3 Healthcare Stocks I'd Buy Right Now - Motley Fool

You might have noticed that healthcare stocks, in general, aren't performing all that well so far in 2019. The Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund (NYSEMKT: XLV), which tracks the performance of the S&P 500 stocks in that sector, is lagging far behind the broader market indices this year.

But I think this underperformance will only be temporary. Quite a few healthcare stocks look like great buys right now. Three that rank near the top of the list in my view are Illumina (NASDAQ:ILMN), Teladoc Health (NYSE:TDOC), and Vertex Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:VRTX). Here's what makes them stand out.

Image source: Getty Images.

1. Illumina

Some might look at Illumina's slowing growth rate in the first quarter and conclude the genomic sequencing pioneer is running out of steam. My take is that it's simply catching its breath before its next wave of growth.

Management expects revenue growth of close to 14% and adjusted earning per share (EPS) growth of nearly 17% in 2019. The catch is that much of that growth will come in the last half of the year as several big population genomics efforts crank up. In addition, its customers tend to purchase more as their fiscal years wind down. 

More important, Illumina should profit from several long-term growth opportunities. Consumer genomics products like the ones offered by Ancestry and 23andMe -- both of which are Illumina customers -- started out focused solely on genealogy, and were primarily targeted toward the U.S. market. That's changing, though: They now put more emphasis on health-related genetic attributes, and are taking a greater interest in international sales.

Population genomics efforts that involve genomic sequencing of hundreds of thousands of people are gaining momentum across the world. There's also a greater focus on genetic research into rare and undiagnosed diseases than ever before.

Perhaps the most significant opportunities for Illumina, however, are in cancer research and treatment. The promise of liquid biopsies -- blood tests for detecting cancer -- is tremendous. The emergence of personalized medicine tailored to individuals' genetic profiles, particularly in treating cancer, offers yet another huge potential growth market for Illumina. 

2. Teladoc Health

Teladoc Health's growth isn't slowing down at all. The virtual healthcare services provider delivered 43% year-over-year revenue gains in the first quarter, with a big rise in membership and higher utilization of its services.

Management thinks the rest of the year will look really good as well, and projects revenue growth of 37% for 2019. And while Teladoc Health isn't profitable yet, that's mainly because it continues to invest heavily in expanding its business.

There's already been plenty of expansion. Through a string of acquisitions, Teladoc now has operations across the world, and ranks as the global leader in virtual care. Its client base includes 40% of the Fortune 500, plus thousands of smaller organizations. 

Teladoc Health appears poised for significant growth as aging populations globally drive demand for healthcare services higher. Telemedicine offers a less-expensive way to provide some of those services. Teladoc's industry leadership and its broad array of services should give it a solid competitive advantage in capitalizing on this opportunity.

3. Vertex Pharmaceuticals

I have maintained in the past that Vertex Pharmaceuticals is the best biotech stock on the market. I still think that's true. Why? Let me count the ways.

Vertex basically holds a monopoly on treatments of the underlying cause of cystic fibrosis (CF). It currently has three approved drugs on the market that together are being taken by around 18,000 patients. But there are 39,000 patients worldwide who could benefit from Vertex's current drugs, giving the company a big opportunity. Once Vertex wins approvals for treating younger patients, it expects its addressable patient population will grow to around 44,000.

But Vertex will soon file for approval of a triple-drug combo for CF that would boost the number of target patients to 68,000. I fully expect that the FDA will approve this new therapy next year, paving the way for Vertex's sales to explode. 

And there's more. Vertex teamed up with CRISPR Therapeutics (NASDAQ: CRSP) to develop a gene-editing therapy targeting the rare blood disease beta-thalassemia, as well as sickle cell disease. It has a promising pain drug that should advance to late-stage clinical testing in the not-too-distant future. And it's also leveraging its expertise in CF to develop drugs for other rare genetic diseases including alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) deficiency. 

What they have in common

These three companies have two important things in common other than that they're in the healthcare sector. 

First, they all enjoy strong moats. Illumina, Teladoc Health, and Vertex are leaders in their respective niches. None of their competitors claim anywhere close to the market share that these companies have.

Second, each one has multiple paths for growth. Illumina can look forward to genomic sequencing opportunities in several markets. Teladoc continues to expand the types of virtual services that it offers. Vertex is branching out beyond CF.

Like any stock, these three face some risks. But I like the growth prospects for Illumina, Teladoc, and Vertex, and I like their business models. Not only would I buy these healthcare stocks right now, I already own all three of them, and I expect they'll continue to be winners over the long term.

