We recently compiled a list of the 10 Oversold Healthcare Stocks To Invest In. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Elevance Health, Inc. (NYSE:ELV) stands against the other oversold healthcare stocks.

The Promising Outlook for Healthcare Investments in 2024

Investing in healthcare stocks during lean economic times is generally regarded as defensive. This is because people typically do not cut back on their use of prescription medications or other essential healthcare services, even during difficult financial times. According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), national healthcare spending is projected to reach an estimated $4.8 trillion in 2023 and grow at an annual rate of 5.6% between 2027 and 2032.

In the US, the healthcare sector is flourishing. According to a recent estimate, the country’s healthcare spending increased by 7.5% in 2023, above the nominal GDP growth rate for the same year. A record 93.1% of Americans now have health insurance, which helped fuel last year’s sharp increase in healthcare spending. The United States’ national healthcare spending is expected to increase at an average rate of 5.6% between 2023 and 2032, above the 4.3% growth predicted for GDP.

Additionally, the industry is growing quickly on a global scale. According to recent McKinsey projections, healthcare profits would increase at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7% from $583 billion in 2022 to over $800 billion by 2027. Although labor shortages and rising inflation rates continued to put pressure on the business in 2023, a good risk-reward climate in the sector is expected to make 2024 a year of recovery. According to the American investment firm, the events of 2023 have produced an alluring opportunity for investors to engage in the healthcare industry.

Investments in AI within the healthcare sector have grown rapidly, outpacing the tech industry, with $2.8 billion invested in AI healthcare corporations in 2024, and over $11 billion expected by the end of the year. According to a Silicon Valley Bank report, one-quarter of healthcare spending now goes to AI-driven companies. Deloitte’s 2024 Global Health Care Sector Outlook highlights high investor confidence, with $31.5 billion in private equity funding between 2019 and 2022. AI is expected to save $360 billion in U.S. healthcare over the next five years by improving patient care, diagnosis, treatment, and medical administration.

Optimism in the healthcare industry is growing as 2024 goes on. Financial experts anticipate better earnings this year despite 2023’s poor performance. The healthcare industry has a “favorable risk-reward environment,” according to BlackRock’s 2024 prediction, which also notes that investors now have an appealing starting point because of last year’s poor performance. In view of this, we will take a look at oversold stocks from the healthcare sector.

Our Methodology 

For our methodology, we used a stock screener and selected healthcare stocks that had an RSI below 30, mid-market cap, and high institutional ownership. Then we ranked the stocks based on their total number of hedge fund holders as of Insider Monkey’s database of Q3 2024.

Why are we interested in the stocks that hedge funds pile into? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points (see more details here).

Elevance Health, Inc. (NYSE:ELV)

Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 67 

Elevance Health, Inc. (NYSE:ELV) is a leading health insurance provider in the U.S., offering health insurance plans and related services to individuals, employers, and government programs like Medicare and Medicaid. The company generates revenue by collecting premiums and managing healthcare costs through its provider network, serving approximately 117 million people across various health plans and services. ELV tops our list of the best oversold stocks in the healthcare sector.

Despite challenges in Q3 2024, Elevance Health, Inc. (NYSE: ELV) reported strong financial fundamentals, with total operating revenue of $44.7 billion (up 5% year-over-year) and adjusted diluted earnings per share of $8.37. However, the company faced elevated medical costs in its Medicaid business, leading to a revised full-year 2024 outlook of approximately $33 adjusted diluted EPS. Looking ahead, the company expects strong revenue growth in 2025, projecting high single-digit percentage increases and at least 12% annual growth in adjusted diluted EPS. The company is expanding strategically with plans to enter three new states for individual exchange offerings, acquire Kroger Specialty Pharmacy, and expand its individual and family ACA plans in Florida, Maryland, and Texas.

On October 1, Elevance announced its 2025 Medicare Advantage Plans, offering flexible options with personalized benefits to nearly 40.3 million eligible consumers in 23 states. The company’s affiliated health plans currently serve 2.9 million Medicare members, and in 2025, Elevance aims to provide personalized care beyond healthcare.

Artisan Partners’ Artisan Select Equity Fund stated the following regarding Elevance Health, Inc. (NYSE:ELV) in its Q2 2024 investor letter:

“The top contributors to performance for the quarter were Alphabet, Lam Research, and Elevance Health, Inc. (NYSE:ELV). Elevance shares rose 5% during the quarter. The business has been performing well and has delivered good profit growth this year, despite a flat top line. It has largely navigated the challenges related to Medicaid redeterminations, which have caused temporary volatility in membership and healthcare utilization levels. Its vertical integration strategy is gaining traction, with strong revenue and profit growth at its Carelon Services business. Elevance’s shares are trading at 13X earnings, which is a very attractive investment proposition for a durable business that expects long-term earnings growth of over 12%.”

Overall ELV ranks 1st on our list of the oversold healthcare stocks to invest in. While we acknowledge the potential of ELV as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns, and doing so within a shorter timeframe. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than ELV but that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.

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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.