RMD share price in focus
Founded in 1989 by Peter Farrell in Australia, ResMed is now headquartered in San Diego, California. The company specializes in medical equipment, offering cloud-connectable continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines to treat obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Although ResMed is based in the US, its shares are listed on both the NYSE and the ASX.
With over 10,000 employees and operations in more than 140 countries, ResMed has two main business units: Sleep and Respiratory Care, and Software as a Service (SaaS). In the Sleep and Respiratory Care unit, ResMed provides top-of-the-line CPAP machines for sleep apnea, along with non-invasive and invasive ventilation solutions for life-support patients. In the SaaS unit, the company offers software that supports durable medical equipment (DME/HME), which plays a key role in out-of-hospital care.
ResMed’s extensive digital health network, powered by its cloud-connected devices, enables the company to use its industry-leading hardware (such as masks and humidifiers) and SaaS data to generate valuable insights, enhance patient outcomes, and lower overall healthcare costs.
The appeal of ASX Healthcare shares
The S&P/ASX200 Healthcare Index (ASX: XHJ) has returned -0.74% per year over the last 5 years compared to 3.72% per year from the broader ASX 200. Here are three key reasons to consider adding a healthcare company like RMD to your investing watchlist.
Sticky revenue
Healthcare spending (in most cases) is essential spending, making it one of the last areas people cut back on during tough economic times.
Unlike cyclical businesses affected by commodity prices or seasonal demand, healthcare companies benefit from stable and consistent revenue streams. We sometimes call this ‘sticky’ revenue. Evidence of this fact is that healthcare was the best performing sector during the GFC.
Growth potential
Global healthcare spending, particularly in the US – which accounts for over 40% of the global total – is projected to grow significantly. Estimates for US growth are 7% per year from 2022 to 2027, reaching US$819 billion.
Within the broad sector of healthcare, certain sub-sectors stand out for their additional growth potential. For example, healthcare IT, data solutions, and ‘software-as-a-service’ (or SaaS) companies are forecast to grow at more than 15% per year from 2024 to 2030, a rate that would get most investors interested.
The ethical investor
A recent Morgan Stanley survey revealed that more than half of investors plan to increase their allocation to sustainable investments in 2024. With growing interest in ‘ethical’ and ‘sustainable’ investing, sectors like healthcare that provide essential public services are well-positioned to attract new capital and investors.
RMD share price valuation
As a growth company, one way to put a broad estimate on the RMD share price could be to compare its price-to-sales multiple over time. Currently, Resmed CDI shares have a price-sales ratio of 5.07x, compared to its 5-year average of 8.70x, meaning its shares are trading below their historical average. This could mean that the share price has fallen, or sales have increased. In the case of RMD, revenue has been growing over the last 3 years.
Please keep in mind that context is important – and this is just one valuation technique. Investment decisions can’t just be based on one metric.
The Rask websites offer free online investing courses, created by analysts explaining things like Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) and Dividend Discount Models (DDM). They even include free valuation spreadsheets! Both of these models would be a better way to value the RMD share price.
