First-quarter earnings kick off in a big way on Friday with the major banks posting their results. It is likely that for the second quarter in a row earnings at some of the biggest and best U.S. companies will decline.
Many top analysts and strategists feel there is an excellent chance that we could be in for a big-time earnings recession as the year goes on. The reality for stock investors is that higher interest rates, combined with much tighter lending standards after the Silicon Valley Bank debacle, could hurt many of the top companies across the United States. Amazon alone is laying off 30,000 people, and it is a nasty trend showing up everywhere.
While many are suggesting short Treasury paper and money markets, for long-term investors looking for growth and income, health care is the place to be in 2023. Demand is growing as the country ages, pricing remains strong and, plain and simple, it is one sector that never goes out of style as it generally is not hit by cyclical swings.
We screened our 24/7 Wall St. health care research database looking for the highest-paying dividend leaders that were rated Buy across Wall Street. The following seven companies are all very solid players in the industry, two of which are top European companies, and all make good sense for growth and income investors looking for stocks with solid total return potential.
It is important to remember that no single analyst report should be used as a sole basis for any buying or selling decision.
Amgen
This biotech giant remains a safer way to play the massive potential growth in biosimilars. Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ: AMGN) discovers, develops, manufactures and delivers human therapeutics worldwide. It focuses on inflammation, oncology/hematology, bone health, cardiovascular disease, nephrology and neuroscience.
The company’s products include:
- Enbrel to treat plaque psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis and psoriatic arthritis
- Neulasta reduces the chance of infection due to a low white blood cell count in patients with cancer
- Prolia to treat postmenopausal women with osteoporosis
- Xgeva for skeletal-related events prevention
- Otezla for the treatment of adult patients with plaque psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis and oral ulcers associated with Behcet’s disease
- Aranesp to treat a lower-than-normal number of red blood cells and anemia
- Kyprolis to treat patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma
- Repatha, which reduces the risks of myocardial infarction, stroke and coronary revascularization
Shareholders receive a 3.40% dividend. Goldman Sachs has a $290 target price on Amgen stock. The consensus target is lower at $258.29, and the final trade on Tuesday was for $251.43 a share.
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