Many investors may hesitate to invest in healthcare stocks right now, given that the sector has lagged broader markets in recent years. However, there are plenty of excellent healthcare companies that could be long-term winners, at least for those willing to be patient and hold their shares through thick and thin. Three stocks to consider along those lines are Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ: ISRG), HCA Healthcare (NYSE: HCA), and Abbott Laboratories (NYSE: ABT). Though these companies have not performed well this year, they remain strong buy-and-forget options. Let me explain.
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1. Intuitive Surgical
Intuitive Surgical’s shares are down 25% this year amid a challenging macro environment. Steep tariffs are affecting the company’s financial results, and many investors fear that things will get even worse over the medium term. However, Intuitive Surgical’s financial results remain strong. Revenue, earnings, and procedures performed with its famous da Vinci surgical system all grew at a healthy clip during the first quarter. Importantly, Intuitive Surgical continues to grow its installed base, with the latest version of its da Vinci system making significant headway.
A larger installed base means higher recurring revenue from instruments and accessories — which have a pretty short lifespan — and a stronger overall moat due to high switching costs, which could enable it to pass higher costs from tariffs to its consumers and improve its margins. Further, Intuitive Surgical is still looking at a large opportunity in the robotic-assisted surgery (RAS) market, where it is the leader.
The non-invasive procedures they help perform require less skin cutting for patients, resulting in faster recovery times. This is an underpenetrated opportunity Intuitive Surgical should tap into over the long run. Lastly, the medical device specialist should continue innovating and launching newer, better versions of its crown jewel, while also securing new label expansions to boost its sales.
Intuitive Surgical’s medium-term outlook may be a bit uncertain due to ongoing economic challenges. But it is well-positioned to deliver excellent returns over the long run.
2. HCA Healthcare
After beating the market in 2025, HCA Healthcare is feeling the effects of gravity. The stock has declined 21% year to date. The hospital chain is also facing a challenging economic environment with high expenses eating into its profits and margins. HCA Healthcare’s first-quarter results weren’t great, partly as a result of these obstacles. However, we have seen this movie before. Several years ago, HCA Healthcare faced increased expenses, due to the contract labor it had to rely on during the pandemic, and inflation. HCA Healthcare navigated that just fine and rebounded. My view is that the company can do the same this time around.