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3 shares trade at the lowest prices; Analysts say ‘buy’
A new year, a new addition to the equity portfolio – what’s more meaningful than that? The right time to buy, of course, is when stocks are priced at the bottom. Buying low and selling high can be a bit daunting, but it’s true, and the truth has lasting power, but the markets are up. The NASDAQ rose 43% in 2020, and the S&P 500 showed a 16% gain. In such a market environment, it is more difficult to find stocks that are caught. This is where Wall Street pros can lend a hand. We used the TipRanks database to list three stocks that fit a profile: a stock price that has fallen more than 30% over the past twelve months, but with at least a double-digit upside potential, according to analysts. Not to mention, each has achieved a moderate or strong buy consensus rating. Esperion (ESPR) We will start with Esperion, a company that specializes in therapies for the treatment of elevated low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels – a major factor contributing to heart disease. The company’s main product, bempedoic acid, is now available in tablet form under the brands Nexletol and Nexlizet. In February 2020, Nexletol and Nexlizet were approved as oral treatments to lower LDL-C. Bempedoic acid remains in clinical trials on its effectiveness in reducing risks of cardiovascular disease. The trial, called CLEAR Outcomes, is a large-scale long-term study that tracks more than 14,000 patients with peak data expected in the second half of 2022. The study covers 1,400 sites in 32 countries around the world. reached a peak last February after FDA approval, but since then the stock has fallen. Shares have declined by 65% since their peak. Along with the decline in share value, the company showed a decline in revenue from Q2 to Q3, with the top line collapsing from $ 212 million to $ 3.8 million. Since the Q3 report, Esperion has announced the price of a $ 250 million offer of senior subordinate notes, at 4%, in 2025. The offer gives the company a boost in the available capital for further work on its development pipeline and its marketing efforts for bempedoic acid. .Chad Messer, who covers ESPR for Needham, views the note offering as a positive net for Esperion. “We believe that this cash position will be sufficient to support Esperion until 2021 and to profitability in 2022 … We believe that this financing should help allay concerns about Esperion’s balance sheet. Despite a challenging launch for NEXLETOL and NEXLIZET, product growth in 3Q continued against the backdrop of a contracting LDL-C market. This growth path indicates the potential for rapid acceleration when conditions improve, “Messer wrote. To this end, Messer considers ESPR shares a strong buy, and its price target, at $ 158, indicates that the share may grow strongly this year. have – up to 481% of current levels. (Click here to see Messers’ record. Overall, Esperion has 6 recent reviews on record, with a breakdown of 5 Buys and 1 Hold to give the stock a strong buyout of the analyst’s. trading at $ 27.16 has an average price target of $ 63.33, implying an upward one-year high of 133% (see ESPR stock analysis on TipRanks) Intercept Pharma (ICPT Liver disease is a serious health threat and Intercept Pharma is focusing on developing treatments for some of the more dangerous chronic liver conditions, including non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and primary bile duct (PBC). Intercept has a research pipeline based on FXR, a regulator of bile acid pathways in the liver system. FXR’s action affects not only the bile acid metabolism but also the glucose and lipid metabolisms, as well as inflammation and fibrosis around the liver. The lead compound, obeticholic acid (OCA), is an analogue of the bile acid CDCA and as such may play a role in the FXR pathways and receptors involved in chronic liver disease. The treatment of liver diseases by FXR biology is directly applicable to PBC and shows a promise for the treatment of complications of NASH. ICPT shares fell sharply last summer when the FDA rejected the application for OCA for the treatment of NASH-related liver fibrosis. This slows down the potential entry of the drug into a lucrative market; there is no current treatment for NASH, and the first agent to gain approval will have the lead in reaching a market that is estimated to be between $ 2 billion and $ 5 billion in potential annual sales. The effect on the stock is still being felt, and ICPT remains at its 52-week low. In response, Intercept announced major changes in top-level management in December 2020, when Mark Pruzanski, CEO and president, announced that he would retire from January. 1 of this year. He will be succeeded by Jerome Durso, formerly COO, who will also take up a position on the Board of Directors. Pruzanski will remain as an adviser and hold a director on the company’s board. Piper Sandler analyst Yasmeen Rahimi takes a deep dive into Intercept’s ongoing efforts to expand OCA’s applications and resubmit its new drug application to the FDA. She sees the leadership transition as part of these efforts, writing: ‘[We] believe that dr. Pruzanski’s commitment to transforming the liver space remains strong, and that he will continue to lead ICPT’s progress as an adviser and board member. In addition, we had the pleasure of working closely with Jerry Durso and believe that he will transform the company and lead the success of ICPT to grow the PBC market and pave the way for potential approval and commercial launch of OCA in NASH . Rahimi has long taken a thermally positive stance on ICPT, giving the stock an overweight rating (ie buy) and a price target of $ 82. This figure indicates an impressive upside of 220% for the next 12 months. (To see Rahimi’s record, click here.) Wall Street is somewhat more divided over the drugmaker. The ICPT consensus rating is based on 17 reviews, including 8 buy and 9 investments. Shares cost $ 25.82, and the average price target of $ 59.19 indicates an upward potential of 132% for the next 12 months. (See ICPT stock analysis on TipRanks) Gilead Sciences (GILD) Gilead has had a year like a firework – fast up and fast down. The gain came in 1H20 when it appeared that the antiviral drug remdesivir would become an excellent treatment for COVID-19. Although brake divir was approved by November, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends against its use, and the COVID vaccines now on the market have made brake divir irrelevant to the pandemic. This was only one of Gilead’s recent headwinds. The company is working with Galapagos (GLPG) on the development of filgotinib as a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. While the drug was approved by the EU and the Japanese in September 2020, the FDA withdrew its approval and Gilead announced in December that US development efforts for the drug were suspended. Gilead maintains a diverse and active research pipeline with more than 70 research candidates. at various stages of the development and approval process for a wide range of diseases and conditions, including HIV / Aids, inflammatory and respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases and hematology / oncology. On a positive note, Gilead showed third-quarter earnings above estimates, with revenue at the highest line, at $ 6.58 billion, beating the forecast by 6% and 17% higher than a year-on-year -year-year. The company has updated its full 2020 product sales annual guidance from $ 23 billion to $ 23.5 billion. Among the bulls is Oppenheimer analyst Hartaj Singh, who gives GILD shares a better performance (ie Buy) rating and price target of $ 100. Investors can keep a 69% profit on their own if the analyst’s dissertation plays out. (To see Singh’s record, click here). Singh supports his view and writes: ‘We still believe in our thesis of (1) a reliable inhibitor / other medicine company against SARS-CoV flares, (2) a basic company (HIV) / oncology / HCV) growing single figures over the next few years, (3) leverage that provides greater earnings growth, and (4) a dividend yield of 3-4%. What does the rest of the street think? Looking at the consensus distribution, opinions of other analysts are more widespread. 10 buys, 12 possessions and 1 sale yields a moderate buying consensus. In addition, the average price target of $ 73.94 indicates an upward potential of 25% from current levels. (See GILD stock analysis on TipRanks) Visit TipRanks ‘best stocks to buy, a newly introduced tool that unites all of TipRanks’ shares of the stock. article is only that of the proposed analysts. The content is for informational purposes only. 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