The Best Stock in Indiana: Zimmer Biomet

We analyzed publicly traded companies based in the Hoosier state to identify the best stock in Indiana to buy now.

We scoured the nation to identify the best stock in every state. Zimmer Biomet (symbol ZBH) is the publicly traded company we picked in Indiana. The company headquarters is located in Warsaw.

A word of caution: Since we selected a single stock from each state (plus one from D.C), and choices in some states are sparse, a few of our picks are best suited to investors comfortable with a higher degree of risk. This is not necessarily one of our 51 favorite stocks in the entire U.S., in other words.

Zimmer Biomet by the Numbers

  • Headquarters: Warsaw
  • Share price: $129.34
  • Market value: $26.1 billion
  • Price-earnings ratio: 15

(Prices and data are as of June 22, 2017)

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The company that resulted from the 2015 merger of Zimmer and smaller competitor Biomet is the leading maker of orthopedic implants, such as knee and hip replacements, for the U.S., Europe and Japan.

The company has gotten off to a rocky start this year, as production delays at its manufacturing facility depleted inventory. As a result, Zimmer Biomet reduced its 2017 sales and earnings estimates. Concerns over the supply chain have created volatility in the stock, says CFRA analyst Jeffrey Loo. But he thinks that the shares already reflect those worries and that the issue will be resolved by the second half of this year. Zimmer shares trade at 15 times estimated year-ahead earnings—below health care companies’ current average of 16 times estimated earnings. Yet the global, long-term demand for Zimmer’s orthopedic implants remains intact, given aging populations and rising obesity levels. The stock is “top pick” at investment research firm Needham & Company, which assigns a 12-month price target of $153.

Ryan Ermey
Former Associate Editor, Kiplinger's Personal Finance

Ryan joined Kiplinger in the fall of 2013. He wrote and fact-checked stories that appeared in Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine and on Kiplinger.com. He previously interned for the CBS Evening News investigative team and worked as a copy editor and features columnist at the GW Hatchet. He holds a BA in English and creative writing from George Washington University.