WDI sees rebound in healthcare stocks

For investors in healthcare stocks, 1995 was a much-needed shotin the arm that remedied a three-year period of falling shareprices. An annual survey by WDI Capital Markets of Hilton Head,SC, saw a strong surge in share prices among healthcare companieslast year. Vendors of cardiac instruments led the charge in stockvaluation growth, although manufacturers of medical imaging devicesturned in a strong performance as well.

For the year, overall healthcare industry share prices leaped40.1%, compared with a 4.7% decline in 1994. Share prices dropped9.4% in 1993 and 10.6% in 1992.

Among public imaging device companies, stock prices trackedby WDI climbed 75.8% in 1995, compared with a lackluster gainof 1.2% in 1994. ThermoTrex led the segment with share-price growthof 270%, while bone densitometry firm Hologic jumped 173%. Othervendors turning in strong performances for the year were bonedensitometry vendor Lunar, up 129%; image-guided catheter manufacturerEndosonics, up 122%; x-ray vendor Fischer Imaging, up 85%; andnuclear medicine firm ADAC Laboratories, up 55%.

Imaging services firms also enjoyed rising stock valuations,according to WDI's survey. Share prices in the segment rose anaverage of 52.2% for the year.

In other WDI news, the investment and advisory firm announcedthat former Fischer Imaging executive Robert Cascella has joinedthe company as president.