General Dynamics Corporation (GD) recently received a $647 million contract from the U.S. Army TACOM Lifecycle Management Command for production of 352 Stryker vehicles. The contract was awarded to General Dynamics’ subsidiary General Dynamics Land Systems. The company expects to begin vehicle deliveries in July 2010. Work on the contract will be performed in Anniston, AL; Sterling Heights, MI; Lima, OH; and Ontario, Canada. The Stryker contract was originally awarded to General Dynamics in 2000. To date, the company has delivered 2,988 vehicles and trained 18,438 soldiers in their operations. The U.S. Army has seven Stryker Brigade Combat Teams, three of which are deployed in combat zones - two in Iraq and one in Afghanistan. Earlier, General Dynamics had maintained its brisk pace in order booking, taking the total backlog at the end of the second quarter of fiscal 2009 to $67.6 billion. This was ...

Since the beginning of the global economic crisis, medical device stocks have fared slightly worse than the overall market, losing roughly 400 bps more than the S&P500 (-31%) since September 1, 2008, on a market weighted basis. We continue to recommend that investors focus on companies providing life-sustaining products. We believe these products will remain insulated from the longer-term effects of the current economic crisis because target patients will be unable to forego procedures. The initial slide in the market left many strong companies looking very attractive. In the coming year, investors should allocate funds to companies with high earnings quality profiles. We recommend companies with the following characteristics: Size – (1) Larger companies will find it easier to survive any future liquidity issues and acquire new technologies at cents on the dollar.  
(2) Size also refers to the average ticket price per product the company sells. As hospitals cut their capital ...

TranS1 Inc. (TSON) announced that it expects revenue to be roughly in the range of $7.9 million to $8.0 million in the second quarter of this year, lower than its previous guidance of $8.7 million to $9.0 million but approximately 33% higher than the revenue in the year-ago quarter.   TranS1 believes that its revenue is likely to be affected by the reimbursement uncertainty surrounding its AxiaLIF procedure. The company expects to release its second quarter results on July 30, 2009, after the close.   TranS1 is engaged in designing, developing and marketing minimally invasive products that utilize its proprietary TranS1 surgical approach to treat degenerative disc disease affecting the lower lumbar region of the spine.   TranS1 is badly hurt by a reimbursement uncertainty surrounding its AxiaLIF procedure. We believe expected near-term reimbursement changes would make the pre-certification and administration process time-consuming and could create some revenue ...

Stryker Corp. (SYK) recently signed a deal for global marketing and distribution rights of Advanced Medical Solutions Group Plc’s LiquiBand wound closure products that are used in cranio-maxillofacial (CMF) surgeries.

LiquiBand is a tissue adhesive used to close minor surgical wounds and trauma. The product would be launched in European markets this month and would be followed by a phased roll out in the rest of the world.

The deal is going to be a win-win for both the companies. Stryker will earn commissions that will take care of the company’s bottom-line during these testing times of global recession. Advanced Medical can leverage Stryker’s global presence and its brand equity.

Stryker is one of the world’s largest medical devices companies operating in the global orthopedic market. The company currently has two segments: Orthopedic Implant and MedSurg Equipment. The Orthopedic Implant segment includes hip, knee, shoulder and spinal implants

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Since the beginning of the global economic crisis, medical device stocks have fared no better than the overall market with both down roughly 30% since September 1, 2008, on a market weighted basis. We continue to recommend that investors focus on companies providing life-sustaining products. These should remain insulated from the current economic crisis as target patients are unable to forego procedures. The recent slide in the market has left many strong companies looking very attractive.

In the coming year, investors should allocate funds to companies with high earnings quality profiles. We recommend companies with the following characteristics: (1) Size - Larger companies will find it easier to survive any future liquidity issues and acquire new technologies at cents on the dollar. (2) Size also refers to the average ticket price per product the company sells. As hospitals cut their capital spending budgets, allocations for large ticket

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Since the beginning of the global economic crisis, medical device stocks have fared no better than the overall market with both down roughly 30% since September 1, 2008, on a market weighted basis. We continue to recommend that investors focus on companies providing life-sustaining products. These should remain insulated from the current economic crisis as target patients are unable to forego procedures. The recent slide in the market has left many strong companies looking very attractive.

In the coming year, investors should allocate funds to companies with high earnings quality profiles. We recommend companies with the following characteristics: (1) Size - Larger companies will find it easier to survive any future liquidity issues and acquire new technologies at cents on the dollar. (2) Size also refers to the average ticket price per product the company sells. As hospitals cut their capital spending budgets, allocations for large ticket

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Since the beginning of the global economic crisis, medical device stocks have fared no better than the overall market with both down roughly 30% since September 1, 2008, on a market weighted basis.  We continue to recommend that investors focus on companies providing life-sustaining products. These should remain insulated from the current economic crisis as target patients are unable to forego procedures. The recent slide in the market has left many strong companies looking very attractive.

In the coming year, investors should allocate funds to companies with high earnings quality profiles.  We recommend companies with the following characteristics:   

Size - (1) Larger companies will find it easier to survive any future liquidity issues and acquire new technologies at cents on the dollar.(2) Size also refers to the average ticket price per product the company sells. As hospitals cut their capital ...

Since the beginning of the global economic crisis, medical device stocks have fared no better than the overall market with both down just over 40% since September 1 2008 on a market weighted basis. We continue to recommend that investors focus on companies providing life-sustaining products. These should remain insulated from the current economic crisis as target patients are unable to forego procedures. The recent slide in the market has left many strong companies looking very attractive.

In the coming year, investors should allocate funds to companies with high earnings quality profiles. We recommend companies with the following characteristics: Size - (1) Larger companies will find it easier to survive any future liquidity issues and acquire new technologies at cents on the dollar Scope - (1) Companies providing life-sustaining products should remain insulated from the current economic crisis, as target patients are unable to forego procedures. (2) Companies that

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Since the beginning of the global economic crisis, medical device stocks have fared no better than the overall market with both down just over 40% since September 1 2008 on a market weighted basis. We continue to recommend that investors focus on companies providing life-sustaining products. These should remain insulated from the current economic crisis as target patients are unable to forego procedures. The recent slide in the market has left many strong companies looking very attractive.

In the coming year, investors should allocate funds to companies with high earnings quality profiles. We recommend companies with the following characteristics: Size - (1) Larger companies will find it easier to survive any future liquidity issues and acquire new technologies at cents on the dollar Scope - (1) Companies providing life-sustaining products should remain insulated from the current economic crisis, as target patients are unable to forego procedures. (2) Companies that

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Medical device stocks should provide investors with opportunities for solid, lower-risk returns over the coming 6-to-12 months. Companies providing life-sustaining products should remain insulated from the current economic crisis, as target patients are unable to forego these procedures. The recent slide in the market has left many strong companies looking very attractive.

In the coming year, investors should allocate funds to companies with high earnings quality profiles. We recommend companies with the following characteristics: Size - Larger companies will find it easier to survive any future liquidity issues and acquire new technologies at cents on the dollar Scope - Companies providing life-sustaining products should remain insulated from the current economic crisis, as target patients are unable to forego these procedures Strategy - Avoid companies that have historically grown by acquisition. These companies may find it difficult to fund acquisitions, diminishing underlying growth. Additionally, the financial statements for these companies are often

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