Apollo to Fortis: Hospital stocks among safest bets in the healthcare space

The largest listed player in this space, Apollo Hospitals, has been a standout performer with growth being led by both hospitals and pharmacy businesses.

Hospitals stood out, even as other segments in the health care space have had a sketchy run on the bourses. Apollo Hospitals, Fortis Healthcare, Narayana Hrudayalaya, and Aster DM have seen robust gains over the past few months and are trading at their near-term highs.

In the current environment of volatility because of the risk of a global slowdown triggered by the coronavirus outbreak, hospital stocks remain a safer bet, with growth momentum expected to sustain and profits likely to improve.  Analysts at Axis Capital believe hospitals now are better prepared to alleviate negative impact than seen in the past