HDFC Pharma & Healthcare Fund completes its 1styear with a top quartile performance, recording 60% return over 1 yr with 5%alpha over BSE Healthcare TRI.
Nikhil says the key performance contributor has been a keen eye on picking stocks with delta in earnings growth and a close watch on valuations in an environment where some of the frontline stocks seem quite expensive now – especially those that benefitted from one off tactical product launch gains.
Valuation sensitivity in stock selection becomes all the more important at a time when the pharma and healthcare indices are trading much higher than 1 SD above historical PEs and their valuation premia over broad market are also higher than 1 SD above long term averages.
He is nimbly moving from frontline stocks to promising mid and small cap stocks with good earnings visibility and relative valuation comfort. With an AuM now of around Rs.1300 crs, he can take meaningful positions in small and midcap stocks which offer the potential for reasonable delta on fund performance.
He believes that the long term growth driver for the industry is shifting from generic formulations exports to CDMO/CRAMS. The winners will be those that focus on innovation – either on their own or by teaming up with global majors through CDMO/CRAMS partnerships.
He is bullish on the diagnostics space which is now emerging out of its post covid slump which followed a huge covid induced bump up.