We like to invest in industries with long-term tailwinds and pharma distribution checks that box. An aging population leads to increased drug utilization, drug price inflation increases revenues as does the introduction of new drugs. The “Big 3” – McKesson, AmerisourceBergen and Cardinal Health – are a distribution oligopoly with over 90% market share in the United States.
… Value Fund holding Visa, Inc. is the world leader in retail electronic payments. Visa, along with competitor MasterCard, form a global duopoly in the sector. Visa is an incredible business. The company grows steadily without much capital reinvestment required, adds value to both consumers and retailers and is very difficult to compete against. Visa is truly a money-making machine.
… Value Fund holding Novo Nordisk (NYSE:NVO) is the world leader in diabetes care with a global market share of 27% by value (46% by insulin volume). The company was founded in 1925 and is headquartered in Denmark. However, its origins have a uniquely Canadian connection…
… Moats come in various forms and Morningstar® has done a good job of organizing them into a few helpful
categories
… We were inspired to write about Amazon after reading a recent newspaper article touting the stock. The author acknowledged that the company generates razor-thin profit margins and that the stock trades at a “ridiculously high” price-to-earnings multiple (171x to be exact).