Stocks have dipped in and out of bear market territory multiple times in recent months, and more volatility could still lie ahead for investors. With all the major indexes trading down since the beginning of 2022, you're in good company if your portfolio has taken a bit of a beating. Lots of investors are in the same boat.
Here's the good news: While investments across a range of industries may be trading down, solid businesses with great leadership and strong, long-term growth prospects can recover from these doldrums. Investors who continue to put their capital into these types of companies can be well-positioned for this recovery when it does come.
On that note, if you have $1,000 to invest in the market -- not money you'll need for bills, but cash you can leave in your portfolio for several years at least -- here are two such stocks to consider buying in the near future.
1. Intuitive Surgical
Intuitive Surgical (ISRG +0.69%) has been dealing with industry headwinds lately -- specifically, lower procedure volumes in certain markets that are still seeing lingering impacts from the pandemic. These headwinds have impacted its financial results, which explains the stock's precipitous dip of nearly 35% over the past 12 months. Still, Intuitive Surgical has continued to report profitable quarter after quarter despite these factors.
What's my point here? It's so, so important for investors to look beyond headlines and even share-price fluctuations to discern whether a stock represents a company in peril or a compelling buy opportunity in a down market. I would maintain that Intuitive Surgical falls into the latter category, and the factors that have impacted its recent quarterly reports aren't related to issues with the actual business itself.
The company's da Vinci surgical system is one of the premier surgical robotics systems in the world. It's used in a wide variety of procedures including colorectal, cardiac, thoracic, and general surgeries, to name a few. To date, the da Vinci system has facilitated more than 10 million procedures globally.
In 2021, Intuitive Surgical grew its total revenue 31% from the prior year to $5.7 billion, with net income rising 62% year over year to $1.7 billion.
NASDAQ: ISRG
Key Data Points
In the third quarter, Intuitive Surgical's total revenue rose 11% year over year to $1.4 billion, while total procedures using the da Vinci system jumped 20% from the year-ago period.
Even as fluctuating procedure volumes from ongoing spikes in COVID-19 cases in certain markets caused its net income to drop slightly from the same quarter last year, Intuitive Surgical still reported earnings of $324 million. The company also ended the three-month period with cash, cash equivalents, and investments of $7.4 billion.
It's also worth pointing out that Intuitive Surgical has increased its annual cash position by more than 130% over the trailing decade alone.
At Intuitive Surgical's current price, a $1,000 investment would leave you with about four shares.
2. DexCom
While shares of DexCom (DXCM +0.88%) are still trading down by about 30% from one year ago, the stock has risen by nearly that amount over the last month alone. Why do investors appear to be increasingly bullish about DexCom?
There are a few factors that have driven the healthcare stock's recent journey skyward. For one, there's the company's robust third-quarter earnings, which it reported on Oct. 27. Its results beat Wall Street's estimates on both the top and bottom lines. There's also the company's pending approval of its new G7 system, the latest generation of its flagship continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) system, which is expected to occur imminently in the U.S. and has already received the green light in the U.K. and Europe.
In the third quarter, DexCom's overall revenue jumped 18% from the year-ago period to $770 million, driven by 17% growth in the U.S. and 22% internationally. Meanwhile, the company's operating income surged by 100 basis points year over year, coming in just shy of $150 million.
NASDAQ: DXCM
Key Data Points
Bear in mind, this follows revenue growing 27% to $2.5 billion in 2021, paired with total operating income of $266 million. To give you an idea of DexCom's tremendous market footprint, the global CGM device industry hit a valuation of $5.3 billion last year. DexCom's revenue accounted for roughly half of that total.
DexCom certainly isn't without rivals in this space. Abbott and its FreeStyle Libre 3 CGM system is by far one of the most prominent. However, I would contend that there is room for more than one winner here.
Moreover, DexCom's longstanding leadership in this space and control of a vast slice of this global market bode well for the continued rollout of its G7 system and the growth its business can deliver for both its balance sheet and investors over the long term.
Investing $1,000 in DexCom stock at its current price would add approximately nine shares to your investment portfolio.
