Zacks Equity Research – January 18, 2017
Chicago, IL – January 18, 2017, 2016 – Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include Intuitive Surgical, Inc. (NASDAQ: ISRG – Free Report ), Stryker Corporation (NYSE: SYK – Free Report ) and Hologic, Inc. (NASDAQ: HOLX – Free Report ).
Today, Zacks is promoting its ”Buy” stock recommendations. Get #1Stock of the Day pick for free. 
Here are highlights from Tuesday’s Analyst Blog:
3 Medical Device Stocks Likely to Beat Q4 Earnings
As we are fast approaching the day when the new president will disclose his final plan to replace the Affordable Care Act and propose his “insurance for everybody” strategy, the nation is clearly divided into ‘we need’ and ‘don’t need’ camps for the existing healthcare policy.
Amid all this, one thing is pretty clear. The republican win has ensured a great victory for the entire medical device industry as the likely revocation of the 2.3% medical device excise tax is going to be a big bonus for both the behemoths and small players.
According to the medical device trade association, AdvaMed, the entire MedTech fraternity is looking forward to the new policymakers who will be working on improving the FDA regulatory process, repeal the medical device tax, and ensure that the coverage process allows patients access to the latest innovations.
This dreadful tax, which was commonly addressed as ‘fund of the ACA’, simply took a toll on the entire medical device industry, since its enactment in 2013. Data published in a report in FierceMedical Device stated that, in 2014, Johnson & Johnson made a payment of $180 million in medical device tax payments, while Medtronic (MDT), legacy Covidien, Smith & Nephew (SNN) paid $112 million, $60 million and $25 million, respectively.