Research stocks

The best research stocks depend on your portfolio and investment goals — while volatility can be ideal for day traders, long-term investors will want to look to stocks with steadier gains over time.

How to buy research stocks

Sign up with an online broker or platform to invest in one of more of these research stocks.

1. Compare share trading platforms. If you're a beginner, look for a platform with low commissions, expert ratings and investment tools to track your portfolio. Use our comparison table to narrow down top brokers by fees and bonuses.
2. Open and fund your brokerage account. Complete an application with your personal and financial details, like your ID and bank information. Fund your account with a bank transfer, credit card or debit card.
3. Search for the stock you're interested in. Find the stock by name or ticker symbol, like BIOC or OPK. Research its history to confirm it's a solid investment against your financial goals.
4. Purchase now or later. Invest in the medical industry today with a market order or use a limit order to delay your purchase until the stock reaches your desired price. To spread out your purchase, look into dollar-cost averaging, which smooths out buying at consistent intervals and amounts.
5. Decide on how many to buy. Weigh your budget against a diversified portfolio that can minimize risk through the market's ups and downs. You may be able to buy fractional shares, depending on your broker.
6. Check in on your investment. Congratulations, you own a part of a research company. Optimize your portfolio by tracking how your stock — and even the medical sector as a whole — performs with an eye on the long term. You may be eligible for dividends and shareholder voting rights on directors and management that can affect your stock.

Compare research stocks

We round up a selection of stocks in or related to the medical industry, weighting the list more heavily towards popular mid- and large-cap US stocks.

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1. Biocept (BIOC)

Biocept, Inc. , an early stage molecular oncology diagnostics company, develops and commercializes proprietary circulating tumor cell and circulating tumor nucleic acid assays utilizing a standard blood sample. Its cancer assays provide information to healthcare providers to identify oncogenic alterations that qualify a subset of cancer patients for targeted therapy at diagnosis, progression, and monitoring in order to identify resistance mechanisms.

Biocept stock opened the day at $6.37 after a previous close of $5.15. The latest price was $5.30 (25 minute delay). Biocept is listed on the NASDAQ, has a trailing 12-month revenue of around USD27.5 million and employs 104 staff.

• Market capitalization: $60,444,828
• PEG ratio: -0.04

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2. OPKO Health (OPK)

OPKO Health, Inc. , a healthcare company, engages in the diagnostics and pharmaceuticals businesses in the United States, Ireland, Chile, Spain, Israel, Mexico, and internationally. The company's Diagnostics segment operates BioReference Laboratories that offers laboratory testing services for the detection, diagnosis, evaluation, monitoring, and treatment of diseases, including esoteric testing, molecular diagnostics, anatomical pathology, genetics, women's health, and correctional healthcare to physician offices, clinics, hospitals, employers and governmental units, as well as 4Kscore prostate cancer testing services.

OPKO Health stock opened the day at $4.26 after a previous close of $4.25. The latest price was $4.22 (25 minute delay). OPKO Health is listed on the NASDAQ, has a trailing 12-month revenue of around USD$1.4 billion and employs 5,269 staff.

• Market capitalization: $2,894,551,296
• P/E ratio: 90
• PEG ratio: -2.87

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3. Natera (NTRA)

Natera, Inc. , a diagnostics company, develops and commercializes molecular testing services worldwide. It offers Panorama, a non-invasive prenatal test that screens for chromosomal abnormalities of a fetus with a blood draw from the mother, as well as twin pregnancies for zygosity; Vistara, a single-gene mutations screening test to identify single-gene disorder; Horizon carrier screening to determine carrier status for various genetic diseases; and Spectrum to analyze chromosomal anomalies or inherited genetic conditions during an in vitro fertilization cycle.

Natera stock opened the day at $101.95 after a previous close of $100.35. The latest price was $96.61 (25 minute delay). Natera is listed on the NASDAQ, has a trailing 12-month revenue of around USD$391 million and employs 1,815 staff.

• Market capitalization: $9,319,185,408
• PEG ratio: 0

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4. Danaher Corporation (DHR)

Danaher Corporation designs, manufactures, and markets professional, medical, industrial, and commercial products and services worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Life Sciences, Diagnostics, and Environmental & Applied Solutions. The Life Sciences segment provides mass spectrometers; cellular analysis, lab automation, and centrifugation instruments; microscopes; and genomics consumables.

Danaher Corporation stock opened the day at $242.55 after a previous close of $241.85. The latest price was $244.40 (25 minute delay). Danaher Corporation is listed on the NYSE, has a trailing 12-month revenue of around USD$22.3 billion and employs 67,000 staff.

• Market capitalization: $169,210,806,272
• P/E ratio: 48.5773
• PEG ratio: 2.8049

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5. IDEXX Laboratories (IDXX)

IDEXX Laboratories, Inc. develops, manufactures, and distributes products and services primarily for the companion animal veterinary, livestock and poultry, dairy, and water testing markets worldwide. The company operates through CAG; Water Quality Products; Livestock, Poultry and Dairy; and Other segments.

IDEXX Laboratories stock opened the day at $531.53 after a previous close of $532.27. The latest price was $541.08 (25 minute delay). IDEXX Laboratories is listed on the NASDAQ, has a trailing 12-month revenue of around USD$2.7 billion and employs 9,300 staff.

