The key for investors is who benefits from this surge in prescription volume? The UBS team highlights six top stocks that are seeing this increased volume. Increased volume means increased sale and revenues, and since this trend is relatively new, it could pay out big the rest of this year and beyond.
Here are the six top stocks for investors looking to benefit from Obamacare prescription volume increases.
AmerisourceBergen Corp. (NYSE: ABC) is the world’s largest pharmaceutical distributor and trades at a sensible 17 times forward earnings per share estimates. Last year the company completed the divestiture of its Canadian distribution business to Kohl & Frisch, the country’s only Canadian-owned national full-line pharmaceutical distributor. The company’s board of directors recently authorized a special $650 million share repurchase program intended to supplement the company’s previously announced warrant hedging strategy. Investors are paid a 1.3% dividend. The Thomson/First Call consensus price target is at $76.03. The stock closed Wednesday at $72.10 a share.
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Cardinal Health Inc. (NYSE: CAH) is another top name in the health care sector. The drug wholesaler’s board authorized an additional $1 billion in stock repurchases in the first quarter of this year. The new authorization is in addition to the company’s existing stock repurchase plan, which has $350 million remaining. The company is projected to grow earnings by 10.4% to $4.07 in 2015. For 2016, Cardinal is projected to increase earnings by 11.3% to $4.53. Investors receive a 2% dividend. The consensus price target is $77.35. Cardinal closed Wednesday at $68.78.
CVS Caremark Corp. (NYSE: CVS) made big headlines last winter when it announced it would discontinue the sale of any tobacco products. In a world that has gone increasingly smoke-free, this may prove to be a very wise public relations move. Many Wall Street analysts point to a consistent trend of quarterly earnings beats over the past few quarters. In their view, potential earnings per share upside could generally be driven by better-than-expected retail script volumes, better-than-expected profitability per claim metrics on the pharmacy benefit management side, as well as share buybacks. Investors are paid a 1.5% dividend. The consensus price target is $81.21. CVS closed Wednesday at $77.36.
McKesson Corp. (NYSE: MCK) delivers pharmaceuticals, medical supplies and health care information technologies to the health care industry primarily in the United States. In many analysts’ view, McKesson’s operations and underlying fundamentals are as strong as any in the business, such that shares warrant at least a similar multiple to the group average. Investors receive a small 0.50% dividend. The consensus price target is at $204.47. McKesson closed Wednesday at $185.25.
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Rite Aid Corp. (NYSE: RAD) is not only back from the dead and actually making money, but it has become somewhat of a new Wall Street favorite. The stock is up huge this year, and the gains look to continue. Rite Aid’s gains have largely come from one thing: The drugstore chain managed to avoid the all-out collapse that many investors had expected for years, and it has returned to profitability that almost no one expected. Prior to the stock’s strong performance in 2013 and this year, Rite Aid shares were stuck in the $1 to $2 range for years following the financial crisis. The consensus price target for the stock is $8.15. Rite Aid closed Wednesday at $7.44.
Walgreen Co. (NYSE: WAG) revenue from established stores climbed strongly the first half of this year, higher than analysts expected, as the nation’s largest drugstore chain doled out more flu shots and absorbed a smaller revenue hit from generic drugs. The pharmacy giant, like it competition, will benefit from the increased drug benefits in some plans. Those are the numbers the UBS team cites that are starting to show up in the new prescription numbers. Investors are paid a 1.7% dividend. The consensus price target is $73.64, and Walgreen closed above that on Wednesday at $76.08.
The common thread for all of these top stocks is they are ancillary operators that deal with patient needs by providing medicines, medical and surgical products and other items used in the care of a patient. They themselves do not actually care directly for the patient. That removes the liability to a large degree and helps them focus on margin gains. With an aging population, customer and patient needs will only continue to grow. With numbers starting to grow, there is a good chance revenue and profits will follow.
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