With the onset of the novel coronavirus, there’s a strong need for medical supplies and especially ventilators. This is because COVID-19 can lead to a type of viral pneumonia, causing inflammation in the lungs. And in turn, the need for ventilators are allowing certain stocks to benefit.
As Indiana University School of Medicine critical-care specialist William Graham Carlos explains, the “membranes that transfer oxygen from the air into the blood [can] become blocked.” Ventilators can be deployed to “supply higher levels of oxygen and also help push air into the lungs to open them up, and afford more opportunity to get oxygen into the patient.”
By mid-March, it became evident that the United States doesn’t have an adequate supply of ventilators. That’s where innovative companies can step in and fill the gap.
Right now could be a great time to invest in “ventilator stocks,” as America needs them badly. That said, here are three of them to consider buying and holding:
These are three very different companies, but they’re all helping to provide ventilators during this critical time. Consider researching these companies and buying their stock shares, as the need for ventilators could persist for a while.
Ventilator Stocks to Buy: Medtronic (MDT)
When it comes to responsiveness, few if any companies have been faster during the coronavirus crisis than Medtronic. On March 18, the company made a commitment to introduce “[a]dditional manufacturing shifts” in order to “bring the [ventilator manufacturing] plant to 24/7 operation.”
Medtronic also announced it had “over 250 employees dedicated to ventilator manufacturing and plans to more than double that number,” plus an expectation that the company would “be able to more than double its manufacturing capacity for ventilators.”
Then, near the end of March, Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) partnered up with Medtronic. The hybrid-electric vehicle manufacturer offered to allow Medtronic to use its gigantic New York production facility to produce ventilators. This could prove to be the most significant team-up of the year. And with a partnership of this magnitude, Medtronic stock is worth considering.
ResMed (RMD)
MatrixCare owner ResMed was already well-known for manufacturing ventilators, as well as sleep-apnea machines. That’s very fortunate because now ResMed can ramp up production to help meet the demand for ventilators.
Like Medtronic, ResMed has pledged to double its ventilator production because of the coronavirus. Chief executive Michael “Mick” Farrell explains that the company’s “primary focus is to maximize the availability of ResMed ventilators and other respiratory support devices for the patients that need them most.”
Also, when it comes to manufacturing speed, Farrell is supremely confident — saying, “We are good at that. We can scale that.” That’s the ambitious attitude we need today as the medical community demands swift, decisive action. ResMed shareholders can rest assured that this company is taking proactive measures to provide these vitally important machines.
Ford (F)
You probably think of Ford as an old automaker. However, Ford has really stepped up during the coronavirus outbreak. The company is partnering with General Electric (NYSE:GE) as they plan to produce 50,000 ventilators in 100 days.
In order to prioritize speed, the two companies will focus on producing the more “basic” ventilator models. Tom Westrick, the vice president and chief quality officer at GE Healthcare, stated that the basic ventilators are “well-suited to address the urgent needs during the COVID crisis.”
General Electric deserves some of the credit, of course. Ford’s responsiveness is certainly remarkable, though. “We are really excited and applaud Ford, how quickly it’s mobilized its manufacturing facilities to address the challenges we all face with COVID-19,” commented Westrick. Will this initiative provide shareholder value to owners of Ford stock? We can only hope so as companies that contribute to the cause deserve to be richly rewarded.
David Moadel has provided compelling content – and crossed the occasional line – on behalf of Crush the Street, Market Realist, TalkMarkets, Finom Group, Benzinga, and (of course) InvestorPlace.com. He also serves as the chief analyst and market researcher for Portfolio Wealth Global and hosts the popular financial YouTube channel Looking at the Markets. As of this writing, he did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities.
