Yearender: Top 5 healthcare stocks that grabbed limelight in 2021

Global healthcare spending touched more than US$8.3 trillion, of which over US$3.5 trillion were spent in the US alone in 2021, accelerated by pandemic-driven demand.

This exponential growth drew a lot of attention from investors looking to capitalize on the growing demand for healthcare needs.

Here we explore the top five healthcare stocks that remained in the limelight in 2021.

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UnitedHealth Group Incorporated (NYSE: UNH)

UnitedHealth is a diversified healthcare and insurance company based in Minnetonka, Minnesota, and offers a range of services to customers.

The shares of the company traded at US$497.42 at 2:42 pm ET on Dec 23, up 0.67% from their previous close. Its stock rose by 41.38% YTD.

It has a market cap of US$468.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 30.83, and a forward P/E one year of 26.23. Its EPS is US$16.12. The 52-week highest and lowest stock prices were US$496.96 and US$320.35, respectively. Its trading volume was 1,687,590 on Dec 22.

The company will release its fourth quarter and fiscal 2021 results on Jan 19, 2022.

In Q3 of FY21, its revenue increased by 11% YoY to US$72.3 billion. Its net earnings were US$4.19 billion, or US$4.28 per diluted share, against US$3.25 billion, or US$3.30 per diluted share in Q3 of FY20.

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Novo Nordisk A/S (NYSE: NVO)

Novo Nordisk is a global healthcare firm based in Denmark and specializes in diabetes care. It also manufactures various other pharmaceutical products.

The stock was priced at US$108.52 at 2:49 pm ET on Dec 23, down 1.26% from its previous close. The NVO stock rose 53.86% YTD.

Its market cap is US$247.44 billion, the P/E ratio is 33.82, and the forward P/E one year is 33.61. Its EPS is US$3.21. The stock saw the highest price of US$117.35 and the lowest price of US$66.59 in the last 52 weeks. Its share volume on Dec 22 was 1,824,880.

The company's net sales rose 15% YoY to DKK 35.62 billion (US$5.43 billion) in Q3, FY21. Its net profit came in at DKK12.11 billion (US$1.85 billion), compared to DKK10.29 billion in Q3, FY20. (DKK is Danish Krone).

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Pfizer, Inc. (NYSE: PFE)

Pfizer is a pharmaceutical and biotechnology company based in New York. It manufactures biopharmaceutical products and distributes them globally.

Its shares traded at US$58.73 at 3:02 pm ET on Dec 23, down 1.38% from their previous close. Its stock value rose 61.78% YTD.

It has a market cap of US$329.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.49, and a forward P/E one year of 14.14. Its EPS is US$3.36. The 52-week highest and lowest stock prices were US$61.71 and US$33.36, respectively. Its trading volume was 62,594,920 on Dec 22.

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On Dec 22, the company announced receiving FDA’s emergency use authorization for Paxlovid pill for treating mild-to-moderate Covid-19 infections.

The company's revenue increased by 134% YoY to US$24.09 billion in Q3, FY21. Its net income came in at US$8.14 billion compared to US$1.46 billion in Q3, FY20.

The company expects its full fiscal 2021 revenue to be between US$81 billion and US$82 billion, an increase of 94% YoY at the midpoint.

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Abbott Laboratories (NYSE: ABT)

Abbott Laboratories is a medical instrument and healthcare firm based in Chicago, Illinois. It manufactures various healthcare products.

The stock was priced at US$139.41 at 3:10 pm ET on Dec 23, up 0.30% from its previous close. The ABT stock jumped 27.39% YTD.

Its market cap is US$246.46 billion, the P/E ratio is 34.59, and the forward P/E one year is 27.52. Its EPS is US$4.03. The stock saw the highest price of US$139.27 and the lowest price of US$105.36 in the last 52 weeks. Its share volume on Dec 22 was 6,768,868.

The company's sales rose 23.4% YoY to US$10.9 billion in Q3, FY21. Its net earnings came in at US$2.10 billion, compared to US$1.23 billion in Q3, FY20.

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Danaher Corporation (NYSE: DHR)

Danaher Corporation is a diversified multinational company based in Washington, D.C. It specializes in professional medical industrial and commercial products.

The shares of the company traded at US$322.11 at 3:15 pm ET on Dec 23, up 0.76% from their previous close. Its stock value soared 43.21% YTD.

The firm has a market cap of US$230.02 billion, a P/E ratio of 40.8, and a forward P/E one year of 32.45. Its EPS is US$7.89. The 52-week highest and lowest stock prices were US$333.96 and US$211.22, respectively. Its trading volume was 2,190,639 on Dec 22.

The revenue increased by 23% YoY to US$7.2 billion in Q3, FY21. Its net income came in at US$1.15 billion, compared to US$883 million in the same quarter of the previous year.

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Bottomline

The healthcare sector saw rapid growth in recent quarters. For instance, the S&P 500 healthcare sector jumped 22.28% YTD while increasing 9.10% QTD. However, investors should closely evaluate the companies before investing in stocks.