Baird bullish on dental stocks for 2022 with Align Technology its top pick
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While Envista Holdings (NVST
-0.2%)was the top performing dental stock of 2021 with a 34% return, Baird says that Align Technology (ALGN
-1.5%) is its top pick in the dental group for 2022.
Align, maker of the Invisalign clear aligner, didn't have a shabby 2021 either. Its return last year was 23%.

"Entering 2022, we believe the group should benefit from improving patient volumes (assuming short-lived Omicron surge) and 3-4% pricing tailwinds, both of which could help global dental market growth improve to 5%+ this year," writes analyst Jeff Johnson and team.
He advises investors not to overlook potential as spending on dental procedures that accelerated in 2021 may go down as consumers spend in other areas such as travel and restaurants.
Johnson is also very bullish on Densply Sirona (XRAY
+1.9%), which he says could have more than 30% upside this year.
He also sees a strong year for Henry Schein (HSIC
-0.2%) due a dental equipment backlog that will persist into 2022.
Last month, Seeking Alpha contributor PatientValueInvestor, who has a bullish rating on Densply Sirona, called it a "high-quality company in the dental space with a track record of growing fundamentals."