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Best Stocks To Invest In Right Now? 3 Vaccine Stocks For Your List

Could another wave of coronavirus bring another wave of investor interest toward these vaccine stocks?
The post Best Stocks To Invest In Right Now? 3 Vaccine Stocks For Your List appeared first on Stock Market News, Quotes, Charts and Financial Informatio

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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.

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?

vaccine stocks (PFE stock)
Source: TD Ameritrade TOS

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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?

top vaccine stocks (MRNA stock)
Source: TD Ameritrade TOS

[Read More] Top Gaming Stocks To Buy Now? 4 Names To Watch

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?

best vaccine stocks (AZN stock)
Source: TD Ameritrade TOS

The post Best Stocks To Invest In Right Now? 3 Vaccine Stocks For Your List appeared first on Stock Market News, Quotes, Charts and Financial Information | StockMarket.com.

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Angry Shouting Aside, Here’s What Biden Is Running On

Angry Shouting Aside, Here’s What Biden Is Running On

Last night, Joe Biden gave an extremely dark, threatening, angry State of the Union…

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3 hours ago

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March 8, 2024

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Angry Shouting Aside, Here's What Biden Is Running On

Last night, Joe Biden gave an extremely dark, threatening, angry State of the Union address - in which he insisted that the American economy is doing better than ever, blamed inflation on 'corporate greed,' and warned that Donald Trump poses an existential threat to the republic.

But in between the angry rhetoric, he also laid out his 2024 election platform - for which additional details will be released on March 11, when the White House sends its proposed budget to Congress.

To that end, Goldman Sachs' Alec Phillips and Tim Krupa have summarized the key points:

Taxes

While railing against billionaires (nothing new there), Biden repeated the claim that anyone making under $400,000 per year won't see an increase in their taxes.  He also proposed a 21% corporate minimum tax, up from 15% on book income outlined in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), as well as raising the corporate tax rate from 21% to 28% (which would promptly be passed along to consumers in the form of more inflation). Goldman notes that "Congress is unlikely to consider any of these proposals this year, they would only come into play in a second Biden term, if Democrats also won House and Senate majorities."

Biden also called on Congress to restore the pandemic-era child tax credit.

Immigration

Instead of simply passing a slew of border security Executive Orders like the Trump ones he shredded on day one, Biden repeated the lie that Congress 'needs to act' before he can (translation: send money to Ukraine or the US border will continue to be a sieve).

As immigration comes into even greater focus heading into the election, we continue to expect the Administration to tighten policy (e.g., immigration has surged 20pp the last 7 months to first place with 28% in Gallup’s “most important problem” survey). As such, we estimate the foreign-born contribution to monthly labor force growth will moderate from 110k/month in 2023 to around 70-90k/month in 2024. -GS

Ukraine

Biden, with House Speaker Mike Johnson doing his best impression of a bobble-head, urged Congress to pass additional assistance for Ukraine based entirely on the premise that Russia 'won't stop' there (and would what, trigger article 5 and WW3 no matter what?), despite the fact that Putin explicitly told Tucker Carlson he has no further ambitions, and in fact seeks a settlement.

As Goldman estimates, "While there is still a clear chance that such a deal could come together, for now there is no clear path forward for Ukraine aid in Congress."

China

Biden, forgetting about all the aggressive tariffs, suggested that Trump had been soft on China, and that he will stand up "against China's unfair economic practices" and "for peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait."

Healthcare

Lastly, Biden proposed to expand drug price negotiations to 50 additional drugs each year (an increase from 20 outlined in the IRA), which Goldman said would likely require bipartisan support "even if Democrats controlled Congress and the White House," as such policies would likely be ineligible for the budget "reconciliation" process which has been used in previous years to pass the IRA and other major fiscal party when Congressional margins are just too thin.

So there you have it. With no actual accomplishments to speak of, Biden can only attack Trump, lie, and make empty promises.

Tyler Durden Fri, 03/08/2024 - 18:00

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United Airlines adds new flights to faraway destinations

The airline said that it has been working hard to "find hidden gem destinations."

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10 hours ago

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March 8, 2024

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Since countries started opening up after the pandemic in 2021 and 2022, airlines have been seeing demand soar not just for major global cities and popular routes but also for farther-away destinations.

Numerous reports, including a recent TripAdvisor survey of trending destinations, showed that there has been a rise in U.S. traveler interest in Asian countries such as Japan, South Korea and Vietnam as well as growing tourism traction in off-the-beaten-path European countries such as Slovenia, Estonia and Montenegro.

Related: 'No more flying for you': Travel agency sounds alarm over risk of 'carbon passports'

As a result, airlines have been looking at their networks to include more faraway destinations as well as smaller cities that are growing increasingly popular with tourists and may not be served by their competitors.

The Philippines has been popular among tourists in recent years.

