The following are the top rated Health Care stocks according to Validea's P/E/Growth Investor model based on the published strategy of Peter Lynch. This strategy looks for stocks trading at a reasonable price relative to earnings growth that also possess strong balance sheets.
PFIZER INC. (PFE) is a large-cap growth stock in the Biotechnology & Drugs industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Peter Lynch is 93% based on the firm’s underlying fundamentals and the stock’s valuation. A score of 80% or above typically indicates that the strategy has some interest in the stock and a score above 90% typically indicates strong interest.
Company Description: Pfizer Inc. is a research-based biopharmaceutical company. The Company is engaged in the discovery, development, manufacture, marketing, sale and distribution of biopharmaceutical products around the world. The Company operates through two segments: Biopharma and PC1. Biopharma is engaged in the science-based biopharmaceutical business. PC1 is its global contract development and manufacturing organization and supplier of specialty active pharmaceutical ingredients. The Company's primary care products include Eliquis, Nurtec ODT/Vydura and the Premarin family; the Prevnar family, Nimenrix, FSME/IMMUN-TicoVac and Trumenba; Comirnaty, and Paxlovid. Its specialty care products include Xeljanz, Enbrel (outside the United States and Canada), Inflectra, Eucrisa/Staquis and Cibinqo; the Vyndaqel family, Oxbryta, BeneFIX and Genotropin, and Sulperazon, Medrol, Zavicefta, Zithromax, Vfend and Panzyga. Its oncology products include Ibrance, Xtandi, Inlyta, Retacrit, Lorbrena and Braftovi.
The following table summarizes whether the stock meets each of this strategy's tests. Not all criteria in the below table receive equal weighting or are independent, but the table provides a brief overview of the strong and weak points of the security in the context of the strategy's criteria.
| P/E/GROWTH RATIO: | PASS |
| SALES AND P/E RATIO: | PASS |
| INVENTORY TO SALES: | PASS |
| EPS GROWTH RATE: | PASS |
| TOTAL DEBT/EQUITY RATIO: | PASS |
| FREE CASH FLOW: | NEUTRAL |
| NET CASH POSITION: | NEUTRAL |
Detailed Analysis of PFIZER INC.
CIGNA GROUP (CI) is a large-cap growth stock in the Healthcare Facilities industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Peter Lynch is 91% based on the firm’s underlying fundamentals and the stock’s valuation. A score of 80% or above typically indicates that the strategy has some interest in the stock and a score above 90% typically indicates strong interest.
Company Description: The Cigna Group is a global health services company. Its portfolio of offerings solves diverse challenges across the healthcare system. It offers a differentiated set of pharmacy, medical, behavioral, dental, and supplemental products, and services, primarily through two platforms: Evernorth Health Services and Cigna Healthcare. Evernorth Health Services includes a range of coordinated and point solution health services and capabilities, as well as those from partners across the health care system, in pharmacy benefits, home delivery pharmacy, specialty pharmacy, distribution, and care delivery and management solutions, which are provided to health plans, employers, government organizations and health care providers. Evernorth Health Services also offers MDLIVE virtual care platform. Cigna Healthcare includes the United States Commercial, United States Government, and International Health operating segments, which provide medical and coordinated solutions to clients and customers.
The following table summarizes whether the stock meets each of this strategy's tests. Not all criteria in the below table receive equal weighting or are independent, but the table provides a brief overview of the strong and weak points of the security in the context of the strategy's criteria.
| P/E/GROWTH RATIO: | PASS |
| SALES AND P/E RATIO: | PASS |
| INVENTORY TO SALES: | PASS |
| EPS GROWTH RATE: | PASS |
| TOTAL DEBT/EQUITY RATIO: | PASS |
| FREE CASH FLOW: | NEUTRAL |
| NET CASH POSITION: | NEUTRAL |
Detailed Analysis of CIGNA GROUP
ELEVANCE HEALTH INC (ELV) is a large-cap growth stock in the Insurance (Accident & Health) industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Peter Lynch is 91% based on the firm’s underlying fundamentals and the stock’s valuation. A score of 80% or above typically indicates that the strategy has some interest in the stock and a score above 90% typically indicates strong interest.
Company Description: Elevance Health, Inc. is a health company. It operates as a health insurer in the United States. The Company operates through four segments: Health Benefit, CarelonRx, Carelon Services, and Corporate & Other. The Health Benefits segment offers a comprehensive suite of health plans and services to individual, employer group risk-based, employer group fee-based, BlueCard, Medicare, Medicaid and federal employees health benefits (FEHB) program members. The CarelonRx segment includes its pharmacy business. CarelonRx markets and offers pharmacy services to affiliated health plan customers, as well as to external customers outside of the health plans. Carelon Services offers a broad array of healthcare-related services and capabilities to internal and external customers including integrated care delivery, behavioral health, palliative care, utilization management, payment integrity services and subrogation services, as well as health and wellness programs.
