Why Investors Should Run Towards Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:REGN)

When stock prices are falling, the best mindset to have is a long term one. High quality stocks such as Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has fared well over time in a fickle stock market, which is why I want to bring it into light amongst all the chaos. Below I take a look at three key features of what makes a robust defensive stock investment: its size, financial health and track record.

View our latest analysis for Regeneron Pharmaceuticals

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, discovers, invents, develops, manufactures, and commercializes medicines for treating various medical conditions worldwide. Established in 1988, and led by CEO Schleifer Leonard S., the company currently employs 7.45k people and with the market cap of US$34b, it falls under the large-cap group. Bear market volatility can have a short-term impact on large, well-established companies, but in the long-run, these businesses are likely to prevail. This is because fundamentally, nothing has changed. A fall in share price is hardly detrimental to its financial health and business operations. So, large-cap stocks are a safe bet to buy more of when the stock market is selling off.

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals currently has US$710m debt on its books which requires regular servicing. This means it needs to have sufficient cash-on-hand to meet upcoming interest expenses. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals generates enough earnings to cover its interest payments, more specifically, its interest coverage ratio (EBIT/interest) is 82.96x, which is well-above the minimum requirement of 3x. Furthermore, its operating cash flows amply covers its total debt by over 2x, much higher than the safe minimum of 0.2x. And, a given, its liquidity ratio holds up well with cash and other liquid assets exceeding upcoming liabilities, meaning REGN's financial strength will continue to let it thrive in a fickle market.

REGN’s profit growth over the previous five years has been positive, with an average annual rate of 39%, beating the industry growth rate of 15%. It has also returned an ROE of 26% recently, above the industry return of 19%. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals's strong performance over time is a demonstration of its ability to grow through cycles, raising my confidence in the company as a long-term investment.

Next Steps:

Based on these three factors, REGN makes for a strong long-term investment in the face of a fickle stock market. If you’re a risk averse investor, lining your portfolio with proven companies you’re willing to buy more and more of as the price falls, is a good strategy to build your wealth over the long run. This is the beginning of your research, but before you decide to buy REGN, I highly urge you to understand more about the company, in particular, in these following areas:

1. Future Outlook: What are well-informed industry analysts predicting for REGN’s future growth? Take a look at our free research report of analyst consensus for REGN’s outlook.
2. Valuation: What is REGN worth today? Is the stock undervalued, even when its growth outlook is factored into its intrinsic value? The intrinsic value infographic in our free research report helps visualize whether REGN is currently mispriced by the market.
3. Other High-Performing Stocks: Are there other stocks that provide better prospects with proven track records? Explore our free list of these great stocks here.

We aim to bring you long-term focused research analysis driven by fundamental data. Note that our analysis may not factor in the latest price-sensitive company announcements or qualitative material.

If you spot an error that warrants correction, please contact the editor at editorial-team@simplywallst.com. This article by Simply Wall St is general in nature. It does not constitute a recommendation to buy or sell any stock, and does not take account of your objectives, or your financial situation. Simply Wall St has no position in the stocks mentioned. Thank you for reading.