Top Health Care Stocks

JNJ +0.11%

PFE +0.17%

ABT +0.58%

MRK +1.36%

AMGN -0.07%

Health care stocks were mostly higher, with the NYSE Health Care Sector Index adding about 0.5% and shares of health care companies in the S&P 500 ahead about 0.4% as a group.

In company news, Portola Pharmaceuticals ( PTLA ) was see-sawing between small losses and gains, bouncing back from a steeper decline earlier Tuesday after the biotech company reported below-consensus revenue during its July-to-September quarter while its per-share earnings topped analyst estimates.

The company reported a $35.8 million, or $0.86 per share, net loss, almost double its $18.6 million net loss last year but still beating the Capital IQ consensus by $0.06 per share.

Revenue fell 14.3% compared with the same quarter last year to $2.4 million as collaboration income from PTLA's work with Bristol-Myers Squibb Company ( BMY ) and Pfizer ( PFE ), Bayer Pharma and Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Daiichi Sankyo and Lee's Pharmaceuticals slid $400,000 from last year. The Street was looking for $2.63 million in reveneue.

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Health Care Sector Update for 11/11/2014: PTLA, ICUI, ENZY, BMY, PFE