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  • These Healthcare Stocks Pay Fast-Growing Dividends

    By Aubrey Tabuga - May 11, 2013 | Tickers: MDT, UNH, WLP

    Given the huge potential of the healthcare industry, it is very tempting to peer through it for possible options if one seeks for the best places to earn dividend income. These stocks pay some of the fastest-growing dividends. I say, it is the best time to take advantage of the immense possibilities in this sector. Do check these out.

    Health Insurance Leader

    With 13.6% of the market share in more »

  • 3 Managed Health Care Companies You Should Buy

    By Madhu Dube - May 6, 2013 | Tickers: AET, CI, WLP

    Managed health care is an industry which is the most vulnerable to government policies. Recently, the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services, also known as CMS, provided relief to this industry by announcing Medicare Advantage, or MA benchmark rates, for 2014, which will increase by 3.3%.

    The benchmark rate is the maximum monthly amount which a plan can receive from its member. Earlier in February, CMS announced that these rates more »

  • $10 Billion Fund Bullish on This ‘Fab Four’

    By Meena Krishnamsetty - April 27, 2013 | Tickers: MU, NTES, WFT, WLP

    Orbis Investment Management has a $10 billion 13F portfolio managed by William Gray. The firm invests in value stocks using contrarian ideals mixed with a fundamental analysis of each company, in combination with a top-down stock picking approach. Judging by the largest positions in the fund, we can see favorable economic trends first, company fundamentals second quite clearly. Orbis seems to follow a strategy of narrowing down certain sectors of more »

  • Is This Insurer a Sure Thing?

    By Marshall Hargrave - April 16, 2013 | Tickers: AFL, CI, PFG, WLP

    When looking for solid dividend-paying stocks, Aflac (NYSE: AFL) should be on every investors list. This Dividend Aristocrat also happens to be rather cheap. 

    The list of Dividend Aristocrats include companies that have raised their dividend payouts to shareholders every single year for at least a quarter-century -- this exclusive list only includes a few dozen stocks. Aflac upped its dividend payment by 6.1% in late 2012, marking the 30th more »

  • More Upside in Store for This Healthcare Insurance Provider

    By Nick Chiu - April 12, 2013 | Tickers: CI, HUM, UNH, WLP

    For investors seeking high revenue growth with an inexpensive free cash flow in the health insurance industry, Cigna is one of the top investment targets. Cigna (NYSE: CI), with a market cap of $18.46 billion, is a global health services company, providing medical, dental, disability, life, and accident insurance through its subsidiaries. Cigna continues to improve its bottom line. Unlike other health plan providers, Cigna's impact by Affordable more »

  • Why this health care insurance provider is due for more upside

    By Nick Chiu - April 7, 2013 | Tickers: CI, HUM, UNH, WLP

    Cigna (NYSE: CI), with a market cap of $18.46 billion, is a global health services company, providing medical, dental, disability, life and accident insurance through its subsidiaries. Cigna had been trading in the range of $39.01-$66.67 in the past 52 weeks.

    Improving Patience Access

    Cigna continues to improve patient access to health care by enhancing care coordination and aiming to achieve improved health, affordability and patient more »

  • Health Insurers Get a Shot in Arm, But the Boost Could Be Temporary

    By Diane Alter - April 3, 2013 | Tickers: HUM, UNH, WLP

    Medicare advantage health insurers got a shot in the arm after planned government cuts in payments were squashed. But the boost to shares could be temporary and is not a cure-all for what ails health insurers.

    The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) had originally proposed a 2.3% reduction in what the government pays to Medicare Advantage plans. In a stark about face, the CMS on April 1 more »

  • 4 Reasons to Be Optimistic About Healthcare

    By Adam Levy - March 14, 2013 | Tickers: CNC, ESRX, MOH, WLP | Editor's Choice

    In last month’s brief earnings call, Express Scripts (NASDAQ: ESRX) CEO George Paz happily announced a better than expected outlook for the 2013 fiscal year. The company provided guidance on 2013 earnings of $4.20-$4.30 per share, while analysts were expecting the extreme low-end of the guidance.

    Paz noted the company’s outlook is bolstered by the positive outlook of the healthcare industry as a whole based more »

  • This Managed Care Organization Is Available at a Bargain Price

    By Ted Cooper - March 13, 2013 | Tickers: AET, UNH, WLP

    Health care reform has caused investors to become anxious about the future of companies tied to the health care industry. These feelings of uncertainty are warranted given that nobody knows exactly what the industry will look like in five or 10 years. However, in some cases investors' worries are overdone, which has led to cheap companies looking to be scooped up by the enterprising investor.

