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Investment Q&A

Not investment advice or solicitation to buy/sell securities. Do your own due diligence and/or consult an advisor.

Q: Sold long term income position JNJ due to concerns with law suits, Looking for a replacement in the same sector, already own GUD and MRK.

Considering ABBV, PFE or MDT, please provide your preference on these and if there is other recommendation for long term income hold.

Please provide a bit of rationale in your choice.

Thanks
Read Answer Asked by Steve on June 17, 2020
Q: Am needing to get more health exposure into my portfolio. So the question is with say 20 000 to invest, do you put it all into ZLV ETF or is there more growth potential by buying two or three quality stocks like JNJ, PFE and GILD.
Read Answer Asked by Dennis on April 20, 2020
Q: Hi 5i team,

I follow the DOW stocks a lot as they are a barometer on the market. They form the core of my portfolio and I add and trim around them. You mentioned in an earlier question that big caps are likely the quickest to recover. Earlier I lightened up on some high beta tech names and have some dry powder. On the Dow, which ones do you see as are the top 3-4 names having the potential for the strongest recovery over the next year or so. I manage my portfolio closely, so I am not concerned about sectors or weightings here. There are a lot of candidates and some have really been beaten up and others not so much. The financials have been beaten up, but I stay in Canada for those anyway, and I have no interest in the oils.

Thanks again for the insight on the DOW stocks. Thanks for your great work, as some days you are turning out answers faster than I can read them.

Dave
Read Answer Asked by Dave on March 31, 2020
Q: Hi 5i Team,
I bought Merck a few days ago aiming to balance my portfolio, yesterday the reaction of the market was negative , a 5% drop, after they reported earning combined with announcement of spinning off three divisions,.

Was the spin off is that negative?

What is your outlook of this company.

Thank you for your professional and helpful advice as always.
Read Answer Asked by Pui on February 10, 2020
Q: Hi. I'm continuing to transition from overweight CAD stocks to US equities. Could I have your preference (and rationale) for ONE each from the following four dyads:
US Telecom: VZ or T (i.e.,AT&T)
US Healthcare: ABT or MRK
US Real Estate: CCI or AMT
US Industrial: HON or UTX.
Thanks much!
Read Answer Asked by RANDALL on December 17, 2019
Q: Based on my portfolio review, I need to increase my pharmaceutical weighing. Although you do not follow US companies closely, could you give me your best recommendations for 3 US pharmaceutical Companies. My only holding at the moment is Pfizer. Could you give me your opinion on this company please?
Read Answer Asked by jacques on October 09, 2019
Q: I should increase both our health care and U.S. investments.I have been looking at the investments above.These would be in our TFSA so not too interested in dividends.
I would appreciate your thoughts.
Thanks in advance.
Read Answer Asked by James Robertson on August 16, 2019
Q: Hello. Can you point me in the direction of a few solid health sector, dividend paying stock options that would be suitable to hold within an RRSP? I’m looking at a five to eight year horizon and consider myself as a ‘low to moderate’ risk investor.
PS found recent ‘ How to Pick a Stock in 2018’ very helpful. Thanks!
Read Answer Asked by Heather on October 25, 2018
Q: Hi,
What are your thoughts on Merck as an investment, the company’s potential growth and risk? My interest started in Merck because of their immunotherapy drug... Keytruda. Keytruda has eliminated some of my mom’s melanoma tumors and shrinking cancer in two other areas of her body. Other melanoma patients are seeing positive results. Melanoma cannot be treated with chemo. This drug is now being tried on some liver cancers and was initially developed for some types of lung cancer. I really don’t know a lot about this company and would like your opinion.
Thanks,
Kerri
Read Answer Asked by KERRI on July 24, 2018
Q: Hello Folks:
Could you please give me your view on Merck and Company (which along with Smith- Kline) has had problems executing new drugs (eg. lung cancer medications) in their pipelines. I also have previously owned Gilead, whose new HIV drug was reduced in value because of government pricing restrictions. My other health care equities are Johnson and Johnson and Knight Therapeutics. Do you think there are better health industry options (with decent dividends and growth potential) in the U.S. other than companies such as Merck, Gilead etc. or should one look to another sector.
Thanks for everything
brian
Read Answer Asked by Brian on November 30, 2017
Q: Even after incorporating political risks, many health care stocks seem to have been punished more than seems justifiable. On Friday; minutes after the FBI said it is re-opening that email investigation , the health care sector sank even lower. The sudden stock price drop was in near-perfect correlation (McKesson, Novo Nordisk, Gild, CVS, Allergan and others were already down significantly year to date, yet all dropped sharply on the FBI news).

Granted, the damage to bio tech and pharma companies was self-inflicted. No one with a moral compass can dispute the fact that drug pricing abuses did happen (and perhaps still do). At current depressed stock prices, however, does it not now seem that many health care companies are being water-boarded indiscriminately? Is available info so nebulous that even traders or investing professionals don't feel confident. Are the unknown factors significant enough to depress stocks this much, though? Even after the already steep drops year to date? ( Sorry, I don't mean this preamble to turn this into a leading question).

QUESTION: Would you buy any Health Care stocks at current valuations (many show low PEG, high ROE)? This sector has been sliding down since 2015. Specifically, would you add to a position in Amgen or Merck , OR in the alternate, would you rather initiate a new position in a medical equipment maker? If the latter, which one please and why? Thank you.
Read Answer Asked by Adam on October 31, 2016
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