GE HealthCare Technologies Inc. GEHC announced its collaboration with Melbourne, Australia-based Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre on Monday. The tie-up will enable GEHC to further develop and explore the clinical and research possibilities of its total body positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) technology designed with a 128 cm, ultra-high sensitivity detector. In turn, Peter MacCallum Cancer Center is expected to leverage the total body PET/CT technology designed by GE HealthCare for its research efforts with respect to molecular imaging and cancer patient management.
It should be noted that GEHC’s PET/CT technology is currently under development and not available for sale. It is also not cleared or approved by the FDA or any other global regulator for commercial availability.
The announcement of the latest collaboration is a significant stepping stone for GE HealthCare to boost cancer research and improve patient care, which is likely to strengthen its foothold in the global niche space.
Likely Trend of GEHC Stock Following the News
Following the announcement on Nov. 25, shares of the company gained nearly 0.7% till last trading.
Historically, the company has gained a high level of synergies from its various collaborations. We expect market sentiment on the stock to continue to remain positive around this announcement, too.
GE HealthCare currently has a market capitalization of $37.92 billion. Its earnings yield of 5.2% is higher than the industry’s 1.8%. In the last reported quarter, GEHC delivered an earnings surprise of 7.6%.
Rationale Behind GE HealthCare’s Tie Up
Currently, WHO estimates more than 35 million new cancer cases in 2050, a 77% increase from the estimated 20 million cases in 2022.
Per GEHC, increased demand for whole-body PET/CT imaging and innovation is driven by the increased prevalence of the diseases it can detect, namely cancer. With the rising incidence of cancer rates, the availability of new immunotherapies and drugs is also rising, thus encouraging the practice of more personalized forms of medicine. One such growing practice is theranostics, which uses both imaging technology (including PET/CT) and targeted diagnostics and therapies to identify and treat disease and monitor patients’ response to treatment.
Per GEHC’s management, its total body PET/CT technology has been designed to support research and advance the capabilities of traditional PET by helping promote the addition of new diagnostic and therapeutic agents, driving new clinical pathways, supporting existing molecular imaging and theranostics applications, and promoting enhanced healthcare system efficiency.
Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre’s management believes that GE HealthCare’s new PET/CT technology will likely aid in imaging from head to thighs in a single step, which may create new opportunities for research. The technology, combined with deep learning-based capabilities, has the potential to be a major advancement for patients that will support prevention, early detection and better scanning of advanced cancers.
Industry Prospects in Favor of GEHC
Per a report by Precedence Research, the global oncology market size accounted for $225.01 billion in 2024 and is anticipated to reach $668.26 billion by 2034 at a CAGR of 11.5%. Factors like the rising technological advancements in the diagnostics of various cancers and the increasing prevalence of cancer are likely to drive the market.
Given the market potential, the latest agreement is expected to provide a significant boost to GE HealthCare’s business.
GE HealthCare’s Recent Developments in Cancer Care
This month, GE HealthCare announced the new Pristina Via mammography system, which is designed to enhance the screening experience for both technologists and patients.
Last month, GE HealthCare announced CareIntellect for Oncology, a new cloud-first application that brings together multi-modal patient data from disparate systems into a single view, using generative AI to summarize clinical notes and reports.
GEHC’s Share Price Performance
Shares of the company have gained 21.2% in the past year compared with the industry’s 22.2% rise and the S&P 500's 31.5% growth.
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GE HealthCare’s Zacks Rank & Key Picks
Currently, GEHC carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).
Some better-ranked stocks in the broader medical space are Cardinal Health, Inc. CAH, Cencora, Inc. COR and Globus Medical, Inc. GMED.
Cardinal Health, carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) at present, has an estimated long-term growth rate of 10.2%. CAH’s earnings surpassed estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, with the average surprise being 11.2%. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.
Cardinal Health’s shares have gained 14.5% compared with the industry’s 9.3% rise in the past year.
Cencora, carrying a Zacks Rank of 2 at present, has an estimated long-term growth rate of 10.1%. COR’s earnings surpassed estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, with the average being 6.9%.
Cencora has gained 22.8% against the industry’s 1.1% decline in the past year.
Globus Medical, carrying a Zacks Rank of 2 at present, has an estimated long-term growth rate of 14.1%. GMED’s earnings surpassed estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, with the average surprise being 17.7%.
Globus Medical’s shares have rallied 89.9% compared with the industry’s 15.4% rise in the past year.
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