The following are the top rated Health Care stocks according to Validea's Growth Investor model based on the published strategy of Martin Zweig. This strategy looks for growth stocks with persistent accelerating earnings and sales growth, reasonable valuations and low debt.
ELEVANCE HEALTH INC (ELV) is a large-cap growth stock in the Insurance (Accident & Health) industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Martin Zweig is 69% 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. It also offers infusible and injectable therapies. Carelon Services offers 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.
| P/E RATIO: | PASS |
| REVENUE GROWTH IN RELATION TO EPS GROWTH: | FAIL |
| SALES GROWTH RATE: | FAIL |
| CURRENT QUARTER EARNINGS: | PASS |
| QUARTERLY EARNINGS ONE YEAR AGO: | PASS |
| POSITIVE EARNINGS GROWTH RATE FOR CURRENT QUARTER: | PASS |
| EARNINGS GROWTH RATE FOR THE PAST SEVERAL QUARTERS: | FAIL |
| EPS GROWTH FOR CURRENT QUARTER MUST BE GREATER THAN PRIOR 3 QUARTERS: | PASS |
| EPS GROWTH FOR CURRENT QUARTER MUST BE GREATER THAN THE HISTORICAL GROWTH RATE: | PASS |
| EARNINGS PERSISTENCE: | FAIL |
| LONG-TERM EPS GROWTH: | PASS |
| INSIDER TRANSACTIONS: | PASS |
Detailed Analysis of ELEVANCE HEALTH INC
NOVO NORDISK A/S (ADR) (NVO) is a large-cap growth stock in the Biotechnology & Drugs industry. The rating according to our strategy based on Martin Zweig is 62% 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: Novo Nordisk A/S is a global healthcare company engaged in diabetes care. The Company is also engaged in the discovery, development, manufacturing and marketing of pharmaceutical products. The Company operates through two business segments: diabetes and obesity care, and biopharmaceuticals. The Company's diabetes and obesity care segment covers insulin, GLP-1, other protein-related products, such as glucagon, protein-related delivery systems and needles, and oral anti-diabetic drugs. The Company's biopharmaceuticals segment covers the therapy areas of hemophilia care, growth hormone therapy and hormone replacement therapy. The Company also offers Saxenda product to treat obesity. It offers a range of products, including NovoLog/NovoRapid; NovoLog Mix/NovoMix; Prandin/NovoNorm; NovoSeven; Norditropin, and Vagifem. As of December 31, 2016, it marketed its products in over 180 countries. Its regional structure consists of two commercial units: North America and International Operations.
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 RATIO: | FAIL |
| REVENUE GROWTH IN RELATION TO EPS GROWTH: | FAIL |
| SALES GROWTH RATE: | FAIL |
| CURRENT QUARTER EARNINGS: | PASS |
| QUARTERLY EARNINGS ONE YEAR AGO: | PASS |
| POSITIVE EARNINGS GROWTH RATE FOR CURRENT QUARTER: | PASS |
| EARNINGS GROWTH RATE FOR THE PAST SEVERAL QUARTERS: | PASS |
| EPS GROWTH FOR CURRENT QUARTER MUST BE GREATER THAN PRIOR 3 QUARTERS: | FAIL |
| EPS GROWTH FOR CURRENT QUARTER MUST BE GREATER THAN THE HISTORICAL GROWTH RATE: | PASS |
| EARNINGS PERSISTENCE: | PASS |
| LONG-TERM EPS GROWTH: | PASS |
| TOTAL DEBT/EQUITY RATIO: | PASS |
| INSIDER TRANSACTIONS: | PASS |
Detailed Analysis of NOVO NORDISK A/S (ADR)
About Martin Zweig: During the 15 years that it was monitored, Zweig's stock recommendation newsletter returned an average of 15.9 percent per year, during which time it was ranked number one based on risk-adjusted returns by Hulbert Financial Digest. Zweig has managed both mutual and hedge funds during his career, and he's put the fortune he's compiled to some interesting uses. He has owned what Forbes reported was the most expensive apartment in New York, a $70 million penthouse that sits atop Manhattan's Pierre Hotel, and he is a collector of all sorts of pop culture and historical memorabilia -- among his purchases are the gun used by Clint Eastwood in "Dirty Harry", a stock certificate signed by Commodore Vanderbilt, and even two old-fashioned gas pumps similar to those he'd seen at a nearby gas station while growing up in Cleveland, according to published reports.
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.
