Aquinox Pharma Continues to Impress Investors

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By Chris Lange Published
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Aquinox Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: AQXP) has made an absolutely ridiculous run in the past week alone. The stock closed at $1.79 on August 6, and since that time has risen to above the $20 mark. That is a whopping 1,182% increase in just a week! As 24/7 Wall St. has previously noted, this stock is a day trader’s dream.

What initially effected the change was that the company announced results from its Phase 2 Leadership trial with AQX-1125 in patients with bladder pain syndrome/interstitial cystitis. Aquinox also provided a general business update and reported financial results for the second quarter, ending June 30, 2015.

In terms of its financial results, the company had cash, cash equivalents and investments totaling $29.0 million at the end of the second quarter, compared to $41.1 million at the end of December 2014. At the same time, the net loss was $4.8 million, compared to a net loss of $5.4 million for the second quarter of 2014. This decline in net loss reflected the decrease in research and development expenses.

Aquinox reported top line results from its Leadership trial on June 25, 2015, that did not reach statistical significance in its primary endpoint. However, the results demonstrated an encouraging trend in pain reduction for patients treated with AQX-1125, as compared to the placebo.

In a recent SEC filing, a firm has stepped forth and announced nearly a 40% stake in Aquinox. Baker Bros. Advisors announced ownership of about 4.27 million shares, which totals an impressive 39.8% ownership. Aquinox had a total of roughly 10.73 million shares of common stock outstanding as of August 5, 2015. At current prices this stake would be valued at $178 million.

ALSO READ: JPMorgan Has Favorite Biotech Stocks to Buy for Rest of 2015

As of the most recent settlement date, Aquinox saw its short interest drop to 9,861, with one day to cover, from the previous level of 23,868, with one day to cover.

Shares of Aquinox were up 8.3% at $21.97 Friday morning. The stock has a consensus analyst price target of $8.67 and a 52-week trading range of $1.38 to $55.75.

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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.

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