Health stocks and insurers in particular may outperform the broader market today after Joe Biden’s once-faltering Democratic presidential campaign was reanimated on Super Tuesday.
Wall Street looks on a candidacy of the former vice president more favorably than that of Senator Bernie Sanders, who has campaigned on the promise of Medicare-for-all, which poses the greatest threat to private insurers.
Biden favors building upon Obama’s Affordable Care Act, which could prove a boon to those with ties to government-run health care. Insurer UnitedHealth Group Inc. jumped 10% in pre-market trading while EHealth Inc., an online comparison tool for Medicare, rose 2.6%.
Centene Corp. also climbed, rising 8.2% despite issuing a disappointing 2020 forecast on Tuesday night. Citi’s Ralph Giacobbe opened a positive catalyst watch on the stock last night, calling Super Tuesday and the guidance a “clearing event” for Centene. Bernstein’s Lance Wilkes said insurers with ties to Medicaid and health-care exchanges should fare particularly well.
The Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund, known by its ticker XLV, rose 3.3% before the bell after closing down yesterday. Goldman Sach has been calling for a relief rally for the sector despite options trading pointing to a bearish outlook. XLV had lost nearly 10% from its Jan. 22 record before today.
Biden’s sweep of nine states on Super Tuesday “will spur positive returns across the health-care insurance peer group” as well as other closely tied sectors that the Sanders campaign had been targeting, said Jared Holz, a health-care strategist at Jefferies.
The Democratic contest remains a “a fluid situation,” Holz said. He added that “this week has already proven, major shifts in campaign forces can occur in a blink.”
This article was provided by Bloomberg News.