McKesson
New York symbol MCK, is the largest wholesale distributor of pharmaceutical drugs in the United States and Canada. It also provides software and services that help pharmacies and clinics manage their drug inventories.
Yesterday, we discussed U.S. drug store chain Walgreen, a name familiar to many Canadian investors. Today we examine a U.S. drug distributor that has a strong and growing Canadian presence, but is not as well known. We first included this stock in the Aggressive Growth portfolio of Wall Street Stock Forecaster in June, 2002.
McKesson Corp. (New York symbol MCK; www.mckesson.com) …read more »
MCKESSON CORP. $78 (New York symbol MCK; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 254.3 million; Market cap: $19.8 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.2; Dividend yield: 0.9%; TSINetwork Rating: Average; www.mckesson.com) is the largest wholesale drug distributor in the U.S. and Canada. It also owns 49% of Mexico’s largest drug distributor. McKesson’s customers include 40,000 pharmacies, as well as doctor’s offices, …read more »
These four suppliers of medical devices and services will face higher costs as new U.S. health-care reforms are put in place. However, all four should continue to benefit as health spending grows and the population ages. Demand for their products is also rising overseas.
MCKESSON CORP. $78 (New York symbol MCK; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 254.3 million; Market …read more »
MCKESSON CORP. $60 (New York symbol MCK; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 261.5 million; Market cap: $15.7 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.2; Dividend yield: 1.2%; WSSF Rating: Average) is the largest wholesale drug distributor in the U.S. and Canada. It also owns 49% of Mexico’s largest drug distributor. McKesson’s customers include 40,000 pharmacies, as well as doctor’s offices, hospitals …read more »
RENAISSANCE GLOBAL HEALTH CARE FUND $15.19 (CWA Rating: Speculative) (CIBC Asset Management, 1500 University Street, Suite 800, Montreal, Quebec. Web site: www.renaissanceinvestments.ca. Available from brokers) invests in companies from across the health-care industry. These may include pharmaceutical and biotechnology firms, and companies that design and make medical equipment.
The $565.6-million fund’s managers look at a firm’s financial strength, the quality of …read more »
Forecasts are now popping up regularly in the media predicting that the H1N1 virus (also known as “swine flu”) will flare up in North America when the flu season begins in just a few weeks.
There is still a wide difference of opinion on the subject, and it’s far from certain that H1N1 will pose a significant threat. Nonetheless, health authorities …read more »
MCKESSON CORP. $57 (New York symbol MCK; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 266.1 million; Market cap: $15.2 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.1; WSSF Rating: Average) is the largest wholesale distributor of pharmaceutical drugs in the U.S. and Canada. It also owns 49% of Mexico’s largest drug distributor. Its customers include over 40,000 pharmacies, as well as doctor’s offices, hospitals …read more »
NORDSTROM INC. $12 (New York symbol JWN; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Consumer sector; Shares outstanding: 215.4 million; Market cap: $2.6 billion; WSSF Rating: Average) earned $71 million in its third fiscal quarter ended November 1, 2008, down 57.2% from $166 million a year earlier. However, the year-earlier quarter included a $20.9 million after-tax gain on the sale of a division. Per-share …read more »
RENAISSANCE GLOBAL HEALTH CARE FUND $15.78 (CWA Rating: Speculative) (CIBC Asset Management, 1500 University Street, Suite 800, Montreal, PQ. H3A 3S6. 1-800-268-8258; Web site: www.talvest.com. Available from brokers) invests in companies in a variety of segments of the health-care industry. Its selections may include pharmaceutical firms, designers and manufacturers of medical equipment and supplies, and companies in the biotechnology industry.
The …read more »
Sector or ‘theme’ funds entail special risks, but they are much safer than investing in one or two issues in risky fields such as health care and biotechnology.
If you invest in sector funds, limit your investment to modest quantities. Above all, invest only in funds with proven management and high-quality holdings. Here are updates on two we like:
RENAISSANCE GLOBAL HEALTH …read more »