The following table summarizes whether the stock meets each of this strategy's tests. Not all criteria in the below table receive equal weighting or are independent, but the table provides a brief overview of the strong and weak points of the security in the context of the strategy's criteria.
| YIELD ADJUSTED P/E TO GROWTH (PEG) RATIO: | PASS |
| EARNINGS PER SHARE: | PASS |
| TOTAL DEBT/EQUITY RATIO: | NEUTRAL |
| EQUITY/ASSETS RATIO: | PASS |
| RETURN ON ASSETS: | PASS |
| FREE CASH FLOW: | NEUTRAL |
| NET CASH POSITION: | NEUTRAL |
Detailed Analysis of ELEVANCE HEALTH INC
THERMO FISHER SCIENTIFIC INC (TMO) is a large-cap growth stock in the Medical Equipment & Supplies industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Peter Lynch is 87% based on the firm’s underlying fundamentals and the stock’s valuation. A score of 80% or above typically indicates that the strategy has some interest in the stock and a score above 90% typically indicates strong interest.
Company Description: Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. is engaged in serving science. The Company's Life Sciences Solutions segment provides a portfolio of reagents, instruments and consumables used in biological and medical research, discovery and production of new drugs and vaccines, as well as diagnosis of infection and disease. The Analytical Instruments segment provides an offering of instruments and the supporting consumables, software and services that are used for a range of applications. The Specialty Diagnostics segment offers a range of diagnostic test kits, reagents, culture media, instruments, and associated products to serve customers in healthcare, clinical, pharmaceutical, industrial and food safety laboratories. The Laboratory Products and Biopharma Services segment offers virtually everything needed for the laboratory. Its brands include Thermo Scientific, Applied Biosystems, and others. It also provides regulatory-grade, real-world evidence for approved medical treatments and therapies.
The following table summarizes whether the stock meets each of this strategy's tests. Not all criteria in the below table receive equal weighting or are independent, but the table provides a brief overview of the strong and weak points of the security in the context of the strategy's criteria.
| P/E/GROWTH RATIO: | PASS |
| SALES AND P/E RATIO: | PASS |
| INVENTORY TO SALES: | PASS |
| EPS GROWTH RATE: | PASS |
| TOTAL DEBT/EQUITY RATIO: | PASS |
| FREE CASH FLOW: | NEUTRAL |
| NET CASH POSITION: | NEUTRAL |
Detailed Analysis of THERMO FISHER SCIENTIFIC INC
VERTEX PHARMACEUTICALS INCORPORATED (VRTX) is a large-cap growth stock in the Biotechnology & Drugs industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Peter Lynch is 74% based on the firm’s underlying fundamentals and the stock’s valuation. A score of 80% or above typically indicates that the strategy has some interest in the stock and a score above 90% typically indicates strong interest.
Company Description: Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated is a global biotechnology company. The Company is focused on developing medicines that treat the underlying cause of cystic fibrosis (CF). Its pipeline includes mid- and late-stage clinical programs in sickle cell disease, beta thalassemia, acute and neuropathic pain, APOL1-mediated kidney disease, type 1 diabetes, and alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, and earlier-stage programs in diseases such as muscular dystrophies. Its marketed medicines are TRIKAFTA/KAFTRIO (elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor and ivacaftor), SYMDEKO/SYMKEVI (tezacaftor/ivacaftor and ivacaftor), ORKAMBI (lumacaftor/ivacaftor) and KALYDECO (ivacaftor). The Company has a pipeline of investigational small molecule, cell and genetic therapies in other serious diseases where it has deep insight into causal human biology, including sickle cell disease, beta thalassemia, APOL1-mediated kidney disease, pain, type 1 diabetes, alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency and Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
The following table summarizes whether the stock meets each of this strategy's tests. Not all criteria in the below table receive equal weighting or are independent, but the table provides a brief overview of the strong and weak points of the security in the context of the strategy's criteria.
| P/E/GROWTH RATIO: | PASS |
| SALES AND P/E RATIO: | PASS |
| INVENTORY TO SALES: | PASS |
| EPS GROWTH RATE: | FAIL |
| TOTAL DEBT/EQUITY RATIO: | PASS |
| FREE CASH FLOW: | NEUTRAL |
| NET CASH POSITION: | NEUTRAL |
Detailed Analysis of VERTEX PHARMACEUTICALS INCORPORATED
About Peter Lynch: Perhaps the greatest mutual fund manager of all-time, Lynch guided Fidelity Investment's Magellan Fund to a 29.2 percent average annual return from 1977 until his retirement in 1990, almost doubling the S&P 500's 15.8 percent yearly return over that time. Lynch's common sense approach and quick wit made him one of the most quoted investors on Wall Street. ("Go for a business that any idiot can run -- because sooner or later, any idiot probably is going to run it," is one of his many pearls of wisdom.) Lynch's bestseller One Up on Wall Street is something of a "stocks for the everyman/everywoman", breaking his approach down into easy-to-understand concepts.
About Validea: Validea is aninvestment researchservice that follows the published strategies of investment legends. Validea offers both stock analysis and model portfolios based on gurus who have outperformed the market over the long-term, including Warren Buffett, Benjamin Graham, Peter Lynch and Martin Zweig. For more information about Validea, click here
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
