Continue reading Gilead (GILD) shelves blood pressure drug

Gilead (GILD) shelves blood pressure drug originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 15 Dec 2009 13:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Gilead Sciences enters drug agreement with Tibotec Pharmaceuticals

Gilead Sciences enters drug agreement with Tibotec Pharmaceuticals originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 17 Jul 2009 12:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Few would argue with the claim that Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ: GILD) is the best-managed biopharma company on the planet.

It dominates the HIV treatment market and gets a 19%-plus royalty on Tamiflu, which is used to treat H1N1 (swine) flue. Gilead also has several drugs on or headed for the market to treat pulmonary disease and hard-to-treat high blood pressure.

Your best strategy for life-changing profits?

Buy the stock and sell the calls (then use the cash to buy puts on the market, which is headed down further.) Or buy long-term calls and keep an eye on them.

Next: Biotech Stock #2

Biotech stock #1: Gilead Sciences (GILD) originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 11 Jul 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Last year, as the market sank, one group actually went up -- large-cap, cashflow positive biotech and genomics companies.

Here are six biotech stocks with the potential to deliver life-changing profits:

Biotech Stock #1: Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ: GILD)
Biotech Stock #2: Questcor Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: QCOR)

Six bang-for-your-buck biotech stocks originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 11 Jul 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• UBS upgraded Target (NYSE: TGT) to Buy from Neutral and raised its price target to $52 from $45 citing reduced inventories, some credit stability, and an improved back-to-school period.
• Credit Suisse said concerns regarding Safeway's (NYSE: SWY) price position are overblown and that earnings risk is limited. The firm upgraded shares to Outperform from Neutral and raised the target price to $25 from $22.
• Oppenheimer upgraded Canadian Solar (NASDAQ: CSIQ) to Outperform from Perform as it believes the story is underappreciated following the recent sector rally. The firm has a $14 price target on the stock.
• CME Group (NASDAQ: CME) was upgraded to buy from Neutral at Goldman.
• Freeport McMoRan (NYSE: FCX) was upgraded to Overweight from Neutral at JP Morgan.
• Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ: GILD) was upgraded to Buy from Neutral at FTN Equity.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: TGT, SWY, CSIQ, HOTT, MPEL, RIO, CPB, CVD and HGG

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: TGT, SWY, CSIQ, HOTT, MPEL, RIO, CPB, CVD and HGG originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 21 May 2009 11:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• Citigroup upgraded Lennar (NYSE: LEN) to Buy from Hold as it believes the company's near-term liquidity profile is improved following the $400M debt issuance. The firm raised its target price to $12 from $11.
• Jefferies upgraded Rowan Companies (NYSE: RDC) to Buy from Hold as it believes jack-up drillers will continue to outperform deepwater names. The firm raised its target price to $27 from $20.
• Keefe Bruyette upgraded First Financial (NASDAQ: FFIN) to Market Perform from Underperform to reflect more positive loan data for the Texas banks. The firm raised its target price on shares to $44 from $38.
• MGM Mirage (NYSE: MGM) was upgraded to Overweight from Neutral at JP Morgan.
• Morgan Stanley (NYSE: MS) was upgraded to Outperform from Market Perform at JMP Securities.
• Brinker (NYSE: EAT) was upgraded to Overweight from Equal Weight at Barclays.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: LEN, RDC, FFIN, SII, AN, ACHN, UA, LULU, JST

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: LEN, RDC, FFIN, SII, AN, ACHN, UA, LULU, JST originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 18 May 2009 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Analyst upgrades:

• Merriman upgraded Dendreon (NASDAQ: DNDN) to Buy from Neutral on expectations shares will react positively to the full IMPACT data release on April 28. The firm thinks Provenge could represent the first cancer immunotherapy approved in the U.S. and raised its valuation range on the stock to $33-$34 from $18-$19.
• Piper Jaffray upgraded Andersons (NASDAQ: ANDE) as it believes the valuation is attractive, investor expectations are low, and the company's fertilizer and rail segments could recovery in FY10. The firm has a $19 target on shares. Goldman upgraded the auto sector to Neutral from Cautious and added Ford (NYSE: F) to its Conviction Buy list. The analyst does not believe Ford will have to declare bankruptcy and sees the company benefiting from Chrysler share declines and GM's (NYSE: GM) reduced product offerings. Ford's price target is $6
• Banc of America/Merrill upgraded U.S. Airways (NYSE: LCC) to Buy from Underperform.
• Broadcom (NASDAQ: BRCM) was upgraded to Equal Weight from Underweight at Morgan Stanley.
• Caterpillar (NYSE: CAT) was raised to Overweight from Neutral at JP Morgan.

Continue reading Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: DNDN, ANDE, the auto sector, DGX, MTB, ADVS, ITG, MF and PCLN

Analyst upgrades, downgrades and initiations: DNDN, ANDE, the auto sector, DGX, MTB, ADVS, ITG, MF and PCLN originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 22 Apr 2009 13:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Gilead (GILD) gets positive blood pressure drug trial results

Gilead (GILD) gets positive blood pressure drug trial results originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 03 Apr 2009 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Gilead Sciences (GILD) Q4 earnings & '09 outlook impress

Gilead Sciences (GILD) Q4 earnings & '09 outlook impress originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 28 Jan 2009 13:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Celgene (NASDAQ: CELG), a biopharmaceutical company, closed at $50.34. CELG is scheduled to announce Q4 EPS on January 29. CELG February and March option implied volatility of 49 is near its 26-week average according to Track Data, suggesting non-directional price movement.

