Due to the favourable tailwinds that it is experiencing, I believe the healthcare sector is a great place to invest with a long term view.

But with so many options for investors to choose from, which ones should you be buying?

Below are three ASX healthcare shares I think could provide stellar returns for investors over the long term:

Avita Medical Ltd (ASX: AVH)

The first healthcare share to look at is Avita Medical. It is a global regenerative medicine company which I think has a lot of potential. It is best known for its Recell system, which is a spray-on skin treatment used for burns victims. Demand for its offering has been growing very strongly over the last couple of years. This led to the company recently revealing an 84% increase in revenue for the 9 months ending 31 March 2020. While the company has a huge market opportunity already, it is seeking to extend Recell’s use to treat vitiligo. Combined, the company has a significant runway for growth over the next decade.

Pro Medicus Limited (ASX: PME)

Another ASX healthcare share to consider buying is Pro Medicus. It provides a full range of radiology IT software and services to hospitals, imaging centres, and healthcare groups. The key product in its portfolio is the increasingly popular Visage 7 Enterprise Imaging Platform. This platform delivers fast, multi-dimensional images streamed via an intelligent thin-client viewer. Demand for Visage 7 has been growing strongly in recent years and continues to this day. In fact, on Monday Pro Medicus announced a major new contract with one of the highest rated hospitals in the United States. I believe this is a testament to the quality of its offering. It also revealed that it has a number of other sales opportunities in its pipeline that it is working on.

Ramsay Health Care Limited (ASX: RHC)

A final healthcare share to look at is Ramsay Health Care. It is a global private hospital operator with 480 facilities across 11 countries. The next 12 months are not going to be easy for Ramsay due to both the pandemic and overall tough trading conditions in the private hospital space. However, I believe these headwinds will ease over the medium term and Ramsay’s growth will accelerate. Especially given how well-placed the company is to capture the expected increase in demand for healthcare services due to ageing populations.

More reading

• Why Austal, Evolution, Newcrest, & Pro Medicus are tumbling lower
• 2 cheap ASX 200 shares to buy right now
• Why Evolution, Iress, Pro Medicus, & Vicinity shares are dropping lower
• ASX 200 up 0.6%: NAB charges higher, ACCC investigates Qantas acquisition
• Why this exciting ASX 200 tech share is pushing higher on Monday

James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and recommends Pro Medicus Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of Avita Medical Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Avita Medical Limited, Pro Medicus Ltd., and Ramsay Health Care Limited. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

The post These ASX healthcare shares could be long term market beaters appeared first on Motley Fool Australia.

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On Wednesday I looked at three ASX shares that brokers have given buy ratings to this week.

Unfortunately, not all shares are in favour with them right now. Three ASX 200 shares that have just been given sell ratings by brokers are listed below.

Here’s why these brokers are bearish on them:

Australia and New Zealand Banking GrpLtd (ASX: ANZ)

According to a note out of the Macquarie equities desk, its analysts have retained their underperform rating and $18.50 price target on this banking giant’s shares. Although the broker believes ANZ’s divestment of its New Zealand-based UDC Finance business was a positive, it isn’t enough for a change of rating. It continues with its bearish view of the bank and retains its underperform rating. The ANZ share price is trading at $19.10 this afternoon.

Cochlear Limited (ASX: COH)

Analysts at UBS have retained their sell rating but lifted the price target on this hearing solutions company’s shares to $160.50. According to the note, the broker has revised its earnings estimates higher to reflect its belief that Cochlear unit sales will recover a touch quicker than expected. Nevertheless, with its shares trading well ahead of its price target, the broker is holding firm with its sell rating for the time being. Cochlear’s shares are changing hands for $197.89 on Thursday.

Nufarm Limited (ASX: NUF)

Another note out of Macquarie reveals that its analysts have downgraded this agricultural chemical company’s shares to an underperform rating and cut the price target on them to $4.85. The broker was left underwhelmed by Nufarm’s recent trading update and has concerns over its prospects in the fourth quarter. Given the importance of this quarter to its overall result, this could mean a disappointing full year result in September. The Nufarm share price has fallen heavily today and is now trading at $4.79.

More reading

• Should you be an ASX bull or bear right now?
• ASX 200 hits 6,000 points: Westpac provide AUSTRAC update, Vocus reaffirms guidance
• Why Austal, Ecofibre, Northern Star, & Nufarm are dropping lower
• Where to invest $2,000 in cheap shares
• Is the CBA share price cheap today?

James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of Cochlear Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Cochlear Ltd. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

The post Top brokers name 3 ASX 200 shares to sell today appeared first on Motley Fool Australia.

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At lunch on Thursday the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is on course to record another strong gain. The benchmark index is currently up 1% to 6,000.9 points.

Here’s what has been happening:

ASX 200 hits 6,000 points.

The ASX 200 index has shaken off the recession news and stormed higher again on Thursday. So much so, the index has broken through the symbolic 6,000 points mark. This is the first time the ASX 200 has traded above this level in almost three months. The big four banks have played a key role in driving it through this level today. All four are trading higher at lunch.

Westpac AUSTRAC update.

The Westpac Banking Corp (ASX: WBC) share price is pushing higher today despite the release of an update on its Anti-Money Laundering and Counter-Terrorism Financing (AML/CTF) compliance issues. Australia’s oldest bank has been investigating its compliance issues and believes three primary factors led to the breaches. These include some areas of AML/CTF risk not being sufficiently understood within the bank.

Vocus reaffirms guidance.

The Vocus Group Ltd (ASX: VOC) share price is charging higher today after the release of a positive announcement. The specialist fibre and network solutions provider revealed that it has refinanced its debt and remains on course to achieve its guidance for FY 2020. Vocus expects its earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) to be in the range of $359 million to $369 million. This compares to the EBITDA of $360.1 million it posted in FY 2019. The core Vocus network services business is expected to deliver EBITDA growth of 10% this year.

Best and worst ASX 200 performers.

The best performer on the ASX 200 on Thursday has been the Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield (ASX: URW) share price with a 15% gain. Investors may believe the shopping centre operator’s shares have bottomed now. The worst performer has been the Nufarm Limited (ASX: NUF) share price with a decline of almost 11%. This morning analysts at Macquarie downgraded its shares to an underperform rating with a $4.85 price target.

More reading

• Should you be an ASX bull or bear right now?
• Top brokers name 3 ASX 200 shares to sell today
• Why Corporate Travel Management, SKYCITY, Vocus, & Westpac are pushing higher
• Why Austal, Ecofibre, Northern Star, & Nufarm are dropping lower
• Where to invest $2,000 in cheap shares

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

The post ASX 200 hits 6,000 points: Westpac provide AUSTRAC update, Vocus reaffirms guidance appeared first on Motley Fool Australia.

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