Best Biotech Stocks To Watch For 2019

tags:ALNY,ARQL,AMGN,BIIB, What

Shares of ImmunoGen (NASDAQ:IMGN) are up 10.4% at 3:10 p.m. EDT on no apparent news. Most likely, shares of the highly volatile biotech are up as investors jump in ahead of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting set to start tomorrow.

So what

In an abstract for ASCO that was released earlier this month, ImmunoGen disclosed data from the phase 1b/2 Forward II trial testing its lead drug, mirvetuximab soravtansine, in combination with a variety of other cancer medications.

In 23 ovarian cancer patients with medium or high expression of FRalpha, which mirvetuximab soravtansine targets, treatment with mirvetuximab soravtansine plus Roche's Avastin produced an overall response rate (ORR) of 48% with a median duration of response of 10.6 months. That's not bad considering these patients could have failed up to three previous treatments.

Image source: Getty Images.

Best Biotech Stocks To Watch For 2019: Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc.(ALNY)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Brian Orelli]

  Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ALNY) released first-quarter results last week, but all eyes were looking forward as the company waits for a potential approval of its hereditary TTR amyloidosis (ATTR) drug, patisiran.

• [By Motley Fool Staff]

  Alnylam's (NASDAQ:ALNY) Onpattro is the first Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved RNAi therapy. However, competition is fast approaching and could make it difficult for Alnylam to pocket profits. Can Onpattro carve out significant sales as a treatment for polyneuropathy in hereditary transthyretin-mediated (hATTR) amyloidosis?

• [By Ethan Ryder]

  Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ALNY) was downgraded by stock analysts at ValuEngine from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report released on Tuesday.

• [By Logan Wallace]

  Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ALNY) was downgraded by analysts at Zacks Investment Research from a hold rating to a sell rating. According to Zacks, “Although Alnylam has a broad and promising pipeline, we note that most candidates are in mid stages of development. These candidates still have a long way to go before hitting the market. The company relies highly on collaborators for funding. Any development/regulatory setback would be a negative for the company.  However, Alnylam reported positive data from the ATLAS study in the first quarter which led to regulatory filings for its late-stage pipeline candidate patisiran and the FDA set an action date of Aug 11, 2018. The company along with its partners Sanofi and The Medicines Company, restarted fitusiran's ATLAS phase III study and advanced inclisiran in the ORION-9, -10, and -11 phase III studies, respectively, with results expected for both programs in 2019. Alnylam expects to achieve the profile of three marketed products by the end of 2020.”

• [By Sean Williams, Chuck Saletta, and Brian Feroldi]

  So, which biotech stocks should you consider buying in June? That's a question we posed to three of our healthcare-focused investors. Interestingly enough, mid-cap biotech stocks are the clear flavor of the month. If biotech is on your radar in June, our investors suggest you consider Ionis Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:IONS), Spark Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ONCE), and Alnylam Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:ALNY).

Best Biotech Stocks To Watch For 2019: ArQule Inc.(ARQL)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Joseph Griffin]

  ValuEngine upgraded shares of ArQule (NASDAQ:ARQL) from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report released on Tuesday.

  Several other equities analysts have also issued reports on ARQL. Zacks Investment Research upgraded ArQule from a hold rating to a buy rating and set a $2.50 price objective for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 20th. BidaskClub upgraded ArQule from a buy rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report on Saturday, March 24th. B. Riley set a $4.00 price objective on ArQule and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Monday, March 26th. Leerink Swann upgraded ArQule from a market perform rating to an outperform rating in a research report on Thursday, April 5th. Finally, Roth Capital boosted their price objective on ArQule from $5.00 to $6.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. The company has a consensus rating of Buy and a consensus target price of $5.35.

• [By Max Byerly]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on ArQule (ARQL)

  For more information about research offerings from Zacks Investment Research, visit Zacks.com

• [By Maxx Chatsko]

  Shares of ArQule (NASDAQ:ARQL) rose over 70% today after the company reported full-year 2018 operating results and provided full-year 2019 guidance. That said, investors are probably used to wild swings in the stock price by now. The development-stage pharma didn't turn in a particularly impressive performance last year. Management expects revenue to drop significantly in the year ahead as collaboration revenue dries up, which will also widen operating losses.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  ArQule, Inc. (NASDAQ:ARQL)’s share price rose 6.2% during trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $5.21 and last traded at $5.15. Approximately 955,706 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 23% from the average daily volume of 1,244,948 shares. The stock had previously closed at $4.85.

