The Pharmaceutical Sector Is Surging. Here's 1 Stock Every Investor Should Have on Their Radar.

Source The Motley Fool

Key Points

  • AbbVie's third-quarter results exceeded Wall Street's expectations.

  • Sales from the pharmaceutical company's three top drugs are soaring.

  • 10 stocks we like better than AbbVie ›

Pharmaceutical stocks have been on fire this year. The iShares U.S. Pharmaceuticals ETF (NYSEMKT: IHE), which tracks 43 drugmakers, is up almost 29% year to date and 11% over the past month.

There are lots of great stocks in this sector. But one that investors should be watching closely right now is AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV). The company is focused on drugs that treat a range of diseases in the areas of immunology, rheumatology, gastroenterology, dermatology, and oncology, among others.

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The company released its quarterly results on Oct. 31, and they exceeded Wall Street's forecasts. Sales climbed 9.1% to $15.78 billion, which was significantly higher than the $15.59 billion expected. The company posted earnings of $1.86 per share, 11 cents above the $1.77 expected.

AbbVie has a strong stable of top-performing drugs. Sales of Skyrizi, an immunology drug that treats conditions like psoriasis and arthritis, rose a whopping 46.8% to $4.7 billion during the quarter. Sales of Rinvoq, a similar immunology drug, climbed 35.3% to $2.18 billion. And Humira, which is used to treat plaque psoriasis, brought revenue of $993 million, up 55.4% from a year ago.

Bottles of prescription drugs in a medicine cabinet.

Image source: Getty Images.

Management said it believes Rinvoq will hit $11 billion in annual revenue by 2027, and Skyrizi will reach the $20 billion mark. AbbVie's current stable of best-selling drugs is impressive, while it continues to expand its pipeline with acquisitions. This is a hot stock in a hot sector well worth watching.

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Matthew Benjamin has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends AbbVie. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Disclaimer: For information purposes only. Past performance is not indicative of future results.
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