Beckman Coulter
New York symbol BEC, makes lab equipment that doctors and medical researchers use to detect substances in bodily fluids.
Our top stock picks seem to attract way more than an average number of takeover bids. We think this is because we zero in on a company’s earnings potential, rather than basing decisions on predictions for next year’s earnings.
Corporate buyers and big investors usually see things the same way. Many investors tell us that until they began following our …read more »
A few years ago, many investors valued drug stocks the way they value the top software makers, bidding them up to 30 or more times earnings. However, drug stocks are riskier than investors generally realize.
Because of that, while drug stocks can show fantastic profits, it might be more appropriate to value drug makers the way you value companies that are …read more »
BECKMAN COULTER INC. $42 (New York symbol BEC; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 62.7 million; Market cap: $2.6 billion; WSSF Rating: Average) makes lab equipment that doctors and medical researchers use to detect substances in bodily fluids.
Demand for Beckman’s automated systems remains strong among hospitals and clinics, offsetting lower sales to university labs due to lower …read more »
Demand for medical equipment tends to grow or at least hold steady, regardless of swings in the overall economy.
Recurring revenues, mainly from long-time customers, should let these four makers of medical equipment and supplies keep expanding their sales and earnings. They also face little competition from generic products. As well, all four are expanding internationally, which cuts their long-term risk.
C.R. …read more »
BECKMAN COULTER INC. $70 (New York symbol BEC; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 62.9 million; Market cap: $4.4 billion; WSSF Rating: Average) makes lab equipment that doctors and medical researchers use to detect substances in bodily fluids.
Beckman is a long-time favorite of ours, mainly because its automated systems help its customers cut the cost of routine …read more »
Demand for medical equipment tends to grow or hold steady, regardless of swings in the overall economy. Recurring revenues from long-time customers gives these four makers of medical equipment and supplies an advantage over other health stocks. They also face little competition from generic products. As well, their expanding international operations balance their exposure to a slowing U.S. economy.
BECKMAN COULTER …read more »
BECKMAN COULTER INC. $64 (New York symbol BEC; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 62.7 million; market cap: $4.0 billion; WSSF Rating: Average) makes lab equipment that doctors and medical researchers use to detect substances in bodily fluids.
The company sells most of its products to big hospitals and research laboratories. It has now installed more than 200,000 …read more »
We have generally stayed out of drug stocks in this decade, and that’s a good thing for our subscribers. Drug stock enthusiasts focus on the rising demand they foresee from aging baby boomers, for newly developed drugs which are more effective than older ones. They overlook the drawbacks to investment in the drug industry, which concern us more. These drawbacks …read more »
BECKMAN COULTER INC. $72 (New York symbol BEC; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 62.6 million; Market cap: $4.5 billion; WSSF Rating: Average) rose to $77 in July after a competitor accepted a takeover offer from Germany’s Siemens AG. Investors felt that Beckman, which has no controlling stockholder and a loyal customer base, would make an attractive …read more »
BECKMAN COULTER INC. $68 (New York symbol BEC; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 61.9 million; Market cap: $4.2 billion; WSSF Rating: Average) recently agreed to pay $85 a share (total $1.55 billion) for publicly traded Biosite Inc., which makes heart disease testing equipment.
However, a rival bid forced Beckman to increase its offer to $90 a share …read more »
