We recently published a list of 10 Best Medical Stocks to Buy Now. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Stryker Corporation (NYSE:SYK) stands against other best medical stocks to buy now.
Navigating the Healthcare Landscape: Investment Opportunities and Growth Trends
The medical and healthcare industry is one of the largest globally, with a steady demand for products and services due to the biological nature of humans. Stocks like Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) and Tenet Healthcare Corporation (NYSE:THC) are among the biggest in the world, benefiting from trends that arise during crises like the coronavirus pandemic. Following the pandemic’s rapid spread in 2020, investors were eager to identify the best medical stocks to navigate the global healthcare crisis.
This industry is highly capital-intensive and competitive, encompassing various subsectors, including pharmaceutical companies, healthcare plan providers, medical equipment manufacturers, and hospitals. While healthcare plan providers and pharmaceutical firms often capture consumer attention, hospitals tend to be overlooked, despite their status as publicly traded entities. According to McKinsey, the medical industry’s overall profits are projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4%, increasing from $654 billion in 2021 to $790 billion by 2026. Notably, the hospital sector is expected to grow at a remarkable CAGR of 12.5%, reaching $2 trillion by 2028. Similarly, the pharmaceutical manufacturing segment, valued at $358 billion in 2020, is forecasted to surge to $1.2 trillion by 2030, reflecting a CAGR of 13%.
Over time, medical companies such as Pfizer and Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA), a biotechnology company based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, were among the most sought-after due to their vaccines. On the stock market, Moderna’s shares increased by an astounding 429% between December 2019 and September 2021. This outcome demonstrates that even modest wagers placed at the ideal moment can provide investors from all backgrounds with large returns. During the same period, Pfizer’s stock saw a more moderate 50% gain; nevertheless, the gap in gains is comprehensible given that Pfizer currently has a market value of more than four times that of Moderna, at $155 billion.
Our Methodology
For our methodology, we first sifted through the US pharmaceutical, medical devices, and healthcare ETFs and selected stocks that were weighted the highest. After choosing these stocks, we ranked them based on their total number of hedge fund holders as of Q2 2024.
“Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points (see more details here).”
A medical team wearing surgical masks and gloves carrying out a hip or knee joint replacement surgery with the help of surgical navigation systems.
Stryker Corp (NYSE:SYK)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 53
Stryker Corporation (NYSE:SYK) is a leading global medical technology company that specializes in developing, manufacturing, and selling a wide range of medical devices and equipment. The company’s product portfolio includes orthopedic implants, surgical equipment, neurovascular products, and patient handling and emergency medical equipment.
AI was being used by Stryker Corporation (NYSE:SYK) in 2022 for patient monitoring and surgical preparation. The company also announced in August that it had acquired care.ai, a privately-held business that provides ambient intelligence, smart room technology, and AI-assisted virtual care workflows. Stryker Corporation (NYSE:SYK) hopes to expand its portfolio of wirelessly connected medical devices and enhance its expanding healthcare IT offering with this acquisition.
Stryker Corporation’s AI initiatives aim to address healthcare challenges like nursing shortages and overworked staff. By acquiring care.ai, the company plans to create a smart care ecosystem with dynamic clinical workflows. As a result, Stryker raised its 2024 full-year guidance, increasing its organic sales growth expectations from 9% to 10%.
Stryker Corporation (NYSE:SYK) was recognized by Baron Funds in its investor letter for the first quarter of 2024. Here is what the fund said:
“We also added to Surgery Partners, Inc., a leading operator of ambulatory surgery centers, and Stryker Corporation (NYSE:SYK), a large diversified medical device company. We think Surgery Partners should benefit from a multi-year trend of surgical procedures migrating from inpatient hospitals to outpatient centers. Stryker reported strong fourth quarter financial results, highlighted by 11.5% organic revenue growth, and management provided solid guidance for 2024, calling for 7.5% to 9.0% organic revenue growth and double-digit EPS growth.”
Overall, SYK ranks 10th on our list of best medical stocks to buy now. While we acknowledge the potential of medical companies, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter timeframe. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than SYK but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.