4 Pharmaceutical Stocks To Check Out In February 2022
The lingering concerns over the Omicron variant has had some major impacts on the stock market over the past few months. While initial studies are showing that this variant could be less severe than its predecessors, the rate at which it is spreading is still alarming. Even though the current market sentiment could deter you from investing, there’s no denying that there are plenty of opportunities to be found among top pharmaceutical stocks in the stock market today.
It’s no secret that the pharmaceutical industry is huge. Not only could it advance the quality of life for many patients, but it could also create fresh opportunities for investors. After all, we all could guess what companies might be best positioned to thrive during a serious outbreak of an infectious disease. And that is none other than vaccine companies. As of earlier today, Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) reported that its fourth-quarter revenue more than doubled year-over-year to $23.84 billion, driven by $12.5 billion in sales of its Covid vaccine. What’s more, the company expects to generate record-high revenue in 2022. In detail, it expects to sell $32 billion of its Covid-19 shots and $22 billion of its antiviral coronavirus treatment pill Paxlovid this year.
Elsewhere, Amgen (NASDAQ: AMGN) yesterday reported its quarterly earnings that beat Wall Street targets. It also recently announced a new research collaboration with Plexium to identify novel targeted protein degradation therapeutics in cancer and other diseases. In other news, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has finally given full approval for Moderna’s (NASDAQ: MRNA) Covid-19 vaccine for those above the age of 18. This marks the second fully approved Covid-19 vaccine in the U.S. Given the developments in the pharmaceutical space, here are 4 pharmaceutical stocks to watch in the stock market right now.
Pharmaceutical Stocks To Buy [Or Sell] This Week
- Bristol Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY)
- Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY)
- Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE: MRK)
- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: REGN)
Bristol Myers Squibb
Bristol Myers Squibb, or BMY for short, is among the largest pharmaceutical firms in the world today. In essence, its portfolio includes a broad variety of disease areas. Namely, these include oncology, cardiovascular, fibrosis, and others. The company’s top selling drugs are Eliquis (apixaban), Opdivo (nivolumab), and Orencia (abatacept). The three of which make up a sizable chunk of the firm’s revenue.
Last Friday, the company posted slightly better than expected fourth-quarter earnings. In brief, BMY brought in revenues of $12 billion for the quarter, up 8% from last year. These revenues were strongly driven by apixaban, which is an anticoagulant medication, and new product portfolios.
Besides that, GAAP earnings per share for the quarter were $1.07. Overall, BMY says a robust commercial execution and a significant advancement of the company’s pipeline drove the strong sales for the quarter. With that in mind, does BMY stock pique your interest?
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Eli Lilly and Company
Another goliath in the pharmaceutical industry is Eli Lilly and Company (LLY). The leading drug manufacturing firm has operations that span across the globe. For a sense of scale, the company has offices in 18 countries while its products are sold in approximately 125 countries. In brief, the company’s portfolio includes treatments for various diseases including diabetes, cancer, endocrine-related illnesses, and COVID-19 to name a few. Last week, LLY reported solid fourth-quarter financial results.
Jumping into it, revenue for the quarter was $8 billion, an 8% growth compared to a year ago. Moving along, reported earnings per share for the quarter was $1.90. Financials aside, the company is also proud of its recent late-stage pipeline success with two of its drugs. Specifically, this refers to the lebrikizumab and mirikizumab drugs which LLY hopes will set up the next wave of innovative medicine for its patients.
In January, LLY announced its plans to invest over $1 billion to create a new manufacturing site, along with nearly 600 new jobs in Concord, North Carolina. The brand-new facility will utilize the latest technology to manufacture products and devices and increase the company’s manufacturing capacity. Given these exciting developments, should you invest in LLY stock?
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Merck
Next up, we have Merck, a legacy pharmaceutical company with over 130 years of being in the industry. The company has brought life-saving medicines and vaccines to countless people around the globe. Merck has also been at the frontlines of many of the world’s most daunting diseases. The pharmaceutical company uses advanced gene-editing technologies and discovers unique ways to treat these diseases. Also last week, Merck reported its most recent quarterly earnings.
Revenues for the quarter were $13.5 billion, an impressive 24% year-over-year increase. Full-year revenue for the year was $48.7 billion, up by 17% compared to a year ago. Accordingly, its GAAP earnings per share in the past quarter was $1.51. For its 2022 outlook, the company expects total revenue to be between $56.1 billion and $57.6 billion.
Merck also said recently that it is also on track to produce at least 20 million courses of molnupiravir, its investigational oral antiviral Covid-19 medicine, in 2022. This will provide widespread access to the drug to support the global fight against the pandemic. All in all, would you be watching MRK stock?
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Regeneron Pharmaceuticals
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals is a leading biotechnology company that creates life-transforming medicines for people with serious diseases. With over 30 years of experience, the company has already bagged nine FDA-approved treatments and a number of product candidates in development. In detail, its medicines and pipeline help patients with eye diseases, allergic and inflammatory diseases, cancer, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, and infectious diseases. On February 4, Regeneron announced earnings for its fourth quarter.
The company’s revenues increased by 104% to $4.95 billion from the same quarter last year. Notably, the company’s Covid-19 antibody cocktail REGEN-COV contributed $2.30 billion in revenue during the quarter. Following that, the reported GAAP net income was $2.2 billion, a 94% increase year-over-year. Accordingly, diluted earnings per share were $23.72, an impressive 148% increase. The firm delivered strong results across its core business as well as impressive EYLEA (aflibercept) and Dupixent (dupilumab) growth.
For 2022, the company plans to focus on building upon the success of its aflibercept drug and expand approval and patient reach for dupilumab. Regeneron is also working hard to develop next generation antibodies against Omicron and all other variants of concern. Considering the impressive quarter, is REGN stock a buy?
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