Teladoc Health (TDOC +0.37%) has seen its share price spike a lot higher because of COVID-19 and the pandemic-related lockdown. More and more people are visiting with doctors over the internet. Is this a temporary spike, or are there long-term reasons to invest in Teladoc? In this video from Motley Fool Live, recorded on Feb. 19, Healthcare and cannabis bureau chief Corinne Cardina and Motley Fool contributor Taylor Carmichael discuss the main green flag for buying shares of Teladoc.
Corinne Cardina: Let's talk about Teladoc, Taylor. Of course, this is the virtual health leader. It did a splashy merger with Livongo, which is a remote patient monitoring company. That closed in the fall. Teladoc's market cap is $41 billion. Its stock is up 144% over the past year. Let's get two green flags for Teladoc.
Taylor Carmichael: I love Teladoc and I just love the whole process of industry moving to the internet because that's just been a winner for investors over and over and over again. Teladoc is moving healthcare, that massive multi-trillion dollar industry, moving it to the internet. That's an amazing thing. They're the leader in telehealth. They're the dominant name, they're the dominant mind share and they're first-mover. I just think that this is just a huge long-term opportunity for Fools, is Teladoc. It's my favorite of the three we're going to be discussing. I'm ashamed to admit, I do not own any shares of Teladoc.
Cardina: I do.
Carmichael: You do?
Cardina: Yeah. [laughs]
Carmichael: There we go. I assume it has done well for you as well.
Cardina: Yeah. I bought it at $50 probably a year and a half ago whenever the Fool recommended. I think it's almost $200 now. Investors don't like deals. When the Livongo deal was announced, I think that hampered a little bit of growth. They're going to have to prove that those synergies can manifest and they're going to have to prove out that long-term, that they can continue to lead digital health. But I'm feeling strong about the long-term thesis.
Carmichael: Yeah, I think Teladoc is a great stock. You think about any kind of emergency situation, you can just take out your cell phone, get a doctor right away; you're on a golf course, you can talk to a doctor right away. Think how difficult that was prior to Teladoc and now it's automatic. That's amazing, that you can talk to a doctor at three in the morning, that you can talk to a doctor whenever, wherever you are. It opens up time, it opens up optionality. There's so much optionality on the internet. Time and geography are no longer relevant. Teladoc can compete all across the world. Think of them as the biggest virtual hospital in the world and their doctors have access to patients all around the world. That's just an amazing thing. I have very little downside for Teladoc, to be honest. I just think it's going to be a great, powerful, kind of the Amazon of healthcare. I think they're going to be just an amazing stock for people.
