3 Humongous Health-Care Stocks This Week

Do 12% and higher returns in one week sound good to you? That's the cut-off level for the humongous health-care stocks for this week. Let's find out which three stocks made the list and how they did it.

Given an opportunity
When given an opportunity, take it. Given Imaging (NAS: GIVN) certainly has. The stock for this gastrointestinal diagnostic products maker jumped 22% this week, following the company's announcement that it would look at the potential for a sale or merger.

Based on the wording of the company's press release, Given probably won't have to look too hard for interested parties. The company stated that, "A number of parties" have expressed preliminary interest.

Given's current market cap stands near $567 million. Several bigger players could easily afford to buy the company. For example, GE (NYS: GE) shows over $74 billion in cash and equivalents on its balance sheet. The company's health-care division is a major player in the medical diagnostic systems market. Given could be a good fit within the division's product line.

Siemens (NYS: SI) is another large player that could entertain an acquisition. The German conglomerate, like GE, maintains a significant presence in the health-care diagnostic systems market. With cash and equivalents of $15.5 billion, it wouldn't have any problems funding a buyout of Given.

Double double-digit wins
Our next big health-tech winner this week, Aegeron Pharmaceuticals (NAS: AEGR) , experienced two different double-digit wins over the last few days. One of those wins was with its stock. Shares soared nearly 13% during the week.

This increase resulted from another double-digit win. The FDA advisory committee voted to approve the company's drug lomitapide by a 13-2 margin. Shares had been trending upward earlier in the week prior to the committee's decision.

Everything wasn't all sunshine and roses, though. The committee noted some safety issues that could be of concern when the FDA reviews the drug. Perhaps because of these worries, Aegeron shares fell a little at the end of the week. However, this decline wasn't nearly enough to erase solid gains for the full week.

Special delivery
Unilife (NAS: UNIS) matched Aegeron's stock performance very closely. Shares jumped nearly 13% this week.

The drug delivery systems supplier announced two new products this week. Its Depo-Ject platform enables physicians to target the delivery of a drug depot into a certain area of the body. The Ocu-Ject platform supports delivery of very small doses of drugs to the eye.

While this week was a good one for Unilife, the stock has a long way to go to make up lost ground. Shares fell nearly 50% over the past year.

Moment in the sun
These three stocks deserve their moment in the sun for humongous returns this week. But in the world of health care, these gains can be, well, momentary. The big gainers this week can quickly become big losers soon after.

My pick to bask in the sunshine for a while is Given Imaging. The process of finding an acquirer, and finalizing an agreement, could take a while. Given's shares could continue to rise, especially if multiple parties bid against each other.

Investors should take a closer look at Given. Maybe you can even have your own moment in the sun.

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The article 3 Humongous Health-Care Stocks This Week originally appeared on Fool.com.

Keith Speights has no positions in the stocks mentioned above. The Motley Fool owns shares of General Electric Company. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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