• Market capitalization: $45,251,870,720
• P/E ratio: 78.7571
• PEG ratio: 6.4774

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6. Co-Diagnostics (CODX)

Co-Diagnostics, Inc. , a molecular diagnostics company, develops, manufactures, and sells reagents used for diagnostic tests that function through the detection and/or analysis of nucleic acid molecules. It offers polymerase chain reaction (PCR) diagnostic tests for COVID-19, tuberculosis, hepatitis B and C, human papilloma virus, malaria, chikungunya, dengue, and the zika virus; three multiplexed tests to test mosquitos for the identification of diseases carried by the mosquitos; and liquid biopsy test for cancer screening.

Co-Diagnostics stock opened the day at $8.49 after a previous close of $8.52. The latest price was $8.54 (25 minute delay). Co-Diagnostics is listed on the NASDAQ, has a trailing 12-month revenue of around USD$74.6 million and employs 39 staff.

• Market capitalization: $253,404,800
• P/E ratio: 5.8158
• PEG ratio: 0

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7. DexCom (DXCM)

DexCom, Inc. , a medical device company, focuses on the design, development, and commercialization of continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) systems in the United States and internationally. The company offers its systems for use by people with diabetes, as well as for use by healthcare providers.

DexCom stock opened the day at $362.67 after a previous close of $364.17. The latest price was $355.73 (25 minute delay). DexCom is listed on the NASDAQ, has a trailing 12-month revenue of around USD$1.9 billion and employs 5,500 staff.

• Market capitalization: $38,132,105,216
• P/E ratio: 77.9269
• PEG ratio: 11.3862

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8. Laboratory Corporation of America (LH)

Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings operates as an independent clinical laboratory company worldwide. It operates in two segments, Labcorp Diagnostics (Dx) and Labcorp Drug Development (DD). It offers various tests, such as blood chemistry analyses, urinalyses, blood cell counts, thyroid tests, Pap tests, hemoglobin A1C and vitamin D products, prostate-specific antigens, tests for sexually transmitted diseases, hepatitis C tests, microbiology cultures and procedures, and alcohol and other substance-abuse tests.

Laboratory Corporation of America stock opened the day at $251.88 after a previous close of $251.58. The latest price was $253.54 (25 minute delay). Laboratory Corporation of America is listed on the NYSE, has a trailing 12-month revenue of around USD$14 billion and employs 65,160 staff.

• Market capitalization: $24,714,862,592
• P/E ratio: 15.9395
• PEG ratio: 2.0682

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9. Agilent Technologies (A)

Agilent Technologies, Inc. provides application focused solutions to the life sciences, diagnostics, and applied chemical markets worldwide. The Life Sciences and Applied Markets segment offers liquid and gas chromatography systems and components; liquid and gas chromatography mass spectrometry systems; inductively coupled plasma mass and optical emission spectrometry instruments; atomic absorption instruments; microwave plasma-atomic emission spectrometry instruments; raman spectroscopy; cell analysis plate based assays; flow cytometer; real-time cell analyzer; cell imaging systems; microplate readers; laboratory software, information management, and analytics; laboratory automation and robotic systems; dissolution testing; vacuum pumps; and measurement technologies.

Agilent Technologies stock opened the day at $131.28 after a previous close of $131.24. The latest price was $133.03 (25 minute delay). Agilent Technologies is listed on the NYSE, has a trailing 12-month revenue of around USD$5.5 billion and employs 16,400 staff.

• Market capitalization: $40,674,136,064
• P/E ratio: 51.4016
• PEG ratio: 2.6425

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10. Illumina (ILMN)

Illumina, Inc. provides sequencing and array-based solutions for genetic and genomic analysis. Its products and services serve customers in a range of markets enabling the adoption of genomic solutions in research and clinical settings for applications in the life sciences, oncology, reproductive health, agriculture, and other emerging segments.

Illumina stock opened the day at $398.03 after a previous close of $398.39. The latest price was $403.33 (25 minute delay). Illumina is listed on the NASDAQ, has a trailing 12-month revenue of around USD$3.2 billion and employs 7,800 staff.

• Market capitalization: $58,645,962,752
• P/E ratio: 90.3281
• PEG ratio: 1.9464

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11. Thermo Fisher Scientific (TMO)

Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. offers life sciences solutions, analytical instruments, specialty diagnostics, and laboratory products and service worldwide. The company's Life Sciences Solutions segment offers reagents, instruments, and consumables for biological and medical research, discovery, and production of drugs and vaccines, as well as diagnosis of infections and diseases to pharmaceutical, biotechnology, agricultural, clinical, healthcare, academic, and government markets.

Thermo Fisher Scientific stock opened the day at $483.14 after a previous close of $482.36. The latest price was $480.47 (25 minute delay). Thermo Fisher Scientific is listed on the NYSE, has a trailing 12-month revenue of around USD$32.2 billion and employs 80,000 staff.

• Market capitalization: $194,299,740,160
• P/E ratio: 30.9762
• PEG ratio: 6.1867

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Bottom line

While it’s possible to turn a profit investing in research stocks, keep in mind that — like any investment — research stocks are not immune to risk. These stocks are subject to fluctuating conditions — both in the market and in the medical industry, so carefully vet your picks before you invest. And if you’re new to investing, or if it’s been awhile since you’ve taken a critical look at your investing accounts, compare brokers to make sure you’re getting the best features in your trading account.