Abbott Among Healthcare's Biggest Movers on October 18, 2012

The Nasdaq has decreased 0.3%, the S&P 500 has moved little and the Dow has climbed 0.1% so far today. The healthcare sector is the category of stocks relating to medical and healthcare goods or services. This sector includes hospital management firms, health maintenance organizations (HMOs), biotechnology and a variety of medical products. Stocks in the healthcare sector are often considered to be defensive because the products and services are essential. Even during economic downturns, people will still require medical aid and medicine to overcome illness. Having a consistent demand for goods and services makes this sector less sensitive to business cycle fluctuations.

The biggest movers in the Healthcare sector (XLV) (+0.1%) are:

Company	Market Cap	Percentage Change
Align Technology (Nasdaq:ALGN)	$2.88 billion	-24.8%
Abbott (NYSE:ABT)	$108.35 billion	-5.6%
InterMune (Nasdaq:ITMN)	$609.4 million	+4.7%
Questcor Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq:QCOR)	$1.51 billion	+3.7%
Biogen Idec (Nasdaq:BIIB)	$36.35 billion	-3.5%
Sirona Dental Systems (Nasdaq:SIRO)	$3.15 billion	-3%
Onyx Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq:ONXX)	$5.95 billion	-3%

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Align Technology (Nasdaq:ALGN) is currently trading at $26.62 per share, after a steep drop of 24.8%. The company is currently trading a volume of 12.5 million shares.

Abbott (NYSE:ABT) has fallen 5.6% and is currently trading at $65.18 per share. At 19.9 million shares, the company's volume so far today is 2.4 times the average daily volume.

InterMune (Nasdaq:ITMN) has moved up 4.7% and is currently trading at $9.71 per share. The company's volume for the day so far is 1.4 million shares. This is a sign that there will be less trading activity than there was yesterday.

Questcor Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq:QCOR) has risen 3.7% to hit a current price of $26.23 per share. The company's volume for the day so far is 1.7 million shares, 0.3 times its current three-month average.

Biogen Idec (Nasdaq:BIIB) has decreased to $148.47 per share, a 3.5% fall. This morning, the company is trading a volume of 851,982 shares.

Sirona Dental Systems (Nasdaq:SIRO) is currently trading at a share price of $55.37, a 3% decline. At 649,326 shares, the company's volume so far today is 1.6 times the current daily average.

Falling 3%, Onyx Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq:ONXX) is currently at a share price of $88.61. So far today, the company's volume is 627,716 shares.

The Bottom Line On any given day, a particular stock may see positive or negative change in its share price. Daily stock performance should be weighed against historical performance and put in context of the market overall. Tools like valuation ratios and profit margins, however, are only as useful as the context you put them in; remember to take historical data and competitor performance into account.