Growth stocks aren't created equal, but great businesses can stand the test of time in a portfolio and reward shareholders many times over through the years. Healthcare stocks with strong business profiles, robust revenue growth, and healthy profits can offer greater reliability through various market cycles.
No industry is totally impervious to market dynamics, but healthcare companies as a whole are broadly more resilient in difficult times given the essential needs they serve for patients and customers. If you're looking for growth-oriented healthcare stocks to add to your portfolio right now, here are two names you won't want to miss.
1. Vertex Pharmaceuticals
Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX 0.28%) has had a banner year so far. It launched the world's first CRISPR therapy (a potential one-time functional cure for two rare blood disorders) and is experiencing steady growth from an existing portfolio of market-leading medicines. If you're not familiar with this company, it's the leader in the cystic fibrosis therapeutics market and is the only one that has drugs approved to treat the root cause of this genetic disease.
The company's focus on rare, underserved, and genetic diseases has allowed profits and cash to grow handsomely in recent years while it continues to build out its pipeline of potential blockbusters. In the first quarter of 2024 alone, Vertex brought in revenue of $2.7 billion and profits of $1.1 billion. Those two figures represented increases of 13% and 57%, respectively, from the same quarter last year.
The star of the company's current portfolio is its cystic fibrosis medicine Trikafta, which brought in product sales of $2.5 billion in the first quarter of 2024, or approximately 92% of overall sales. Continued label expansions for Vertex's cystic fibrosis medicines and the overall expansion of this addressable market bode well for the company's continued dominance in this arena over the long run. And patent exclusivity for Trikafta doesn't run out for about 14 years.
The company has its sights set on the launch of several potential blockbusters before the end of the decade. These include a new triple-combination therapy for cystic fibrosis, which was just granted priority review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration with a Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) target action date of Jan. 2, 2025.
Another drug candidate for investors to watch is suzetrigine. This is Vertex's non-opioid drug for moderate to severe acute pain, as well as other pain ailments like diabetic peripheral neuropathy. The drug is being tested in both surgical and nonsurgical settings. Management noted in the recent earnings call that there are 80 million patients prescribed medicines for moderate to severe acute pain every year in the U.S. alone. A drug without the addictive qualities of opioids but a stronger pain relief option than the average over-the-counter medicine could have significant disruptor potential in a broad and growing addressable market.
Vertex is also working on drugs across other disease areas that have the potential to alter the standard of care in various addressable markets. These include stem cell-based therapies for diabetes, a therapy that targets the underlying cause of Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and an mRNA-based cystic fibrosis therapy Vertex is developing with Moderna, to name a few examples. Investors may want to consider taking a second look at this stock sooner than later.
2. HCA Healthcare
HCA Healthcare (HCA 1.48%) is the largest operator of healthcare facilities in the country. It runs an expansive network of hospitals, surgery centers, urgent care centers, emergency rooms, and clinics.
Healthcare is a massive and booming industry, and while large healthcare systems have struggled with rising costs in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, this is still a remarkably resilient space to invest in. People need emergency care and other essential healthcare services no matter what is happening with the market or the economy.
Over the trailing-five-year period, HCA Healthcare has delivered a total return in the ballpark of 174%. That's compared to the S&P 500's broader performance of around 106% in that same time.
The company also has a consistent history of paying and raising its dividend, even though it did suspend its payout temporarily during the pandemic. Still, looking back over the last five years, that dividend has risen by approximately 65%. Its forward annual dividend yield is around 0.83% at the time of this writing.
The company reported revenue of $17 billion in the first quarter of 2024, a 6% increase from one year ago. HCA Healthcare also delivered profits of $1.6 billion in that three-month period, up 14% from one year ago. This was driven by a 6.2% year-over-year increase in same-facility admissions, and a 5.2% jump in facility-equivalent admissions.
HCA Healthcare also raked in cash flow from operating activities of $2.5 billion in the quarter. The company ended the period with 188 hospitals and about 2,400 ambulatory care sites in 20 U.S. states and the U.K. For investors seeking steady returns, dividend income, and a relatively buoyant business model, HCA Healthcare might be a top stock to consider now.
