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The Zacks Analyst Blog Highlights: Eli Lilly, DexCom, ViewRay, Chemed and Sage Therapeutics

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For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL – April 22, 2020 – 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: Eli Lilly and Co. (LLY - Free Report) , DexCom Inc. (DXCM - Free Report) , ViewRay Inc. , Chemed Corp. (CHE - Free Report) and Sage Therapeutics Inc. (SAGE - Free Report) .

Here are highlights from Tuesday’s Analyst Blog:

Buy 5 Top Healthcare Stocks Ahead of Q1 Earnings

First-quarter 2020 earnings results have started with disappointment reflecting the significant dent in corporate profits left by the outbreak of the coronavirus. Global economic activities came almost to a standstill in March as either partial or full lockdowns were imposed to curb the spread of the deadly virus.

However, one sector that witnessed heightening activities despite economic disaster is health care. Since coronavirus is an unprecedented health hazard, which is leaving devastating effects on the global economy, governments across the world are encouraging health care firms to speed up research and development activities for a vaccine or line of treatment.

First Quarter at a Glance

Several disappointing numbers including job data, industrial production, retail sales, manufacturing activities, home building and consumer confidence, revealed how badly the U.S. economy was hurt in the first quarter due to lockdowns, both domestic and international.

While the economy is witnessing a bloodbath, medical services is an obvious exception. The whole world has pinned hopes on pharmaceutical and biotech companies to create drugs and vaccines to help combat COVID-19. The coronavirus pandemic has almost crippled the global economy.

Our Top Picks

We have narrowed down our search to five health care stocks. Each of these stocks has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and a positive Earnings ESP. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Our research shows that for stocks with the combination of a Zacks Rank #3 or better and a positive Earnings ESP, the chance of an earnings beat is as high as 70%. These stocks are expected to soar after earnings release. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

The chart below shows the price performance of our five picks in the last quarter.

Eli Lilly and Co. discovers, develops, manufactures, and markets pharmaceutical products worldwide. It offers endocrinology products for diabetes; osteoporosis in postmenopausal women and men and human growth hormone deficiency and paediatric growth conditions. The company has an Earnings ESP of +1.67%.

Eli Lilly has an expected earnings growth rate of 12.1% for the current year. It has a trailing four-quarter positive earnings surprise of 5.2%, on average. The company is set to release earnings results on Apr 23, before the opening bell.

DexCom Inc. is a medical device company which focuses on the design, development, and commercialization of continuous glucose monitoring systems in the United States and internationally. It offers its systems to people with diabetes and healthcare service providers. The company has an Earnings ESP of +143.90%.

DexCom has an expected earnings growth rate of 19% for the current year. It has a trailing four-quarter positive earnings surprise of 128.3%, on average. The company is set to release earnings results on Apr 28, after the closing bell.

ViewRay Inc. designs, manufactures and markets radiation therapy systems. It offers MRIdian, a magnetic resonance image-guided radiation therapy system to image and treat cancer patients. The company has an Earnings ESP of +10%. ViewRay has an expected earnings growth rate of 29.7% for the current year. The company is set to release earnings results on Apr 30, after the closing bell.

Chemed Corp. provides hospice and palliative care services to patients through a network of physicians, registered nurses, home health aides, social workers, clergy and volunteers in the United States. It operates through two segments, VITAS and Roto-Rooter. The company has an Earnings ESP of +1.78%.

Chemed has an expected earnings growth rate of 17.1% for the current year. It has a trailing four-quarter positive earnings surprise of 3.4%, on average. The company is set to release earnings results on May 4, after the closing bell.

Sage Therapeutics Inc. is a biopharmaceutical company developing and commercializing medicines to treat life-threatening central nervous system disorders. The company has an Earnings ESP of +1.67%.

Sage Therapeutics has an expected earnings growth rate of 14.4% for the current year. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for the current year earnings has improved 11.6% over the last 30 days. It has a trailing four-quarter positive earnings surprise of 0.8%, on average. The company is set to release earnings results on May 7, after the closing bell.

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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 http://www.zacks.com/performancefor information about the performance numbers displayed in this press release.

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