Fifteen stocks for 2015, part 1 By Kirk Spano
Post# of 129
By Kirk Spano
Published: Jan 9, 2015 10:36 a.m. ET
On my list for the eighth year in a row is Exact Sciences EXAS, +1.99% This former speculative biotech which I bought in the near a dollar is not so speculative anymore, as they have gained an FDA approval and a favorable payment schedule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services of their screening test for colorectal cancer.
Exact has become an execution story and is likely to have plenty of upside surprises in the next couple of years while Wall Street catches on to this company that will help eradicate colon cancer. Exact has grown to be a large position for me, but I still add it for new clients, as well as regularly sell cash-secured puts near-the-money due to the high premiums. I believe the stock will be in the three figures within three or four years.
While I have been on Exact for a while, I had backed off of biotech in the past year due to valuations. One company in biotech that has gotten my attention after a recent selloff is Gilead Sciences GILD, -0.09% Gilead is a leader in every sense of the word. It has tremendous free cash flow and a robust product pipeline to offset the aging of its core franchises. This premier biotech will continue to create and sell some of the most important medicines on the planet. In addition, companies like Gilead, and Exact, play a role in helping control health care costs, which the government wants.
When buying these stocks, keep an eye on overall market volatility. Mr. Market has a knack for giving us occasional great times to buy. Take your time and scale in slowly to get prices around the low end of a price range.
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Kirk Spano, the winner of the MarketWatch competition to be the world’s next great investing columnist, is an investment adviser and founder of Bluemound Asset Management LLC in Elm Grove, Wis. Spano, who struck out on his own after working with other wealth management firms, began his career as an insurance agent for companies that included Bankers Life and Casualty and John Hancock. He was later an independent insurance agent and founded Wisquote Insurance Services LLC. Spano, a Wisconsin native, is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee, majoring in economics and political science.
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/fifteen-stoc...eid=yhoof2