Genzyme (NASDAQ: GENZ) closed at $68.20. GENZ is expected to report Q4 EPS on February 11. Robert W Baird has an $87 price target on GENZ. GENZ February option implied volatility of 40 is near its 26-week average according to Track Data, suggesting non-directional price movement.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ: GILD), a biopharmaceutical company, is scheduled to report Q4 EPS on January 27. GILD February option implied volatility of 46 is near its 26-week average according to Track Data, suggesting non-directional price movement.

Option Update is provided by Stock Specialist Paul Foster of theflyonthewall.com

Options Update: Biopharmaceuticals' volatility flat into EPS originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 27 Jan 2009 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"Long-term, Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ: GILD) is the best life sciences company on the planet," says biotechnology specialist Michael Shulman in The ChangeWave Biotech Investor.

"Auto sales may plunge, home sales may stay in the tank and retail sales may fall, but disease, old age and human frailty are undeniably 'forever.'

"While the economy in 2009 is almost certainly going to contract, analysts expect the sale of biologic drugs and other life sciences products to increase 12%-15% -- with some winners growing much faster.

"The winners will be rewarded, even in a bear market. In the past year, Gilead has outperformed the Nasdaq by more than 30 percentage points -- and it's doing it as a mature biotech.

Continue reading Gilead (GILD): 'Best life sciences firm on the planet'

Gilead (GILD): 'Best life sciences firm on the planet' originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 20 Oct 2008 15:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Gilead Sciences (GILD) reports higher Q1 profit but outlook disappoints

Gilead Sciences (GILD) reports higher Q1 profit but outlook disappoints originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 17 Apr 2008 12:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Technical expert Leo Fasciocco seeks stocks that have broken out from technical basing patterns or those he feels are poised to make such a breakout, such as Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ: GILD), which has a "breakout level at $50."

The editor of Ticker Tape Digest explains, "Gilead Sciences, with annual revenues of $4.2 billion, makes therapies to treat life-threatening infectious diseases. It focuses on pulmonary and cardiovascular diseases.

"The company has four products -- Viread, Emtriva, combination pill Truvada, and triple combination Atripla -- in its HIV franchise, as well as Hepsera for hepatitis B. GILD recently received approval for pulmonary arterial hypertension drug Letairis, acquired from Myogen.

"The stock has climbed from $10 to $47 the past five years. It is one of the few stocks now that is knocking on the door of making a new high. With earnings growth to be solid this year and next, we see GILD in a good spot to be accumulated in anticipation of a breakout.

Continue reading Gilead (GILD): Bet on biotech breakout

Gilead (GILD): Bet on biotech breakout originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 25 Mar 2008 14:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"Of all the stocks that I follow and recommend, there is one stock above all others that I have favored for years, and still do: Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ: GILD)," says biotechnology sector expert Michael Shulman.

In his industry-leading ChangeWave Biotech Investor, he explains, "I have owned it for a very-long time and it is fast-growing and rock solid among all of the market uncertainty. When that uncertainty ends, GILD will still be a fast-grower in a recessionary economy."

"The company is a commanding market leader in HIV treatments, sells and collects royalties on other antivirals for flu and Hepatitis B. Gilead recently announced earnings and it had profits of $402 million or 41 cents a share, topping analyst estimates by a penny. It also saw sales grow 22% to $1.1 billion. Despite several product launches and increased clinical trial expenses, the company's cash position doubled to $2.7 billion.

"On a conference call, management said that 2008 would be a very good year, with product sales in the range of $4.7 billion to $4.8 billion. That's more than a 25% increase over 2007 product sales and higher than analyst expectations of $4.6 billion.

"Growth was driven by HIV drug sales, which were up 35% last quarter to $864 million. Management does not guide profit expectations, but the Street has those profits at around $1.88 billion, and Gilead has beaten expectations 14 out of the last 15 quarters.

Continue reading Gilead (GILD): 'A great company with big catalysts'

Gilead (GILD): 'A great company with big catalysts' originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 15 Feb 2008 13:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gilead (GILD) jumps on investor presentation originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 27 Nov 2007 12:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gilead rising on flu-prevention efforts originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 15 Jun 2007 11:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"If you combine the growth of a small company with the financial muscle of a large company and put them in a single syringe, you get Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ: GILD)," says Jon Markman.

Gilead, he notes, which develops and markets drugs for patients suffering from HIV, Hepatitis B and other life-threatening illnesses, is an emerging giant of the biotech world." Indeed, the company is best known for its leading HIV treatments.

In his Strategic Advantage, the advisor says, "I like their current drug portfolio, but I am just as impressed with its pipeline of new therapies. In the first quarter of 2007, GILD reported a earnings growth of 55%, with sales of Hepsera, a hepatitis drug, up 35%."