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https://www.fool.com/investing/2019/06/09/3-healthcare-stocks-id-buy-right-now.aspx

2019-06-09 16:15:00Z
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Man allegedly tries to sneak e-cigarette on plane, sets off smoke alarm in bathroom - Fox News

A passenger on an airplane found out the hard way that e-cigarettes can still set off smoke alarms.

The man reportedly triggered the smoke detector on a Spirit Airlines flight while trying to use his e-cigarette in the plane’s bathroom. He had reportedly been caught trying to use the device in the main cabin only moments before.

The passenger was reportedly caught trying to use the device in his seat and exhale into a bag. (The passenger was reportedly caught trying to use the device in his seat and exhale into a bag.)

The incident occurred on a flight from Detroit to New Orleans, Fox 12 reports. According to an attendant on the flight, the passenger used the e-cigarette in his seat and attempted to exhale into a bag. She confronted the man and told him he was not allowed to use the device on the plane.

A few moments later, he reportedly got up and went into the plane’s bathroom. While he was still in the lavatory, the plane’s smoke alarm activated.

YET ANOTHER SPIRIT AIRLINES FLIGHT TURNS BACK OVER AWFUL ODOR: 'LIKE WET SOCKS'

It is possible to set off a smoke detector with an e-cigarette in certain circumstances. (iStock)

E-cigarettes and other similar devices are unlikely to trigger a smoke alarm but can activate one if the vapor is blown into it, especially in a small, enclosed space like an airplane bathroom.

The pilot was forced to descend to 35,000 feet to deactivate the alarm, NOLA.com reports. When the plane landed at Louis Armstrong International Airport, a deputy sheriff was waiting. According to him, the passenger smelled of alcohol and appeared to be intoxicated. Another passenger on the flight claimed that the man had been sneaking drinks from “several bottles of alcohol” that he had been “hiding under his jacket.”

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The passenger was not arrested when the plane landed, FOX 12 reports. He reportedly denied smoking in the bathroom and claimed that he was unaware that it wasn't allowed on planes. Spirit Airlines apparently had a harsher response, however, and banned him from the airline for life.

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Spirit Airlines did not immediately respond to Fox News’ request for comment.

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2019-06-09 14:57:38Z
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3 reasons real estate is a lousy retirement investment: location, location, location - USA TODAY

Ken Fisher Special to USA TODAY

Published 7:02 AM EDT Jun 9, 2019

On April 5th, USA TODAY reporter Paul Davidson wrote a piece on the big gains folks reaped buying starter homes as housing markets rebounded from the long 2006-2011 housing crash.

Buying in low-cost suburbs, folks could upgrade to larger “forever” homes in just several years. They used starter-home gains to fund bigger down payments. It was a great financial win for young families. It also supports one of the most controversial things I’ve ever said here: Owning a home is wonderful, but don’t bank on real estate as your chief retirement investment.

People looking to real estate today for retirement riches often point to those big post-crisis gains. Trouble is, you can’t buy past performance. And the recent past probably isn’t a blueprint for the next 10, 20, 30 years or more.

After the housing bubble popped in 2006, prices tanked for five years, bottoming in 2011. Returns since that time are a near-perfect V-shaped recovery — a point that a chart in Paul Davidson’s story shows. As a general but not perfect rule, what gets hammered the hardest on the way down rebounds the strongest. Starter homes were punished most in the crash. So they rallied most in the recovery. But this bounce effect has largely matured. 

Moving  up: How to take the stress out of selling your house and buying another home

Farm crisis? Low prices, floods and trade wars plague American farmers, putting their survival at risk

Like all assets, home prices move on supply and demand. The key to both? Location, location, location. The housing market isn’t uniform nationally or even within the same city. Anyone looking to hop onto San Francisco’s property ladder or other coastal hotspot knows this. Coloradoans may have scored entry-level homes for roughly $200,000 in 2012, but no such luck for would-be first-time homebuyers in Californian metropolises or New York. The cost of Silicon Valley starter homes can come close to $2 million, depending on style and neighborhood. That’s your first clue real estate is a geographically fragmented game. 

Even where it’s cheaper to buy, eye-popping gains aren’t guaranteed. If you buy where new construction is limited and job opportunities are humming, keeping supply low relative to demand, you may do very well. But what if you buy where construction eventually outpaces job creation and population growth? What if a city is focused on one or two industries, and what if they fall from favor and fizzle? What happens to San Jose prices if tech crashes and burns? What of Houston when the energy industry hits the skids? What if your neighborhood school system takes a perceived quality dive relative to nearby communities?

Counting on real estate for your retirement nest egg is a very long-term bet on weak real estate development plus good economic fortune — both in one location. You’re betting your town will attract people with good jobs and maintain schools long-term—and that politicians will limit new development. You’re betting some hot new suburb won’t steal your hamlet’s thunder. 

