

  • (12:00) - Generic Drug Companies: Teva, Valeant and AbbVie

  • (15:50) - Managed Healthcare Sector: The Effects Of Obamacare

  • (20:40) - Growth Stocks In Healthcare

  • (23:30) - Healthcare Value Stock Screener

  • (25:00) - Episode Roundup: Podcast@Zacks.com

Welcome to Episode #103 of the Zacks Market Edge Podcast.

Every week, host and Zacks stock strategist, Tracey Ryniec, will be joined by guests to discuss the hottest investing topics in stocks, bonds and ETFs and how it impacts your life.

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In this episode, Tracey is joined by Zacks Senior Strategist Kevin Cook who is also the editor of Zacks Healthcare Innovator portfolio. It holds about 30 healthcare and medical stocks for the long term.

Tracey has been getting questions from listeners wondering if there is any value in healthcare stocks right now. Are any of them cheap?

Biotechs on Fire

The biotechs are hot again. The S&P Biotech ETF (XBI) has soared 47% this year while the iShares NASDAQ Biotechnology ETF (IBB) has gained 27%.

But can some value still be found in the biotechs? And what about all the other healthcare industries?

Zacks’ Medical Sector has over 800 companies, including drug companies, hospitals, managed care insurers, medical device companies, dental companies and others. They’re not all created equal.

Tracey and Kevin ran a screen to quickly find basic value stocks within the sector. They looked only in the Medical sector and chose a current year forward P/E less than 20 and a next year forward P/E of under 15.

They didn’t screen for Zacks Rank.

It returned 61 stocks.

Tracey and Kevin discuss about a dozen of them on this week’s podcast including these 5 big names.

5 Cheap Healthcare Stocks

1.      Gilead (GILD) has been cheap for years. It trades with a forward P/E of just 9.1. But earnings are on the decline. The company made $11.57 last year and expects to just make $8.74 this year. It recently bought KITE but will that be enough to give earnings a boost? Or is it a value trap?

2.      Biogen (BIIB) is another big biotech that is cheap. It trades with a forward P/E of just 15.6. Two analysts just raised their price targets to over $400 on the stock. Unlike Gilead, it’s expected to see earnings growth this year and next year.

3.      Teva (TEVA) is the cheapest in the group. It trades with a forward P/E of 3.4 but investors have to be concerned about those falling earnings estimates. It made $5.14 in 2016 and is expected to make just $3.82 in 2018. Is it a value trap?

4.      AbbVie (ABBV) has the rare combination of an attractive P/E at just 16.4 and rising earnings estimates. Earnings are expected to jump 14% in 2017 and another 19% in 2018. Should ABBV be on your short list?

5.      Aetna (AET) is in the managed care group, which, is one of the most difficult areas to be in right now due to Obamacare uncertainty. But Aetna has been reducing its exposure to the exchanges and it trades with a forward P/E of just 15.9.

There are other industries that are also in the cone of uncertainty due to the unknowns surrounding Obamacare, including the hospitals.

Tracey and Kevin discuss the hospital group, especially Tenet Healthcare (THC).

Additionally, Valeant (VRX) appears to be cheap, but Tracey fears it’s a value trap.

And what about medical device companies? They’ve been hot this year but are they just too expensive to make the list?

Find out the answer to all of these questions and more on this week’s podcast.

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AbbVie Inc. (ABBV) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Gilead Sciences, Inc. (GILD) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Biogen Inc. (BIIB) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited (TEVA) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Aetna Inc. (AET) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
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