He notes that sales of HIV drugs rose by 56%. He adds, "The picture for the rest of the year and 2008 look equally bright for GILD, as it has quite a number of similarly strong drug candidates in trials."

Meanwhile, he observes, the company has just come into the spotlight again due to new scientific findings about Ambrisentan, a drug created to treat Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension. He explains, "PAH, as it is known to docs, creates an increase in blood pressure in patients' arteries."

Continue reading New gains for Gilead

New gains for Gilead originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 13 Jun 2007 12:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MOST NOTEWORTHY:

• Borders Group was downgraded to Sell from Neutral at Goldman Sachs, as the firm believes a merger with Barnes & Noble Inc (NYSE: BKS) is less likely following the FTC's decision to oppose the Whole Foods Market Inc (NASDAQ: WFMI) and Wild Oats Markets Inc (NASDAQ: OATS) deal.
• Cache was downgraded to Hold from Buy at Soleil, as the firm recommends staying on the sidelines until execution improves. Merriman also downgraded shares, to Neutral from Buy, to reflect the company's outlook for the remainder of FY07. Merriman believes upside may be limited until Cache can show consistently improved sales and earnings results.
• Gilead Sciences was downgraded to Hold from Buy at Deutsche Bank and to Neutral from Outperform at Credit Suisse citing high expectations for the company and little room to beat Street estimates.

• Merrill Lynch downgraded shares of Adams Respiratory Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ: ARXT), Par Pharmaceutical Companies Inc (NYSE: PRX) and Sepracor Inc (NASDAQ: SEPR) to Neutral from Buy.
• First Albany downgraded shares of Volterra Semiconductor Corporation (NASDAQ: VLTR) to Buy from Strong Buy.
  
• ThinkEquity downgraded shares of Cree Inc (NASDAQ: CREE) to Sell from Accumulate.
• Morgan Keegan downgraded shares of Panera Bread Company (NASDAQ: PNRA) to Market Perform and Outperform following weak same-store-sales and guidance.

Analyst downgrades 6-06-07: BGP, CACH and GILD originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 06 Jun 2007 10:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Following its latest earnings report, Bill Martin notes, "Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ: GILD) has shown once again showed that its HIV drug franchise is truly best-in-class."

The editor of the FindProfit trading service reports that Gilead earned a profit of $407.4 million, or 85 cents per share. Excluding stock-based compensation, he notes, EPS was 93 cents.

He also notes that analysts were looking for EPS of 80 cents per share. Meanwhile, revenues jumped 49% to $1.03 billion from $692.9 million a year ago, and above the consensus of $990 million.

The advisor explains, "Gilead saw great overall growth among its anti-HIV drugs. Truvada, which accounted for 41% of GILD's product sales, led the way with a 39% year-over-year increase in sales."

He points out that Atripla is the combination of Bristol-Myers Squibb's Sustiva and Gilead's Truvada. The latter is a combination of Gilead drugs, Emtriva and Viread.

Martin notes, "The continued solid growth of Truvada sales after the launch of Atripla indicates that this drug may not totally cannibalize the sales of Truvada and GILD's other older anti-HIV drugs."

Meanwhile, the advisor notes that the overall biotech sector has been making a "nice comeback of late," and GILD has been a strong performer. He says, "With management leaving its conservative guidance intact, we think the stock has room to 'surprise' to the upside later this year.

He also sees the stock as defensive and notes, "If the economy is showing signs of peaking, a stock like GILD is a good candidate to outperform the market."

For more stock picks from the leading financial newsletter advisors, visit Steven Halpern's free daily website, TheStockAdvisors.com.

Gilead: 'Best-in-class' franchise originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Sat, 05 May 2007 15:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) was founded a short 20 years ago in the Bay Area-near San Francisco. I say short 20 years, because this company has accomplished so much in this time period. GILD is a $3.9 billion revenue company this year and is expected to put up $4.7-4.8 billion in 2008. By any measure, excellent growth on the top line. The bottom line calls for $$2.90 per share this year, growing to $3.30 per share for 2008. Many will argue this 2008 number is very, very conservative.

What makes Gilead so special? They have the right drug therapies for some nasty afflictions. Gilead offers three major drugs for the treatment of HIV. The most recent FDA approved drug is Atripla, which is a once a day pill for HIV patients. GILD also owns the major part of the Hepatitis B market with Hepsera. Gilead is the maker of Tamiflu which treats influenza. Tamiflu is being stock piled by the US government in the event of a bird-flu pandemic. But general practitioners may also prescribes Tamiflu.

GILD is also deeply involved in age-related macular degeneration, which is a horrible eyesight affliction. The drug Macugen is another blockbuster treating this wicked disease. The company has many other potential drugs in various stages of clinical trials, the lifeline of future growth.

GILD will be a leader in the bio tech field for many years to come. The first 20 years as one major portfolio manager told me "was nothing compared to their future". On this name, Jim Cramer is spot on!!

Georges Yared is the author of "Stop Losing Money Today" and "Baby Boomer Investing...Where do we go from here?"

Cramer is right on with Gilead Sciences originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 01 Mar 2007 11:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.