Instead, if you see a home purchase as merely guaranteeing a roof over your head and protecting against rising rents, things look different. You don’t shun a neighborhood because more housing construction might constrain property values. If all the jobs move, you can too, even if that means having to rent for a few years. You needn’t stress about timing your purchase just right or not picking the highest-flying neighborhood. You can simply go where you and your family feel most at home —whether it's a green suburban neighborhood or a hip, hot urban townhouse.  

Homes are great. Banking on them for retirement income isn’t. 

Ken Fisher is founder and executive chairman of Fisher Investments, author of 11 books, four of which were New York Times bestsellers, and is No. 200 on the Forbes 400 list of richest Americans. Follow him on Twitter: @KennethLFisher

The views and opinions expressed in this column are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect those of USA TODAY.

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https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2019/06/09/retirement-savings-shouldnt-depend-real-estate-profits/1359794001/

2019-06-09 11:02:00Z
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Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos have profound visions for humanity's future in space. Here's how the billionaires' goals compare. - Business Insider

Elon Musk (left) and Jeff Bezos.Lambert/ullstein bild/Getty Images; Alex Wong/Getty Images; Blue Origin; Samantha Lee/Business Insider

• Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos have each spoken at length about their visions for humanity's future in space.
• Musk, the founder of SpaceX, wants to launch people to Mars, establish a self-sustaining city there, and use the red planet as a base from which to further explore the solar system.
• Bezos, meanwhile, talks of using his rocket company, Blue Origin, to put a permanent base on the moon, build up huge space colonies, and eventually have 1 trillion people living and working in space.
• Although these visions are different, they have strong similarities, too.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Space is a big place, one rich with resources and adventure for the taking. So if you're the imaginative type, leaving Earth offers near-limitless opportunities for humanity's expansion.

Of all the people weighing in on how we'll get to space, what we'll do there, and on what timeline, the voices of two billionaires — Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos — ring the loudest and most often.

Musk, the tech mogul behind Tesla and the founder of SpaceX (a now-$33-billion rocket company), wants to establish a permanent, self-sustaining city on Mars.

Meanwhile, Bezos — the founder and CEO of Amazon — has his own space company, Blue Origin. Its work so far focuses on building a "road to space" with new rockets that could ultimately pave the way for floating colonies.

These two grandiose dreams are markedly different, and their owners occasionally spar about the details. But it's not inconceivable that their two companies will one day work together in space.

Here's what Musk and Bezos have said of their ambitious visions, and how they're different yet also surprisingly similar.

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https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-jeff-bezos-space-mars-colonies-spacex-blue-origin-2019-6

2019-06-09 09:22:00Z
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Huawei not to be banned in Brazil: vice president - CGTN

Chinese telecom company Huawei will not be banned from operating a fifth-generation (5G) mobile telecoms network in Brazil, Vice President Hamilton Mourao has said.

In an interview published Friday by daily Valor Economico, Brazil's largest financial newspaper, Mourao said the idea of banning Huawei is not being considered by his administration.

"No, not here, not in our government ... We are a country in need of being more digitally integrated. You leave Brasilia, get 50 kilometers away and already there is no cell phone signal," he said.

Mourao confirmed that President Jair Bolsonaro was asked by U.S. President Donald Trump to reject Huawei technology in the development of new mobile phone networks during his visit to the United States in March.

Washington declared last month a national emergency over what it claimed is technological threats, and announced restrictions on the sale and transfer of American technologies to Huawei.

The U.S. government has not produced any hard evidence to support its accusation that Huawei is able to use its network equipment to spy on foreign nations for the Chinese government.

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2019-06-09 04:48:27Z
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3 Top Energy Stocks to Buy Right Now - Motley Fool

Today's great find in the energy space could be tomorrow's folly. With energy prices constantly shifting -- and the energy landscape itself in flux -- it's tough to know what's going to outperform among energy stocks. 

With that in mind, we approached three of our Motley Fool contributors and asked what energy stocks they think are worth buying right now for investors who don't mind a bit of risk in their portfolio. They chose Tellurian (NASDAQ:TELL), TPI Composites (NASDAQ:TPIC), and Occidental Petroleum (NYSE:OXY). Here's why, despite the risks, they think these stocks could be great investments. 

Some energy industry stocks are riskier than others. Image source: Getty Images.

Loads of potential if things go according to plan

Tyler Crowe (Tellurian): 2019 is going to be the year where we figure out if Tellurian will live up to its promise of being an incredible investment opportunity. The company wants to build a massive liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facility on the U.S. Gulf Coast. It all comes down to some decisions this year that will determine how well investors will do with this still speculative stock.

