4 Momentum Stocks That May Survive The Health Policy Mess

The future of the U.S. healthcare space is mired in uncertainty with President Trump’s efforts to revoke the Affordable Care Act (ACA) or Obamacare falling flat. This is despite the fact that the Republicans are going all out to end the policy fiasco. The investment world is equally baffled.

Chances of Stability Anytime Soon?

The majority of the healthcare space has heaved a sigh of relief with the recent failure of the Graham-Cassidy bill, thanks to the Congressional Budget Office’s (CBO) latest ‘warning report’ that anticipated health coverage loss for millions of Americans due to $1 trillion in reduction in federal spending on Medicaid through 2026.

Per the report, there will be considerable decrease in the number of people enrolling in Medicaid in this period for three primary reasons — “the expansion of the program established by the ACA would be repealed starting in 2020, federal reimbursement to states for Medicaid would be capped on a per-en-rollee basis beginning in 2020, and the individual mandate penalty (which induces some people to enroll in Medicaid) would be repealed upon the legislation’s enactment.”

Although the President’s latest action plan indicates that the respite from Graham-Cassidy failure is short-lived, one thing is pretty clear from the entire pandemonium. Any effort to bring about a major change in the existing health insurance policy may again turn out to be futile for the Republicans.

This is because, in their undying effort to fully repeal and replace Obamacare, the Republicans have never achieved a 60-40 majority. Among the related articles doing the rounds, a report by Kimberly Amadeo published in The Balance states that “Trump wanted Congress to replace the Affordable Care Act of 2010 before September 30, 2017. That's the last day Senate Republicans could pass the bill with just a 51-vote majority. That includes Vice President Mike Pence casting the final vote. But they never got the votes.”

While economists are once again dissecting all the facts trying to come out with probable ways in which the ruling party can turn around, it is hard for investors keen on the medical space to settle for an investment strategy that can earn them a concrete pay.

Investing Strategy to Bet On

Amid such political conundrum, while pondering on several investment mantras, the majority of investors prefer to bet on stocks, which have ability to brave the situation with their rock-solid fundamentals. However, sometimes thinking out of the box can create wonders. And we find it more logical to ask investors to consider investment options that are not dependent on the political twists and turns.

We are talking about momentum investing. We believe that investors can earn handsome profits by extrapolating the current bullish trends of the market into the future. Banking on momentum investment strategy can be worthwhile at this moment.

However, picking the right momentum stocks may be a challenging task for even seasoned investors, who are planning to enter the uncharted world of jam-packed trades.

Zacks Screening Guide

We are using the Zacks Style Score system to single out stocks that can yield favorable returns and are not affected by market conditions.

The Momentum Style Score indicates the best time to buy a stock and take advantage of its momentum with the highest probability of success.

Our research shows that stocks with a Momentum Score of A, when combined with a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) or 2 (Buy), offer the best upside potential for the short term. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Our Picks

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (NYSE:TMO)

Thermo Fisher posted earnings of $2.30 per share in the most recent quarter, surpassing the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 1.3%. Since then, the company has seen positive estimate revisions. The company’s current-year Zacks Consensus Estimate has increased 4 cents over the past month.

This revision activity has propelled the stock to a Zacks Rank #2, and its recent gains have helped it earn a Momentum Score of B. Thermo Fisher shares have increased more than 26% over the last six months, way ahead of the S&P 500 market’s 8.4% gain.

The company’s impressive growth prospects will continue to push the stock higher. Looking ahead, Thermo Fisher is poised to benefit from its leading position in the market of life sciences solutions, analytical instruments and laboratory products and services.

SeaSpine Holdings Corp. (NASDAQ:SPNE)

This leading name in the field of surgical solutions related to spinal disorder reported loss of 68 cents per share in the last quarter, narrower than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of 79 cents. Since then, the company has seen positive estimate revisions. Its Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year improved by 17 cents over the past couple of months.

This has propelled the stock to a Zacks Rank #2. It has a Momentum Score of B. Last month, the company made full commercial launch of the Shoreline Anterior Cervical Standalone system, featuring TruProfile technology. We believe that several new developments will further drive the stock. SeaSpine shares have increased nearly 43% over the last six months, way ahead of the S&P 500 market’s gain in this period.

Veru Inc. (NASDAQ:VERU)

This biopharmaceutical company, focused on urology and oncology, has benefited from the steady growth in this space. The company reported loss of 3 cents per share, narrower than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of 8 cents.

Within the last two months, Veru’s stock has improved by 5 cents for the current fiscal. The company’s stock price has increased more than 107% over the last six months. Veru is now a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) stock and has a Momentum and Growth Score of A.

EnteroMedics Inc. (NASDAQ:ETRM)

EnteroMedics is also proving to be investor favorite in recent times. The company delivered loss of 91 cents per share in the most recent quarter, narrower than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of loss by 9%. Since then, it has seen positive estimate revisions and within the last two months, EnteroMedics’ estimate has improved by $1.7 per share for the current fiscal.

This revision activity has propelled the stock to a Zacks Rank #1, and its recent gains have helped it earn a Momentum Score of B. The company’s impressive growth prospects will continue to push the stock higher.

Looking ahead, EnteroMedics is poised to benefit from the latest acquisition of ReShape Medical, a privately-held medical technology company and provider of the ReShape Dual Weight Loss Balloon, an FDA-approved, minimally invasive intragastric balloon. EnteroMedics’ shares have gained 18% over the last month, ahead of the S&P 500’s gain of 2.6%.

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