CVS - An Undervalued Healthcare Juggernaut

Noah Kiedrowski - INO.com Contributor - Biotech


Introduction

CVS presents a compelling investment opportunity in the healthcare space. CVS has been highly acquisitive, growing its dividends over time and has an aggressive share buyback program in place. CVS is currently the largest prescription drug dispenser and the second-largest pharmacy benefits manager. Along with its recent acquisitions and partnerships will significantly expand its footprint and ability to dispense prescriptions to the general public and in assisted living and long-term care facilities that serve the senior patient population. As the United States continues to absorb an aging population alongside growing overall healthcare costs, more specifically prescription drug costs, CVS looks poised to benefit and continue to outperform the broader market.

CVS Health – A true healthcare company

Approximately one year ago, CVS announced that it had removed all tobacco products from its stores nationwide and would no longer sell any tobacco related products to its customers. This was a bold move as CVS has become the trailblazer in establishing itself as a true health oriented company. Ceasing tobacco sales negatively impacted overall sales, however, this move established itself as a true healthcare focused company. "One year ago, we stopped selling tobacco products because it conflicted with our purpose of helping people on their path to better health," said Troyen A. Brennan, M.D., M.P.H., Chief Medical Officer, CVS Health. "Today, we are excited to release new data demonstrating the positive impact our decision has had on public health overall as shown by a measurable decrease in the number of cigarette purchases across all retailers." Personally, I like companies that stand behind their name and practice what they advocate and, in this case, it's promoting overall health and wellbeing. Continue reading "CVS - An Undervalued Healthcare Juggernaut"

Dump Target? Only If You Want To Miss Double-Digit Upside

There are overreactions in the stock market all the time, leading to mispriced securities. This happens as investors tend to overreact to news or earnings. Almost no company is immune.

​Unjustified downward pressure can even happen to companies that offer products that touch every aspect of our lives. One thing that investors should remember is that these are usually near term pressures and can make for great buying opportunities. This is especially true if there is a long-term growth story is intact.

One recent example is blue-chip retailer Target (NYSE: TGT), which said last month that it had sustained a security breach of customer account info. The news continued to get worse for the stock as Target disclosed last week that additional info -- including phone numbers and street and email addresses -- might have been compromised. As a result, the company lowered its earnings outlook for its fiscal fourth quarter due to notably lower store traffic and sales stemming from news of the data breach. Continue reading "Dump Target? Only If You Want To Miss Double-Digit Upside"

3rd-Quarter Earnings Season: What To Watch For

Throughout the summer, investors were treated to a steady drumbeat of sobering news.

Retail sales were flattening out. China and other emerging markets appeared set to consume less of our exports. The steady implementation of the budget sequester was leading to a drop in government spending on technology and services. And many companies showed a lot more interest in buybacks and dividends than capital spending, which is a sure a sign of CEO pessimism.

So how do you explain the surprisingly robust profit picture being delivered in the current earnings season? Continue reading "3rd-Quarter Earnings Season: What To Watch For"

Today's Video Update: Is The 2013 Bull Market Over?

Hello traders everywhere! Adam Hewison here, President of INO.com and Co-creator of MarketClub, with your mid-day market update for Friday, the 7th of June.

Is The 2013 Bull Market In Stocks Over?
2013 will go down in the history books as the fastest start of the any year since 1998. Having said that, there are some challenges in the market right now as we have recently seen the market tumble 3.6%. We also discussed the slowdown in Wal-Mart (NYSE:WMT) and Target (NYSE:TGT) stores, as both companies missed their forecasted earnings. All signs that the economy is slowing down. Currently, the economy hasn't picked up to the point where the Fed can abandon its monthly $85 billion purchase program. That could also lend to some stability in the marketplace. In today's video, I am going to examine how we see the market and how today's close could determine the trend for the coming week.

Early Warning System And The Yen
The Japanese Yen has strengthened against the US dollar to the surprise of many traders. Having a non-emotional approach to the market, like the Trade Triangles, can pay off consistently. If you haven't seen my "Early Warning System" video you may watch it here. Continue reading "Today's Video Update: Is The 2013 Bull Market Over?"

Today's Video Update: Target And Lowe's Both Miss... Who's Next?

Hello traders everywhere! Adam Hewison here, President of INO.com and Co-creator of MarketClub, with your mid-day market update for Wednesday, the 22nd of May.

Target and Lowe's Both Miss
Both Target (NYSE:TGT) and Lowe's (NYSE:LOW) missed their estimated earnings this morning and disappointed Wall Street. Both companies blamed the miss on bad spring weather. I guess you have to point to something when you miss what everyone is expecting. We will be looking at Target and Lowe's today. Continue reading "Today's Video Update: Target And Lowe's Both Miss... Who's Next?"