The fundamental idea for how Tellurian will make money is certainly there. Natural gas production across the U.S. is projected to grow considerably and the price of U.S. gas is well below benchmark prices around the world. In certain shale basins like the Permian Basin, natural gas production far outstrips pipeline and processing capacity to the point that some producers will pay to have it taken away instead of flaring it at the wellhead. With cheap, abundant gas, LNG exporters have an opportunity to make a killing. Tellurian estimates at today's gas prices in the U.S. and abroad, it will generate about $8.55 per share in annual cash flow -- more than what the stock trades for today. 

Tellurian has already received all the permits it needs from regulatory bodies and is now looking to lock down some commercial partners to help pay for the construction of the facility. The company expects to make a final investment decision later this year. There will still be loads of challenges for Tellurian on the way that could make this stock look much less appealing, but if things go according to plan, then investors could be looking at a multibagger.

A high-risk chance to own 25% of the wind market

Rich Smith (TPI Composites): I'm going to admit right at the outset: I'm more than a little bit nervous making this call today. That being said, I'm still going to go out on a limb and recommend wind turbine blade maker TPI Composites as a top energy stock to buy right now -- with "right now" defined as "before 2020."

Why am I nervous, and why might this still be the right call to make? Consider TPI's last quarterly report, which my Fool.com colleague Neha Chemaria ran down for us earlier in May. Sales grew 18% in Q1 2019, and billings were up 25%, indicating continued strong growth in demand for wind power. Management predicted that TPI will double its revenue to $2 billion annually by 2021, and could command as much as 25% market share in turbine blades.

Yet at the same time, a combination of materials shortages, labor strikes in Mexico, and a bankrupt customer caused TPI to miss estimates badly in Q1, leading it to report a $0.35-per-share loss -- and reverse a promised fiscal 2019 profit to predict instead as much as a $0.09-per-share loss.

So where's the opportunity in all this? 2019 is shaping up to be another lousy year for TPI, and the stock's price -- down 18% over the past year to $22 a share -- reflects that. Next year, however, analysts predict TPI will rebound to earn $2.20 per share, which at current prices works out to a P/E ratio of 10. For a stock pegged for a 35% annual growth rate over the next five years, that appears to be a very cheap price.

If, that is, the profits return next year as promised.

Worth a look after a beatdown

John Bromels (Occidental Petroleum): Sometimes it just doesn't seem like the right time to buy a company. And just after a company executed a major deal that left investors and analysts scratching their heads asking, "What were they thinking?" is probably one of those occasions. But in keeping with these higher-risk picks, now might be the time to grab a few shares of Occidental Petroleum. 

Occidental just fended off Chevron in a bidding war to purchase Anadarko Petroleum (NYSE:APC), but it may have been a pyrrhic victory. While Chevron was offering $62 per share for Anadarko -- already a premium to Anadarko's then-price of less than $50 a share -- Occidental came in with a $76-per-share bid, which a lot of people think was too steep a price. In order to make that bid, Occidental had to secure financing from Warren Buffett, and it didn't come cheap. 

Occidental's share price has taken a 25% haircut since April as all this has played out, and investors have signaled they aren't pleased with the deal. But that pummeling has knocked its valuation to just 9.3 times earnings, a 10-year low. It's also boosted its dividend yield to a juicy 6.3%. At this price, Occidental is certainly worth considering.

And it's not like Occidental got nothing in the deal. Anadarko is one of the biggest Permian Basin producers, and with several midstream players working hard on pipelines and export terminals to get Permian oil and gas to market, that big Permian position could pay big dividends for investors who buy in now. But I'll reiterate that this isn't a slam dunk and there's a lot of risk if -- for example -- oil prices enter another sustained slump or promised Permian infrastructure doesn't materialize as planned. 

But right now, even though it looks like it overpaid for Anadarko, Occidental Petroleum may itself be oversold.

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https://www.fool.com/investing/2019/06/08/3-top-energy-stocks-to-buy-right-now.aspx

2019-06-08 16:15:00Z
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$530M winning Mega Millions ticket sold in San Diego - fox5sandiego.com

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1. $530M winning Mega Millions ticket sold in San Diego  fox5sandiego.com
2. Single ticket wins a $530 million jackpot  CNN
3. Single ticket claims $530 million Mega Millions jackpot  ABC News
4. Mega Millions results for 06/07/19; 1 winner sold for $530M jackpot  lehighvalleylive.com
5. Ready for the $530 million Mega Millions jackpot? Don't make these 6 mistakes if you win  CNBC
6. View full coverage on Google News

https://fox5sandiego.com/2019/06/08/530m-winning-mega-millions-ticket-sold-in-san-diego/

2019-06-08 13:57:00Z
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