Zimmer Biomet Grows On Strong Emerging Market, Innovation

On Mar 11, we issued an updated research report on Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:ZBH) . The company continues to witness strength in the Asia Pacific (APAC), Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) regions. However, pricing persists to be a major concern. The stock currently holds a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

Zimmer Biomet registered improved performance across all of the geographies and most of the operating segments in the fourth quarter of 2019. It is also executing well within its priority areas like quality remediation, supply recovery efforts and product launches.

In terms of product launch, the unveiling of Revision system, ROSA robotics Knee, mymobility digital health platform, Avenir are among major achievements. The company put up a strong performance in the fourth quarter with better-than-expected results.

Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc. Price

Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc. Price

Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc. price | Zimmer Biomet Holdings, Inc. Quote

The company is also performing well in its priority areas like quality remediation, supply recovery efforts and product introductions. With respect to quality remediation, it made a good progress in the third quarter.

Of late, Zimmer Biomet is seen to solidify its foothold in the emerging markets offering long-term opportunities. The company’s strategic investments in these zones over the last several quarters to improve its operational and sales performance are yielding results. It expects consistent growth in the APAC and EMEA markets this year.

The company should benefit from favorable long-term trends, driven by obesity, wear and tear of joints from more active lifestyles, uptick in the emerging markets, new material technologies, advancements in the surgical techniques and proven clinical benefits of joint replacement procedures.

However, declining Spine & CMF revenues are a major concern for the company. Rising expenses are also denting its adjusted operating margin. Adverse currency movement is another headwind trailing the company. The presence of a large number of players, particularly in the orthopedic industry, has made the medical devices market intensely competitive.

Shares of this leading musculoskeletal healthcare company have underperformed its industry over the past six months. The stock has declined 20.4% compared with the 10.6% fall of the industry.

Key Picks

Some other top-ranked stocks from the broader medical space are ResMed Inc. (NYSE:RMD) , Medtronic plc (NYSE:MDT) and Hill-Rom Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:HRC) .

ResMed has a projected long-term earnings growth rate of 14.5%. It currently carries a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Medtronic’s long-term earnings growth rate is estimated at 7.4%. The company presently carries a Zacks Rank #2.

Hill-Rom’s long-term earnings growth rate is estimated at 11.1%. It currently carries a Zacks Rank #2.

The Hottest Tech Mega-Trend of All

Last year, it generated $24 billion in global revenues. By 2020, it's predicted to blast through the roof to $77.6 billion. Famed investor Mark Cuban says it will produce "the world's first trillionaires," but that should still leave plenty of money for regular investors who make the right trades early.

See Zacks' 3 Best Stocks to Play This Trend >>