8 BioPharma Movers That Cannot Be Ignored

By Chris Lange Published Oct 24, 9:40AM EDT

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Over the past week, a few biotech companies made absolutely massive runs. In the past year, the health care sector was on fire from positive trials, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approvals and mergers and acquisitions. These stocks 24/7 Wall St. has picked stood out from the rest with at least 25% gains over the course of the past week.

We have included information about each company, as well as recent trading activity and the consensus price target.

AbbVie Inc. (NYSE: ABBV) received a warning from the FDA regarding its Viekira Pak and Technivie hepatitis C treatments. It was found that these can cause serious liver injury in patients with underlying advanced liver disease. Over the course of the week, shares fell 14%, and shares are down 23.8% year to date. Shares of AbbVie traded at $50.34 on Friday’s close. The stock has a consensus analyst price target of $74.57 and a 52-week trading range of $45.45 to $71.60.

Gilead Sciences Inc. (NASDAQ: GILD) is banking off the AbbVie loss as it produces and sells the other hepatitis C treatments on the market. Over the course of the week, shares rose 5.9%, and they are up 15% year to date. The stock was at $107.99 on Friday’s close. The consensus analyst price target is $124.25, and the 52-week trading range is $84.95 to $123.37.

Endo International PLC (NASDAQ: ENDP) provided an update on its use of specialty pharmacies on Wednesday, and a majority of its drugs are not distributed using these specialty pharmacies. The broad markets did not receive this well. Over the course of the week, shares fell 22.7%, and they are down nearly 28.7% year to date. The share price ended the week at $56.60. The stock has a consensus price target of $93.47 and a 52-week range of $46.66 to $96.58.

ALSO READ: The Strongest Performing Biotech in 2015 Is a Surprise

Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp. (NASDAQ: SNTA) saw its shares take a dive after it announced that it was giving up on a late-stage clinical trial for its lead lung cancer candidate, ganetespib. Over the course of the week, shares fell 67%. Year to date, they are down nearly 75%. Shares of Synta were at $0.67 on Friday’s close. The consensus price target is $6.00, and the 52-week trading range is $0.55 to $3.44.
Valeant Pharmaceuticals International Inc. (NYSE: VRX) was compared to Enron in a recent research report from Citron Research, a short-selling firm. On this news, shares sank by over 26%. Since then the company has defended itself and its relationship with Philidor, which was questioned in the report, as well as its accounting practices. However, over the week, shares fell 35% and they are down 23% year to date. Shares of Valeant ended the week at $116.16. The stock has a 52-week trading range of $88.50 to $263.81.

Repros Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: RPRX) had a massive share price drop on Wednesday and Thursday on increased volume. Over the course of the week, the stock fell 29%, and shares are down 46% year to date. The stock closed at $5.19 Friday. The consensus analyst price target is $9.00, and the 52-week trading range is $5.03 to $10.72.

ALSO READ: 4 Analyst Stock Picks With 50% to 100% Upside Potential

Relypsa Inc. (NASDAQ: RLYP) announced the approval of its drug Veltassa, which helps to treat fatally high levels of potassium in patients with chronic kidney disease or heart problems. However, along with the approval the company must post a warning label that the drug also binds many other oral drugs, which could potentially decrease their absorption properties and reduce their effectiveness. The warning recommends taking the drug and any other oral medication at least six hours apart. Last week, shares fell 40%, and they are down nearly 62% year to date. The stock closed at $13.80 on Friday. The consensus price target is $41.33. The 52-week range is $10.26 to $42.26.

Ocular Therapeutix Inc. (NASDAQ: OCUL) announced top-line efficacy results from a Phase 3 clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Dextenza (sustained release dexamethasone). However the Dextenza treatment group did not achieve the primary endpoints for conjunctival redness in this trial. As a result, the markets turned sour on this company and shares were down more than 50% in Friday’s session. Over the course of the week, shares fell 56% and they are down 69% year to date. Shares of Ocular were trading at $7.18 on Friday’s close. The stock has a 52-week trading range of $6.75 to $44.19.

ALSO READ: 4 Top Merrill Lynch Dividend-Paying Pharmaceutical Stocks to Buy Now

About the Author Chris Lange →

Chris Lange is a writer for 24/7 Wall St., based in Houston. He has covered financial markets over the past decade with an emphasis on healthcare, tech, and IPOs. During this time, he has published thousands of articles with insightful analysis across these complex fields. Currently, Lange's focus is on military and geopolitical topics.

Lange's work has been quoted or mentioned in Forbes, The New York Times, Business Insider, USA Today, MSN, Yahoo, The Verge, Vice, The Intelligencer, Quartz, Nasdaq, The Motley Fool, Fox Business, International Business Times, The Street, Seeking Alpha, Barron’s, Benzinga, and many other major publications.

A graduate of Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, Lange majored in business with a particular focus on investments. He has previous experience in the banking industry and startups.