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The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights Abbott Laboratories, Johnson & Johnson, Stryker, Waste Management and Republic Services
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For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL – October 20, 2026 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: Abbott Laboratories (ABT - Free Report) , Johnson & Johnson (JNJ - Free Report) and Stryker (SYK - Free Report) and Waste Management (WM - Free Report) and Republic Services (RSG - Free Report)
Here are highlights from Monday’s Analyst Blog:
2 Industries Beyond AI with Long-Term Demand Drivers for 2027
Artificial intelligence (AI) has dominated Wall Street's investment arena in 2026, supported by substantial spending on data centers, advanced semiconductors, cloud computing and related infrastructure. Investors have focused on companies positioned to monetize AI adoption, while expectations of productivity gains and future revenue growth have helped sustain interest in the technology sector. However, elevated valuations, capital expenditure requirements and uncertainty over the pace of returns have also made diversification an important consideration.
As investors prepare for 2027, opportunities beyond AI deserve attention. Macroeconomic uncertainty, borrowing costs and changing consumer spending patterns could influence corporate earnings and equity valuations across industries. Against this backdrop, businesses serving essential needs may offer a different combination of demand visibility and long-term growth potential. Healthcare and waste management stand out because their underlying demand is linked to demographics, public health and routine commercial activity rather than the technology investment cycle alone.
Healthcare: Demographic Trends Support Long-Term Demand
Healthcare is supported by structural factors, including an aging population, ongoing medical needs and advances in diagnostics, medical devices and treatment. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projects that the U.S. population aged 65 and older will increase by approximately 15% from 2027 to 2036. It also expects federal spending on major healthcare programs to rise as enrollment and healthcare costs increase. These trends suggest a long-term demand foundation.
Investors can consider established companies such as Abbott Laboratories, Johnson & Johnson and Stryker. Abbott offers exposure to medical devices, diagnostics and nutritional products, while Johnson & Johnson operates across pharmaceuticals and medical technology. Stryker provides medical and surgical equipment, including products used in hospital procedures. The companies' diversified product portfolios and exposure to ongoing medical needs make them candidates for further research.
Nevertheless, healthcare is not immune to economic and policy risks. Pharmaceutical patent expirations, pricing pressures, regulatory changes, reimbursement constraints and research costs can affect profitability.
Waste management provides another way to diversify beyond AI. Residential communities, commercial establishments and industrial facilities require regular waste collection, processing and disposal. This creates a recurring demand base, while established operators may benefit from route density, long-term customer relationships, landfill assets and pricing power.
The need to maintain environmental services and modernize infrastructure also supports the industry's long-term relevance. For example, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that wastewater and stormwater infrastructure will require at least $630 billion in investment over 20 years. Although this estimate concerns water infrastructure rather than waste collection directly, it indicates the broader scale of investment needs across essential environmental services.
Waste Management and Republic Services are two established companies currently in focus. Both provide waste collection and environmental services and serve commercial and residential customers. Their established service networks and recurring business activity offer potential advantages, although returns depend on execution, pricing, costs and valuation.
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Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.
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The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights Abbott Laboratories, Johnson & Johnson, Stryker, Waste Management and Republic Services
For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL – October 20, 2026 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include: Abbott Laboratories (ABT - Free Report) , Johnson & Johnson (JNJ - Free Report) and Stryker (SYK - Free Report) and Waste Management (WM - Free Report) and Republic Services (RSG - Free Report)
Here are highlights from Monday’s Analyst Blog:
2 Industries Beyond AI with Long-Term Demand Drivers for 2027
Artificial intelligence (AI) has dominated Wall Street's investment arena in 2026, supported by substantial spending on data centers, advanced semiconductors, cloud computing and related infrastructure. Investors have focused on companies positioned to monetize AI adoption, while expectations of productivity gains and future revenue growth have helped sustain interest in the technology sector. However, elevated valuations, capital expenditure requirements and uncertainty over the pace of returns have also made diversification an important consideration.
As investors prepare for 2027, opportunities beyond AI deserve attention. Macroeconomic uncertainty, borrowing costs and changing consumer spending patterns could influence corporate earnings and equity valuations across industries. Against this backdrop, businesses serving essential needs may offer a different combination of demand visibility and long-term growth potential. Healthcare and waste management stand out because their underlying demand is linked to demographics, public health and routine commercial activity rather than the technology investment cycle alone.
Healthcare: Demographic Trends Support Long-Term Demand
Healthcare is supported by structural factors, including an aging population, ongoing medical needs and advances in diagnostics, medical devices and treatment. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projects that the U.S. population aged 65 and older will increase by approximately 15% from 2027 to 2036. It also expects federal spending on major healthcare programs to rise as enrollment and healthcare costs increase. These trends suggest a long-term demand foundation.
Investors can consider established companies such as Abbott Laboratories, Johnson & Johnson and Stryker. Abbott offers exposure to medical devices, diagnostics and nutritional products, while Johnson & Johnson operates across pharmaceuticals and medical technology. Stryker provides medical and surgical equipment, including products used in hospital procedures. The companies' diversified product portfolios and exposure to ongoing medical needs make them candidates for further research.
Nevertheless, healthcare is not immune to economic and policy risks. Pharmaceutical patent expirations, pricing pressures, regulatory changes, reimbursement constraints and research costs can affect profitability.
Waste Management: Essential Services Witness Recurring Demand
Waste management provides another way to diversify beyond AI. Residential communities, commercial establishments and industrial facilities require regular waste collection, processing and disposal. This creates a recurring demand base, while established operators may benefit from route density, long-term customer relationships, landfill assets and pricing power.
The need to maintain environmental services and modernize infrastructure also supports the industry's long-term relevance. For example, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency estimates that wastewater and stormwater infrastructure will require at least $630 billion in investment over 20 years. Although this estimate concerns water infrastructure rather than waste collection directly, it indicates the broader scale of investment needs across essential environmental services.
Waste Management and Republic Services are two established companies currently in focus. Both provide waste collection and environmental services and serve commercial and residential customers. Their established service networks and recurring business activity offer potential advantages, although returns depend on execution, pricing, costs and valuation.
Why Haven't You Looked at Zacks' Top Stocks?
Since 2000, our top stock-picking strategies have blown away the S&P's +7.7% average gain per year. Amazingly, they soared with average gains of +48.4%, +50.2% and +56.7% per year.
Today you can access their live picks without cost or obligation.
See Stocks Free >>
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Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Inherent in any investment is the potential for loss. This material is being provided for informational purposes only and nothing herein constitutes investment, legal, accounting or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell or hold a security. No recommendation or advice is being given as to whether any investment is suitable for a particular investor. It should not be assumed that any investments in securities, companies, sectors or markets identified and described were or will be profitable. All information is current as of the date of herein and is subject to change without notice. Any views or opinions expressed may not reflect those of the firm as a whole. Zacks Investment Research does not engage in investment banking, market making or asset management activities of any securities. These returns are from hypothetical portfolios consisting of stocks with Zacks Rank = 1 that were rebalanced monthly with zero transaction costs. These are not the returns of actual portfolios of stocks. The S&P 500 is an unmanaged index. Visit https://www.zacks.com/performance for information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.