Health-conscious trend may supplement growth for vitamin retailers, says Turner Investments commentary

BERWYN, Pa.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Whether it’s Vitamin C to ward off a cold or fish oil for a fit heart, consumers are increasingly looking to vitamins and dietary supplements in pursuit of a healthy lifestyle. And according to the latest Sector Focus commentary from Turner Investments, that’s likely to mean steady sales and earnings growth for stores that specialize in selling vitamins or supplements, especially GNC Holdings and Vitamin Shoppe.

“It may seem counterintuitive as the nation contends with health problems like obesity and heart disease, but healthy living is en vogue. The use of vitamins and supplements is spreading as inexorably as the zombie virus on the AMC-cable show The Walking Dead.”

Titled Health-conscious consumers pep up vitamin and supplement sales, the piece was written by the four Turner analysts who cover the health-care sector: Heather McMeekin, portfolio manager/global equity analyst; Vijay Shankaran, senior portfolio manager/global equity analyst; Frank Sustersic, senior portfolio manager/global equity analyst; and Theresa Tran, global equity analyst. Turner Investments, based in Berwyn, Pennsylvania, publishes Sector Focus commentaries monthly as part of the continuing efforts of its five teams of security analysts to monitor market sectors for its growth-stock portfolios.

According to the analysts, “It may seem counterintuitive as the nation contends with health problems like obesity and heart disease, but healthy living is en vogue. The use of vitamins and supplements is spreading as inexorably as the zombie virus on the AMC-cable show The Walking Dead.”

The analysts note that consumer demand for vitamins and supplements is spread across all age groups, from baby boomers, who take dietary supplements to prevent degenerative diseases and costly medical procedures, to their younger counterparts in the millennial generation (those born after 1980), who are highly health conscious.

To read this February 2013 Sector Focus in its entirety, click on this link to the Turner Investments Web site: www.turnerinvestments.com/health-care. Or call 484.329.2407 for a free copy of the piece.

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Turner Investments, founded in 1990, is an investment firm based in Berwyn, Pennsylvania. As of December 31, 2012, we managed more than $10 billion in growth, global/international, and long/short investment portfolios in stocks to both institutions and individuals.

As of January 31, 2013, Turner held in client accounts 1.7 million shares of GNC Holdings and 680,789 shares of Vitamin Shoppe.