    The future of managed care more »

  • Red Light, Green Light with Humana

    By Irving Harrison - March 3, 2013 | Tickers: HUM, UNH, WLP

    Investing should be simple. Red Light, Green Light is a simple children’s game. In this game, one person plays the "stop light" and the rest try to touch him/her. The stoplight faces away from a line of kids and says “green light.” At this point the kids are allowed to move towards the stoplight. At any point, the stoplight may say "red light!" and turn around. If any more »

  • Healthcare Stocks That Will Generate Strong Returns

    By Madhu Dube - February 23, 2013 | Tickers: SYK, UNH, WLP

    After the enforcement of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) or Obamacare, investors are boosting their positions in Healthcare stocks covering insurance providers, drug-makers and hospitals. PPACA aims at giving every US citizen health care insurance by 2014. Eventually, what that means is, it will also create new revenue streams for the Healthcare companies. I believe that the health-care sector will significantly grow due to the increase in more »

  • Profit or Loss from Obamacare: Insurers and You

    By Nate Wooley - February 20, 2013 | Tickers: AET, CI, UNH, WLP

    So elections have consequences. Any old political watcher (that's me, for those of you playing at home) knows that. It's even become a bit of a catchphrase in Washington over the last few years. And last year's election certainly will have consequences.

    One of the biggest consequences that last election day had is that it ensures that the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare as more »

  • Karen Finerman's Insider Purchases in Biotechnology and Healthcare

    By John Macris - February 19, 2013 | Tickers: GNC, HLF, XBI, WLP

    Institutional fund managers were required to file their Q4 2012 investment holdings with the SEC no later than Thursday, February 14. While the financial media has been persistent combing through the filings of billionaire investors Carl Icahn and Bill Ackman, I’ve dedicated my time to smaller fund managers such as Karen Finerman that offer more digestible investment advice for the retail investor.

    I'll offer my brief opinion on more »

  • The Real Duck Dynasty

    By Diane Alter - February 15, 2013 | Tickers: AFL, HUM, WLP

    Aflac (NYSE: AFL) shares slumped after reporting fourth quarter results that signaled slowing growth. But don't get your feathers ruffled--Aflac should keep investors happy as a duck in water.

    The supplemental health and life insurer, best recognized by its signature mascot (a pristine white duck), reported that Q4 revenue rose 6.6% to 6.4 billion and net earnings were $581 million, or $1.24 a share. That was more »

  • Growth Outlook for the Medicare Supplement Insurance Industry

    By Jesse Slome - February 12, 2013 | Tickers: AET, AFL, CI, HUM, UNH, WLP

    A new report compiled by CSG Actuarial for the American Association for Medicare Supplement Insurance (AAMSI) reveals that Medicare supplement insurance industry sales grew by nine percent in 2012.  "Total annualized new premium for the industry was approximately $3.1 billion," states Doug Feekin, ASA, MAAA, principal and consulting actuary for the Omaha-based actuarial firm that conducted the analysis.  "Total Medigap premium for the prior year was about $2.85 more »

  • Is This the Best Insurance Stock? An Insider Is Buying

    By Meena Krishnamsetty - February 10, 2013 | Tickers: AET, CI, HUM, UNH, WLP

    An executive vice president at Aetna (NYSE: AET), Karen Rohan, directly purchased just over 4,000 shares of the company’s stock on Feb. 6 at an average price of $49.53 per share according to a Form 4 filed with the SEC. Studies show that insider purchases tend to be bullish signals (read more about studies on insider trading). We think that this is because insiders face a strong more »

  • Finding Alpha in the Healthcare Space

    By Meena Krishnamsetty - February 6, 2013 | Tickers: MRK, ONXX, PFE, UNH, WLP

    I'm a big fan of healthcare stocks.  Everyone spends money on healthcare at some point in his or her life.  Sometimes circumstances are unfortunate, but there is good money to be made in the healthcare business.  This industry features healthcare insurers, drug manufacturers, retirement home operators, medical equipment manufacturers and more.  You can choose from low-beta insurers like UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), or you can get into some higher more »

  • Health Insurers Trapped by Need for Growth

    By Dana Blankenhorn - January 17, 2013 | Tickers: AET, UNH, WLP | Editor's Choice

    Editor's Note: WellPoint purchased Resolution Health, not Revolution Health. This version has been corrected.

    Health insurers are trapped by a need for growth. Without growth in insureds, in patient count, they can depend on shrinking margins and stock prices. So everyone is buying access to patients, and technology that can help them serve those patients for less, knowing that health reform is not going away.

    Under the Affordable Care more »

  • Insure Your Portfolio With This Company

    By Adam Levy - January 4, 2013 | Tickers: AFL, UNH, WLP

    Everybody knows the Aflac (NYSE: AFL) duck, right? The charming little guy that up until recently was voice by expert bird-voice actor Gilbert Gottfried. He’s responsible for the growing popularity of the company in the United States.

    What a lot of people don’t know is that the company does the vast majority of its business in Japan (where a cat joins the duck and they perform dances together more »

  • Is Your Portfolio Insured by This Company?

    By Ryan Guenette - January 2, 2013 | Tickers: AET, CVH, HUM, UNH, WLP

    A SWOT analysis is a look at a company’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, and is a great way to gain a detailed and thorough perspective on a company and its future. As 2012 year draws to a close, I would like to focus on a leader in the health insurance industry: UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH).

     

    Strengths:

    • Solid Revenue Growth: In 2006, UnitedHealth reported revenue of $71.7 billion more »
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