We recently published a list of 10 Best Medical Stocks to Buy According to Billionaires. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Danaher Corporation (NYSE:DHR) stands against other best medical stocks to buy according to billionaires.
Some experts view medical, healthcare, and big pharma stocks as immune from trade carnage, making them a safe haven amid the uncertainty brought about by Trump’s tariffs. On April 8, Mizuho Securities America healthcare sector strategist Jared Holz appeared on CNBC’s ‘Power Lunch’ to talk about whether the speculations around the healthcare sector being a safe haven during market turmoil are true. He also discussed why healthcare companies are failing to get increased investor respect, given that healthcare is 20% of the American economy, which translates to around 1/5th of the country’s entire national output.
Holz said that the country’s major healthcare and pharmaceutical companies undoubtedly help fight its healthcare problems. However, when we look at their financial models and the way their businesses are currently set up, we have got generic patent cliffs over the next 5-7 years on the medium to long-term angle of the company, along with price concessions with the IRA and some of the things the Biden administration put into place. We have also got pricing degradation over the near term, and between those two lies competition and other setbacks. The models thus never line up well enough for investors to have a lot of confidence, as the business models do not lend themselves to long-term viability. These are the primary reasons the sector and stocks have been under pressure for so long.
READ ALSO: 10 Best Mid Cap Biotech Stocks to Buy and 12 Best Diagnostics Stocks to Invest In Right Now.
Holz further opined that managed care, particularly the government-centric names, are somewhat safe as they are insulated from tariffs as US-based companies. In fact, the economic slowdown is actually beneficial for them as they want less utilization and less patience through the system, which is how they typically beat numbers. He said that managed care is having a good day, and investors might think about owning some companies in the sector.
It is, however, a relative game, as there are several different variables at play, and investors are essentially playing a game of hopscotch in an attempt to jump from one area to another, whether it’s tariffs, drug pricing, or other public policies. He painted a similar picture for medical device stocks that are more US-centric. These two sectors thus have less risk relative to others, making them somewhat of a safe haven.
