Check Out These 3 Top Vaccine Stocks In The Stock Market Today
While some parts of the world look toward post-pandemic life, investors may not want to discount vaccine stocks just yet. Indeed, this part of the stock market today remains relevant as ever throughout the current pandemic. This would be due to numerous variants of concern (VoC) emerging from the initial coronavirus strain globally now. As a result, some of the major names in the vaccine industry now are looking into additional booster shots. The likes of which would serve to bolster immunity towards newer variants.
Furthermore, some of the leading names in the vaccine race also continue to provide positive updates. Just yesterday, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) extended the shelf life of Johnson & Johnson’s (NYSE: JNJ) single-dose vaccine. Namely, JNJ vaccines can now be stored in optimal conditions for up to six months before expiring. Ideally, this would serve to further bolster the company’s momentum on the vaccine front.
At the same time, the recent shift in focus back towards the pandemic is also influencing analyst updates. In particular, analyst Robert LeBoyer from Noble Capital Markets seems to be bullish on Ocugen (NASDAQ: OCGN) now. According to the analyst, the company’s current vaccine manufacturing deal holds promise for several reasons. Mainly, Ocugen’s vaccine candidate, COVAXIN, was developed and tested in India, where the delta variant reportedly originated from, explaining its effectiveness against said variant. It also boasts a shelf life of two years and appears to be effective in populations aged 12 to 91. As such, LeBoyer hit OCGN stock with a street-high price target of $15, more than double its current value. All in all, vaccine stocks appear to be heating up again in the stock market now. Should this have you eager to invest in some yourself, here are three names to watch.
Top Vaccine Stocks To Buy [Or Sell] Ahead Of August 2021
- Pfizer Inc. (NYSE: PFE)
- Moderna Inc. (NASDAQ: MRNA)
- AstraZeneca (NASDAQ: AZN)
Pfizer Inc.
Pfizer is a vaccine company that has been at the center of attention in the last year. The company was the first to receive emergency use authorization (EUA) from the FDA for its coronavirus vaccine. Jointly developed with BioNtech SE (NASDAQ: BNTX), the company has delivered billions of its vaccines worldwide. The company’s mRNA coronavirus vaccine also boasts one of the highest efficacies especially compared to older generation vaccines. PFE stock currently trades at $42.89 as of 12:20 p.m. ET.
On Wednesday, the company reported its second-quarter financials. Revenue for the second quarter was $18.9 billion, reflecting a 92% increase year-over-year. Reported net income for the quarter was $5.56 billion, a 59% increase compared to a year earlier. Also, Pfizer posted diluted earnings per share of $0.98. Notably, vaccine revenue contributed to almost half of the company’s revenue for the quarter, at $9.23 billion. Given the impressive financials, the company has raised its full-year 2021 guidance for revenues to a range of $78 to $80 billion. It also anticipates 2021 revenues of approximately $33.5 billion for its coronavirus virus vaccine and expects to deliver 2.1 billion doses in 2021 undersigned contracts as of mid-July 2021.
Recently, the company also provided an update of its ongoing Phase 1/2/3 booster trial of a third dose of its current coronavirus vaccine. It says that initial safety and immunogenicity data from the study demonstrated that a booster dose given at least 6 months after the second dose has a consistent tolerability profile while eliciting high neutralization titers against the current variants that are plaguing the world. Given how the VoC Delta has been spreading like wildfire and Pfizer’s booster shot possibly being effective against it, will you buy PFE stock?
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Moderna Inc.
Next, we have Moderna, another vaccine company that has taken the world by storm. The company also focuses on advancing mRNA vaccines for a wide variety of applications. Today, it is an enterprise with a diverse clinical portfolio of vaccines and therapeutics across six modalities. With that, Moderna boasts a broad intellectual property portfolio in areas including mRNA, lipid nanoparticle formulation, and an integrated manufacturing plant. MRNA stock currently trades at $343.36 as of 12:20 p.m. ET.
Last week, the company announced that the European Medicines Agency’s (EMA) Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use has adopted a positive opinion recommending Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine to include adolescents 12 years of age and older. With this, Moderna hopes to be able to help get adolescents safely back to school by this fall. Moderna is also conducting a Phase 2/3 study, called the KidCOVE study for its vaccine in children ages 6 months to less than 12 years right now.
On July 22, 2021, the company also announced a new supply agreement with Taiwan for 20 million doses of its coronavirus vaccine and its updated variant booster vaccine candidate, if authorized, to begin delivery in 2022. It will also deliver an additional 15 million doses in 2023. “We thank Taiwan for their support in securing this new agreement to supply in 2022 and 2023 our mRNA COVID-19 vaccine and our updated variant booster candidate if approved,” said Stéphane Bancel, Moderna’s Chief Executive Officer. “We remain committed to making our vaccine available around the world.” With this in mind, will you consider adding MRNA stock to your portfolio?
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AstraZeneca
Another leading name to know in the coronavirus vaccine industry now would be AstraZeneca. The U.K.-based pharmaceutical giant is another key player in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic. Aside from its crucial vaccine division, the company also boasts a wide array of biopharmaceutical pipelines across its portfolio. These range from research in oncology and rare diseases to even cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. For a sense of scale, AstraZeneca currently operates in over 100 countries across the globe. Through all of this, the company caters to millions of patients on an annual basis.
As it stands, AZN stock currently trades at $57.52 as of 12:21 p.m. ET. Despite posting sizable gains of 13% year-to-date, some would argue that AZN stock could still have room to run. Evidently, the company posted solid figures in its second-quarter fiscal earlier today. In short, AstraZeneca raked in total revenue of $8.2 billion for the quarter, marking a 31% year-over-year increase. According to the company, vaccine sales accounted for almost $1 billion worth of revenue. Overall, AstraZeneca reports that it is seeing further pipeline progression across the board and is looking to make the most of its Alexion acquisition. Because of all this, the company seems optimistic about its long-term performance, raising its full-year 2021 growth guidance.
Moreover, AstraZeneca CEO Pascal Soriot provided a key update on the company’s coronavirus vaccine. Earlier today, he highlighted that AstraZeneca is still evaluating the case for a third booster shot with its vaccine now. According to Soriot, the company’s focus on T-cell production when developing their shot plays a crucial role in its current effectiveness against the persistent delta variant. With all that in mind, would you consider AZN stock a top buy now?