Best Biotech Stocks To Watch For 2019: Amgen Inc.(AMGN)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  PNC Financial Services Group Inc. trimmed its stake in Amgen, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMGN) by 0.3% during the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 2,120,853 shares of the medical research company’s stock after selling 6,484 shares during the quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc.’s holdings in Amgen were worth $391,489,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

• [By Todd Campbell]

  Neulasta has been one of Amgen's (NASDAQ:AMGN) crown jewels for years, but following FDA approval of Mylan's (NASDAQ:MYL) Neulasta biosimilar this week, Amgen could see Neulasta's revenue slow to a trickle. Is Mylan about to deliver a big blow to Amgen's market share? Read on to find out what's at stake for these companies and their investors.

• [By Keith Speights]

  The way to determine where a puck is going to be requires evaluating its direction and speed. I used a similar approach to identify five stocks with fast-growing dividends: Boeing (NYSE:BA), Amgen (NASDAQ:AMGN), CVS Health (NYSE:CVS), Texas Instruments (NASDAQ:TXN), and AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV). Here's why these stocks could be great picks for dividend-seeking investors.

• [By Stephan Byrd]

  Get a free copy of the Zacks research report on Amgen (AMGN)

  For more information about research offerings from Zacks Investment Research, visit Zacks.com

• [By Todd Campbell]

  When a brand new class of cholesterol-lowering drugs called PCSK9 inhibitors won Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval in 2015, it was heralded as the biggest advance in battling heart disease since the invention of statins. The launch of PCSK9 inhibitors was accompanied by billion-dollar-plus predictions for sales. However, revenue has fallen far shy of blockbuster status, leaving drugmakers Amgen Inc. (NASDAQ:AMGN), Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:REGN), and Sanofi SA (NYSE:SNY) in the lurch.

Best Biotech Stocks To Watch For 2019: Biogen Idec Inc(BIIB)

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Garrett Baldwin]
  Shares of Ford Motor Co. (NYSE: F) were flat despite dismal news out of China. This morning, the company reported a 38% slump in Chinese sales during the month of June. It was a terrible first six months for the iconic vehicle manufacturer. The company said that its Chinese operations saw a 25% slide in sales over the first half of the year. That was the largest six-month decline since launching its Chinese operations in 2001. Shares of Tesla Inc. (Nasdaq: TSLA) are off more than 1% after California regulators announced a new probe into the company. The probe was announced following a safety complaint filed with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The agency has not provided any details on the case. Shares of Biogen Inc. (Nasdaq: BIIB) popped more than 14% after the company announced positive results from a trial for an Alzheimer's drug. The phase 2 study examined BAN2401, an anti-amyloid beta protofibril antibody. It was tested on 856 patients with early stages of Alzheimer's disease. In a research note, JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) announced that the results would be positive for Biogen's drug pipeline. Look for an earnings report Friday from InnerWorkings Inc. (Nasdaq: INWK). Wall Street projects that the company will report earnings per share of $0.09 on top of $284.9 million in revenue.

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• [By Jim Crumly]

  As for individual stocks, Biogen (NASDAQ:BIIB) announced it's buying Nightstar Therapeutics (NASDAQ:NITE), and Village Farms International (NASDAQ:VFF) is launching an effort to enter the U.S. hemp market.

• [By Lee Jackson]

  This large-cap biotech will partner with Samsung Bioepis in the biosimilar world. Biogen Inc. (NASDAQ: BIIB) discovers, develops and delivers to patients worldwide innovative therapies for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, hematologic conditions and autoimmune disorders. Founded in 1978, Biogen is one of the world's oldest independent biotech companies, and patients worldwide benefit from its leading multiple sclerosis (MS) and innovative hemophilia therapies.