Gilead Sciences Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD) is the third-most popular healthcare stock when measured by the number of hedge funds we track that own equity stakes in the company. The hedge fund positions in this stock decreased to 90 from 97, while the value of the aggregate investments of those funds shrunk by 15%, decreasing to $4.24 billion. Gilead’s shares have risen by more than 16% since the beginning of the year, hence, it seems that a few hedge funds decided to cash out some of their holdings. However, Gilead Sciences Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD)’s shares might continue their strong uptrend as the company remains the market leader in the production of HIV and hepatitis C treatments. The significant amount of operating cash the company has been able to generate further allows it to maintain its leading market share position by investing heavily in R&D. There are numerous hedge funds that remain bullish on Gilead Sciences Inc. (NASDAQ:GILD), including Bernard Selz’s Selz Capital and Matthew Iorio’s White Elm Capital.
Another attractive healthcare pick included in our list is Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE). The number of funds that hold equity stakes in this company dropping to 81 from 86. Despite the fact the number of hedge funds holding stakes in Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) decreased, the overall value of their investments in the company rose by nearly 17% to $5.47 billion. The stock has soared by 10% during the current year as the company’s financial performance has been quite strong lately. Moreover, Pfizer’s current debt-to-equity ratio equals 0.53 and remains below the industry average, suggesting that the company has been effective in managing its debt levels. A few funds, including Anders Hallberg and Carl Bennet’s Healthinvest Partners AB and Stuart Weisbrod’s Iguana Healthcare Management increased their equity holdings in Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) during the latest quarter.
Our list of top healthcare stocks is completed by Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited (NYSE:TEVA). During the last quarter, the total number of funds holding stakes in Teva increased to 77 from 67. At the same time, the value of the positions in the company increased to $4.01 billion from $3.8 billion. Just recently, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited (NYSE:TEVA) published some promising results from a phase IIB study on TEV-48125, which is developed for patients with chronic migraines. The company intends to push TEV-48125 into phase III, therefore, it is expected that the company will boost its revenues should the candidate be successful and brought to the market. Zach Schreiber’s Point State Capital increased its already sizable equity stake in Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Limited (NYSE:TEVA), its top pick, by a further 27% in the first quarter.
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