Investment Q&A

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

Q: Hello 5i team,
Any thought on why Merck is going down?
also is the 3.5% position of GS concerning only the equity portfolio or equity plus fixed + ETF's and cash.
thanx,
stanley

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.

Q: Of course, most all have dropped but - would appreciate your financial & expertize on these 3 US healthcare related stocks. Thank you.