4 More Biotech Stocks to Buy, With Up to 200% Upside

By Lee Jackson Updated Nov 21, 12:39PM EST · Published Nov 21, 8:50AM EST

Follow 24/7 Wall St. on Google

This post may contain links from our sponsors and affiliates, and Flywheel Publishing may receive compensation for actions taken through them.

As the Stifel health care conference continues to roll along, the analysts are getting more and more data on the top companies they cover, and many have exciting clinical and regulatory news to present to investors. With tremendous attendance, and many of the smaller companies with huge potential presenting, the Stifel team has been diligent in disseminating the data and presentations, and recapping fast for clients.

On Thursday, we also profiled four stocks from the Stifel conference with big upside. Stifel posts four more stocks that it rates Buy that have incredible upside potential. It is important to remember that these stock selections are very prone to volatility and only suitable for the most aggressive accounts.

Conatus Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: CNAT) is developing its lead compound, emricasan, for the treatment of patients with chronic liver disease and acute exacerbations of chronic liver disease, and it is currently conducting five Phase 2 clinical trials in these various liver disease patient populations. The Stifel team believes that the company will present solid visibility into late stage emricasan development plans throughout next year.

The Stifel price target for the stock is $13. The Thomson/First Call consensus target is higher at $15.83, and shares closed Thursday at $6.96. Trading to the Stifel target would be a huge 86% gain for shareholders.

ALSO READ: 4 Gold Stocks That Can Easily Survive Lower Gold Prices

Loxo Oncology Inc. (NASDAQ: LOXO) develops targeted small molecule therapeutics for the treatment of cancer in genetically defined patient populations. Loxo’s development approach translates key scientific insights relating to the oncogenic drivers of cancer into drugs that are potent and highly selective for their intended targets. This approach is intended to allow for the development of drugs with a high probability of clinical success while reducing the time, costs and risks of drug development. Stifel feels that the company’s LOXO-101 drug could be the best-in-class pan-TRK inhibitor and also sees a string of positive potential catalysts in 2015.

The Stifel price target is $20, and the consensus is set at $21. Shares closed on Thursday at $10.70, so trading to the Stifel target would be a magnificent 87% gain.

Ocera Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: OCRX) is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on acute and chronic orphan liver diseases. The company’s lead product, OCR-002, is an ammonia scavenger and has been granted orphan drug designation and fast track status by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of hyperammonemia and resultant hepatic encephalopathy in patients with acute liver failure and acute-on-chronic liver disease. The Stifel analysts continue to believe that Ocera’s current valuation is vastly underestimating the $500 million to $600 million new market opportunity in the acute care space that the product addresses.

The Stifel price objective is $17, the same as the consensus target. Shares closed on Thursday at $5.31. Trading to the target would be an incredible 218% gain.

Tekmira Pharmaceuticals Corp.‘s (NASDAQ: TKMR) LNP technology represents the most widely adopted delivery technology for the systemic delivery of RNAi triggers. The platform is being utilized in multiple clinical trials by Tekmira and its partners. The company recently announced a $2.5 million licensing and collaboration agreement with Dicerna Pharmaceuticals. Tekmira has licensed its proprietary lipid nanoparticle delivery technology for exclusive use in Dicerna’s primary hyperoxaluria type 1 development program. The company is also diligently working on an Ebola vaccine the targets the Guinea strain, which is responsible for the outbreak in West Africa.

Tekmira is holding its analysts day Friday, and the Stifel price target is $26. The consensus target is even higher at $29. Shares ended Thursday at $16.11. Hitting the Stifel target would be a 61% gain.

ALSO READ: UBS Spotlights 4 Top Software Stocks to Buy

Clearly there is huge upside for aggressive investors. There is also the potential for huge downside if things go wrong. Again, these stocks are only for hyper-aggressive trading accounts that can deal with volatility and principal fluctuations.

About the Author Lee Jackson →

Lee Jackson has covered Wall Street analysts' equity and debt research and equity strategy daily for 24/7 Wall St. since 2012. His broad and diverse career, which included a stint as the creative services director at the NBC affiliate in Austin, Texas, gives him unique insight into the financial industry and world.

Lee Jackson's journey in the financial industry spans over 30 years, with nearly two decades as an institutional equity salesperson at Bear Stearns, Lehman Brothers, and Morgan Stanley. His career was marked by his presence on the sell side during pivotal Wall Street events, from the dot.com rise and bubble to the Long Term Capital Management debacle, 9/11, and the Great Recession of 2008. This is a testament to his resilience and adaptability in the face of market volatility.

Lee Jackson’s practical financial industry experience, acquired from a career at some of the biggest banks and brokerage firms, is complemented by a lifetime of writing on various platforms. This unique combination allows him to shed light on the intricacies and workings of Wall Street in a way that only someone with deep insider experience and knowledge can. Moreover, his extensive network across Wall Street continues to provide direct access for him and 24/7 Wall St., a privilege few firms enjoy.

Since 2012, Jackson’s work for 24/7 Wall St. has been featured in Barron’s, Yahoo Finance, MarketWatch, Business Insider, TradingView, Real Money, The Street, Seeking Alpha, Benzinga, and other media outlets. He attended the prestigious Cranbrook Schools in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, and has a degree in broadcasting from the Specs Howard School of Media Arts.