Patterson Companies, Inc. PDCO is well-poised for growth backed by strength in dental segment and strong prospects in Animal Health. However, rising operating expenses remain a concern.Shares of this Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) company gained 19% compared with the industry’s rally of 19.3% in the past year. The S&P 500 Index has risen 32.3% in the same time frame.Patterson Companies — with a market capitalization of $3.23 billion — is one of the leading distributors of dental and animal health products. It anticipates earnings to improve 9.6% over the next five years. The company has a trailing four-quarter earnings surprise 16.1%, on average.Key CatalystsPatterson Companies is expected to benefit from gradual recovery in the dental market and rebounding dental equipment business (especially in North America), supported by increased technology marketing/promotional activities.Per management, the company remains optimistic about serving a strong and stable dental end market.In first-quarter fiscal 2022, the segment surged 41% year over year, driven by better-than-expected growth in consumables, equipment and software and value-added service categories. Uptick in internal sales included robust growth in consumables, and equipment and software.Image Source: Zacks Investment ResearchPatterson Companies' growing Animal Health unit is a key long-term growth driver. In the fiscal first quarter of 2022, the segment registered growth of 23.5% on the back of solid internal sales growth and increase in internal sales in Companion Animal business.The segment gained from rise in pet adoptions and increased attention to pets. Per the first-quarter fiscal 2022 earnings call, the Companion Animal market continues to flourish and is poised to gain from the long-term tailwinds of higher pet ownership and pet expenditure, and the faster-than-expected production animal market recovery.Patterson Companies is well-positioned to leverage the incremental growth opportunity in this space on the back of comprehensive sales and support infrastructure, and the value it brings to its veterinary consumers daily.Factor Hurting the StockRise in operating expenses remains a headwind for Patterson Companies. Persistent increase in expenses can weigh on the company’s margins.Estimates TrendPatterson Companies has been witnessing an upward estimate revision trend for 2022. In the past 90 days, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for its earnings has moved north by 1% to $2.03.The Zacks Consensus Estimate for fiscal second-quarter 2022 revenues is pegged at $1.58 billion, suggesting growth of 1.9% from the year-ago reported number.Stocks to ConsiderSome better-ranked stocks in the broader medical space include Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. TMO, McKesson Corporation MCK and AngioDynamics, Inc. ANGO.Thermo Fisher surpassed earnings estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 9.02%. The company currently carries a Zacks Rank of 2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.Thermo Fisher’s long-term earnings growth rate is estimated at 14%. The company’s earnings yield of 3.7% compares favorably with the industry’s (3.6%).McKesson beat earnings estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 19.9%. The company currently carries a Zacks Rank #2.McKesson’s long-term earnings growth rate is estimated at 8.9%. The company’s earnings yield of 9.9% compares favorably with the industry’s 3.2%.AngioDynamics surpassed earnings estimates in three of the trailing four quarters and missed once, the average surprise being 125.6%. The company currently carries a Zacks Rank #2.AngioDynamics’ consensus mark for revenues for fiscal 2022 stands at $313.3 million, suggesting an improvement of 7.7% from the prior-year reported figure. The company’s earnings yield of 0.1% compares favorably with the industry’s (3.6%). 5 Stocks Set to Double Each was handpicked by a Zacks expert as the #1 favorite stock to gain +100% or more in 2021. Previous recommendations have soared +143.0%, +175.9%, +498.3% and +673.0%. Most of the stocks in this report are flying under Wall Street radar, which provides a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor.Today, See These 5 Potential Home Runs >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report AngioDynamics, Inc. (ANGO): Free Stock Analysis Report Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (TMO): Free Stock Analysis Report McKesson Corporation (MCK): Free Stock Analysis Report Patterson Companies, Inc. (PDCO): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research