Stock Picks: Healthcare, Clinical Labs and More

With stocks sharply lower today, shareholders need to protect their portfolios.

So what are some of the best defensive stock picks? CNBC asked the experts.

Healthcare Bargains

“I think the significant underperformance in the group -– you might call it damaged care instead of managed care -– has presented great opportunity. The Humana upgrade was a great call; that’s one of our favorite stocks. We think it could double in the next year.”

- Charles Boorady, Citigroup Healthcare Providers Analyst

Boorady also recommends: Health Net, WellPoint, Aetna and Healthspring.

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Scary market? Turn to CNBC's experts:

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Stocks for the Long-Term

“What we’re focused on in our firm is long-term investing, so we’re looking for companies that have great cyclical growth characteristics, regardless of the short-term economy. Blue Nile has that. They're taking massive share from their competition, and that’s because the online business model is just better than the offline model."

- Michael Lippert, Baron iOpportunity Portfolio Manager

Lippert also recommends: Equinix.
(Contd.)

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Recession-Proof Healthcare Picks

“I think some of the more defensive areas … would be areas like clinical labs, so a company I really like is Lab Corp. , as they’ll continue to benefit as lab tests are very stable, and I think the pricing outlook is stable there also.”

- Adam Feinstein, Lehman Brothers Analyst