We recently compiled a list of the 10 Best Low Volatility Stocks to Invest in Now. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE:BSX) stands against the other low volatility stocks. We will also discuss the latest updates around the market and political situation of the US.
Market Begins November on a Dynamic Note
The first week of November has been quite eventful so far. Presidential candidate Donald Trump won the election and President Joe Biden, speaking from the Rose Garden after the election, pledged a peaceful transition of power on January 20.
Moreover, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell announced a quarter-point rate cut on November 7, aimed at supporting strong employment and steady inflation. Economic indicators show solid growth, with GDP rising by 2.8% in the third quarter and consumer spending remaining strong. While the housing sector remains weak, other areas like equipment investment have strengthened.
The labor market shows resilience despite a slowdown in job gains and an uptick in the unemployment rate to 4.1%. Inflation has cooled significantly, nearing the Fed’s 2% target. However, core inflation remains slightly above that level.
In response to questions, Chair Powell noted that the U.S. election isn’t expected to influence near-term Fed policy, as future policy changes and their economic effects remain uncertain. He acknowledged that higher Treasury yields likely reflect expectations of stronger economic growth rather than inflation concerns.
Looking ahead to December, Powell stated that the Fed will assess data on inflation, employment, and economic growth to determine if further policy recalibration is needed. He emphasized the Fed’s effort to balance rate adjustments to avoid moving too quickly or too slowly, aiming to sustain a strong labor market while bringing inflation closer to the 2% target.
The market is taking the news well and all three major market indices closed at all-time highs on November 7. While things seem to be on track, it is important to note that such events sometimes also bring volatility and uncertainty.
Read Also: 10 Best Stocks Under $100 To Invest In and 10 Best Stocks to Buy and Hold For 5 Years.
Economic Outlook in an Era of Unpredictable Policies
In a recent interview on CNBC’s Squawk Box, Former Federal Reserve Vice Chairman Roger Ferguson discussed the complexities surrounding recent economic and policy changes. Ferguson noted that the Federal Reserve’s approach remains cautious, taking a “wait-and-see” stance to assess how policies impact the economy.
He mentioned Fed Chair Powell’s resistance to providing overly specific future guidance and instead emphasized data-based decisions. Additionally, Ferguson highlighted that external factors such as tariffs and changes in the energy market could create varied inflationary pressures. While deregulation might counterbalance some inflation risks, tariffs could still add complexity.
The conversation touched on the “neutral rate,” with Ferguson indicating that it will play a crucial role moving forward, especially given shifts in bond yields and their impact on inflation expectations. Ferguson conveyed that uncertainty in policy directions requires flexibility in economic responses, with ongoing adjustments as more details unfold.
Our Methodology
For this article, we used the Yahoo Finance stock screener to identify around 250 large to mega-cap stocks with a 5-year beta (monthly) between 0.2 and 0.8. We narrowed our list to 10 stocks most widely held by institutional investors and listed them in ascending order of their hedge fund sentiment. The hedge fund sentiment was taken from Insider Monkey’s Q2 database of over 900 elite hedge funds.
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 surgeon examining a patient’s brain in an operating room, paramedics nearby.
Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE:BSX)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 82
5-year Beta (Monthly): 0.8
Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE:BSX) creates medical devices for global use in interventional specialties. Its two main segments, MedSurg and Cardiovascular, offer products for gastrointestinal, pulmonary, urological, and neurological treatments, as well as cardiac care, including defibrillators, pacemakers, and heart monitors. The company also develops tools for vascular and cancer treatments.
On November 4, Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX) agreed to acquire Cortex, Inc., a company focused on developing a diagnostic tool to identify atrial fibrillation (AF) triggers outside the pulmonary veins. Cortex’s OptiMap System uses a unique mapping approach to support targeted cardiac ablation, aiming to improve outcomes for AF patients. AF is a common type of arrhythmia, or irregular heartbeat, where the upper chambers of the heart (atria) beat out of sync with the lower chambers (ventricles).
The technology, which received FDA clearance in 2023, showed promising results in a clinical trial. Compared to standard procedures, it increased freedom from AF by 51% one year after treatment.
The company expects the acquisition to close in the first half of 2025. However, amortization and acquisition costs may slightly reduce GAAP earnings. Some analysts view this acquisition as quite beneficial to the company.
On November 4, TipRanks reported that Canaccord Genuity analyst William Plovanic reaffirmed a Buy rating on Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX) with a $98 price target. The analyst attributed this to growth potential due to the acquisition of Cortex and its OptiMap atrial fibrillation mapping technology.
OptiMap strengthens the company’s offerings by improving AF diagnosis beyond traditional methods. While the acquisition may have a limited short-term impact on earnings, its integration is expected to boost the company’s market position and align with its growth and innovation goals in the biomedical field.
Janus Henderson Enterprise Fund stated the following regarding Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE:BSX) in its Q2 2024 investor letter:
“Medical device company Boston Scientific Corporation (NYSE:BSX) was another contributor. The stock rose on excitement over the company’s U.S. launch of FARAPULSE, a state-of-the-art pulsed field ablation system that treats atrial fibrillation with less damage to surrounding tissues relative to previous therapies. Boston Scientific is currently the only provider of this technology, which taps into a large and growing addressable market. Even beyond our excitement around FARAPULSE, we continue to like Boston Scientific for its diversified product portfolio, which has provided many potential drivers of revenue growth.”
Overall BSX ranks 10th on our list of the best low volatility stocks to invest in now. While we acknowledge the potential of BSX as an investment, 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 BSX 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.