The Panic-Proof Portfolio (Stockchase Research)Astrazeneca P L CAZNTOP PICKFeb 06, 2025

Is up 30% in the past 12 months, 6% this year, and will likely reach its ambitious long-term targets rolled out in 2024. Their oncology business is booming.

Very advanced pipeline will add significant revenue. Good story still intact.

The chart has a gentle uptrend since 2022, and had a breakout the past year. It could pullback slightly to $85, the 2024 high. As long as it doesn't fall below that, he'd probably hold it.

Likes it. Their cancer drug franchise turned out to be a lot stronger than he expected. Has a better portfolio than Abbvie.

Are best in class innovators in pharma drugs. A good performer in the past year. They aim $80 billion revenue by 2030 or 7% annual growth. Their drug pipeline looks positive, given good trial data. Still likes it.

Has broad platform of diseases they treat. Trades around 15x PE and pays a 2% dividend yield. Shares are still snapping back from some news in China last year, so there's more room to recover.

Abbvie and AZN are two good healthcare stocks, a sector in which you must be picky because of weakness. Both trade around 15x and pay around a 3% dividend yield.

In oncology, but he isn't deeply familiar with its product pipeline. He can say, with quite a bit of confidence, that they've been improving on fundamentals since around 2017-18. ROC marched up from 6% to 13%, very consistent. Pretty good valuation at 13x EV/EBITDA. Well run.

He doesn't get too hung up on a weak couple of years. If the fundamentals are there, you just have to wait it out.

Likes the pipeline. A number of candidates to seek approval in the next couple of years, which will be a catalyst for earnings going forward. Fairly productive R&D engine. Also growth through tuck-in acquisitions. Relatively attractively priced given current growth outlook. Going to be second-fastest growing drug stock in Europe behind NVO. Yield is 3.06%.

Chart did fine for a while, but then employees in China were under investigation. Results on one drug were interpreted very negatively. Phase 3 trials this year provide a lot of potential catalysts. Great suite of offerings. Not expensive.

Big breakthroughs in cancer. One drug failed recently. We're in the midst of a malaise of selling and going to cash. Great story.

They rallied last summer, then faced headwinds last fall when a cancer drug failed to perform in trials and there was an investigation in their large Chinese business. Both problems are clearing now. They have a drug pipeline that should become a great growth story. Trades at 15x PE.