Stockchase Opinions

Lorne Steinberg Smith & Nephew PLC SNN-N TOP PICK Aug 25, 2022

UK-based company. Hip and knee replacement. Huge long-term growth area. Medical devices are easier than pharma to get approval to come to market. Surgeries put on hold from Covid, huge backlog. 15x earnings, double-digit grower for years to come starting in 2023. Yield is 2.35%. (Analysts’ price target is $36.13)
$24.485

Stock price when the opinion was issued

biotechnology pharmaceutical
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COMMENT
Have turned the business around and are starting to grow. Not a lot of debt, ROC is more than 10%. Dividend not growing a lot. He owns Stryker instead. Middle of the road in its sector. Not a leader.
HOLD
They're a UK medical technology company, 75% in hips and knees. They had hiccups a year ago in their wound management business, but have subsided. He has owned this. He doesn't own it now, because the options market isn't very liquid in the U.S. Also, Stryker is the leader in robotics, and SNN is only second or third, launching in 2021. SNN has similar growth to Stryker. Good to hold.
COMMENT

US Healthcare For knee replacements and implants he likes SNN-N. He does not prefer the ETFs, such as XLV-N, because they hold too broad of an array of companies, including the big drug companies that are under pressure. He would focus on the tool and device space instead.

TOP PICK
A UK company. They make minimally invasive surgical equipment. Hip and joint surgeries were cancelled/postponed during Covid which hurt SN's sales, but there's a huge backlog. This will bounce back after Covid. (Analysts’ price target is $41.33)
WEAK BUY

He owns Stryker instead. But SNN enjoys a demographic tailwind as Boomers age. Demand will continue to grow.

TOP PICK

Global leader in hip and knee replacement, also wound management. Great secular growth story. Earnings weak last couple of years. Demographic and pickleball play. Lowest valuation in 50 years, 14x PE, 12x next year's PE. Revenues re-accelerating. Earnings and margins growing. Yield is 3.7%.

Cheaper than SYK, and probably more narrowly focused.

(Analysts’ price target is $31.30)
COMMENT

It is a UK medical tool company. It is a reasonable company but you have to buy it when it works and when it's on sale. There are better opportunities.

BUY

They make equipment for hip and knee replacements, which is a great place to be. An activist has taken a position here, pushing to break up the company for its underlying value.

TOP PICK

Demand continues to grow quite nicely. Competes with SYK (a slightly better business, though at 29x PE), and grows at similar rates. Trades at 13x PE for 10% EPS growth. Likes the risk/reward. Yield is 2.2%.

(Analysts’ price target is $29.21)