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United brings back more routes, says it is committed to 'finding hidden gems'

This week, United Airlines  (UAL)  announced that it will be launching a new route from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) to Morocco's Marrakesh. While it is only the country's fourth-largest city, Marrakesh is a particularly popular place for tourists to seek out the sights and experiences that many associate with the country — colorful souks, gardens with ornate architecture and mosques from the Moorish period.

More Travel:

"We have consistently been ahead of the curve in finding hidden gem destinations for our customers to explore and remain committed to providing the most unique slate of travel options for their adventures abroad," United's SVP of Global Network Planning Patrick Quayle, said in a press statement.

The new route will launch on Oct. 24 and take place three times a week on a Boeing 767-300ER  (BA)  plane that is equipped with 46 Polaris business class and 22 Premium Plus seats. The plane choice was a way to reach a luxury customer customer looking to start their holiday in Marrakesh in the plane.

Along with the new Morocco route, United is also launching a flight between Houston (IAH) and Colombia's Medellín on Oct. 27 as well as a route between Tokyo and Cebu in the Philippines on July 31 — the latter is known as a "fifth freedom" flight in which the airline flies to the larger hub from the mainland U.S. and then goes on to smaller Asian city popular with tourists after some travelers get off (and others get on) in Tokyo.

United's network expansion includes new 'fifth freedom' flight

In the fall of 2023, United became the first U.S. airline to fly to the Philippines with a new Manila-San Francisco flight. It has expanded its service to Asia from different U.S. cities earlier last year. Cebu has been on its radar amid growing tourist interest in the region known for marine parks, rainforests and Spanish-style architecture.

With the summer coming up, United also announced that it plans to run its current flights to Hong Kong, Seoul, and Portugal's Porto more frequently at different points of the week and reach four weekly flights between Los Angeles and Shanghai by August 29.

"This is your normal, exciting network planning team back in action," Quayle told travel website The Points Guy of the airline's plans for the new routes.

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Walmart launches clever answer to Target’s new membership program

The retail superstore is adding a new feature to its Walmart+ plan — and customers will be happy.

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10 hours ago

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March 8, 2024

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It's just been a few days since Target  (TGT)  launched its new Target Circle 360 paid membership plan. 

The plan offers free and fast shipping on many products to customers, initially for $49 a year and then $99 after the initial promotional signup period. It promises to be a success, since many Target customers are loyal to the brand and will go out of their way to shop at one instead of at its two larger peers, Walmart and Amazon.

Related: Walmart makes a major price cut that will delight customers

And stop us if this sounds familiar: Target will rely on its more than 2,000 stores to act as fulfillment hubs. 

This model is a proven winner; Walmart also uses its more than 4,600 stores as fulfillment and shipping locations to get orders to customers as soon as possible.

Sometimes, this means shipping goods from the nearest warehouse. But if a desired product is in-store and closer to a customer, it reduces miles on the road and delivery time. It's a kind of logistical magic that makes any efficiency lover's (or retail nerd's) heart go pitter patter. 

Walmart rolls out answer to Target's new membership tier

Walmart has certainly had more time than Target to develop and work out the kinks in Walmart+. It first launched the paid membership in 2020 during the height of the pandemic, when many shoppers sheltered at home but still required many staples they might ordinarily pick up at a Walmart, like cleaning supplies, personal-care products, pantry goods and, of course, toilet paper. 

It also undercut Amazon  (AMZN)  Prime, which costs customers $139 a year for free and fast shipping (plus several other benefits including access to its streaming service, Amazon Prime Video). 

Walmart+ costs $98 a year, which also gets you free and speedy delivery, plus access to a Paramount+ streaming subscription, fuel savings, and more. 

An employee at a Merida, Mexico, Walmart. (Photo by Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Jeff Greenberg/Getty Images

If that's not enough to tempt you, however, Walmart+ just added a new benefit to its membership program, ostensibly to compete directly with something Target now has: ultrafast delivery. 

Target Circle 360 particularly attracts customers with free same-day delivery for select orders over $35 and as little as one-hour delivery on select items. Target executes this through its Shipt subsidiary.

We've seen this lightning-fast delivery speed only in snippets from Amazon, the king of delivery efficiency. Who better to take on Target, though, than Walmart, which is using a similar store-as-fulfillment-center model? 

"Walmart is stepping up to save our customers even more time with our latest delivery offering: Express On-Demand Early Morning Delivery," Walmart said in a statement, just a day after Target Circle 360 launched. "Starting at 6 a.m., earlier than ever before, customers can enjoy the convenience of On-Demand delivery."

Walmart  (WMT)  clearly sees consumers' desire for near-instant delivery, which obviously saves time and trips to the store. Rather than waiting a day for your order to show up, it might be on your doorstep when you wake up. 

Consumers also tend to spend more money when they shop online, and they remain stickier as paying annual members. So, to a growing number of retail giants, almost instant gratification like this seems like something worth striving for.

Related: Veteran fund manager picks favorite stocks for 2024

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