Register for free to join our community of investors and share your ideas. You will also get access to streaming quotes, interactive charts, trades, portfolio, live options flow and more tools.
Register for free to join our community of investors and share your ideas. You will also get access to streaming quotes, interactive charts, trades, portfolio, live options flow and more tools.
I and me both my friend. My patients is running thin.... LOL
Taking the term penny stock to a whole new level, we have Seanergy Maritime (SHIP). Shares are going for $0.12 apiece following another year of massive share price depreciation. The stock is down by 78% so far in 2020. Zoom out by five years and add in bouts of shareholder dilution, and the stock is only 0.25% away from a 100% decline.
However, not all hope is lost. In fact, Maxim analyst Tate Sullivan remains firmly in the shipping company’s corner.
Sullivan has a Buy rating on Seanergy based on his “outlook for SHIP to use recent equity proceeds to reduce and/or extend debt maturities, as well as our forecast for an eventual rebound in international shipping activity and higher rates.”
Having said that, the decline in shipping rates means the price target is reduced from $0.40 to $0.30. Despite the trim, the potential upside from current levels is a lofty 120%. (To watch Sullivan’s track record, click here)
After equity was raised through four public offerings in Q1 – amounting to roughly $25 million – Seanergy recently disclosed that over the last two weeks, it raised another $9.9 million from warrant exercises.
Sullivan believes the proceeds will go towards further reducing debt, and forecasts debt of $196.8 million by the end of the year – down from the prior estimate of $206.3 million. Looking ahead, the analyst is optimistic, expecting “continued debt paydown in 2020.”
“We estimate SHIP will reduce debt by $28.7 million in 2Q20. Our forecast includes the use of net proceeds from equity raises of $36.8 million (our estimate). In addition, we forecast debt reduction of $8.8 million in the second half of 2020 based on generating free cash flow,” said Sullivan.
It should be noted that the Baltic Capesize Index has been particularly volatile in 2020, increasing by more than 370% in April as factory and port activity in China ramped up after COVID-19 lockdown measures were loosened. The index then dropped sharply in May, falling 66% from the previous month, mainly because of lower international demand for iron ore.
Additionally, iron ore exports from Brazil, one of the world’s current COVID-19 hotspots, could experience further delays as a result of the pandemic. That said, Sullivan expects things to pick up later in the year.
“We continue to forecast a rebound in rates after 2Q20, but from a slightly lower base,” the analyst concluded.
Your rich$$$$$$$$$
Gilead Sciences (GILD) isn’t a one-trick pony. While the news coverage has largely fixated on its potential COVID-19 treatment, remdesivir, the large-cap has an increasingly diverse pipeline.
In addition to the headline grabbing remdesivir, Gilead is the biggest player in the HIV space, manufacturing what could become the best-selling HIV drug ever, Biktarvy.
Having said that, Gilead has been expanding, and through a series of M&As, building an increasingly strong oncology portfolio. Following the addition of Kite in 2018 and the more recent acquisition of cancer-focused biotech Forty Seven, Gilead has just inked a deal with immuno-oncology player Arcus Biosciences. They have agreed to a 10-year partnership to develop next-generation cancer immunotherapies. Arcus will bring a number of immuno-oncology assets to the table, including a PD-1, anti-TIGIT, CD73 inhibitor, and a dual A2a/A2b antagonist, and in return, will receive $175 million upfront, a $200 million equity investment and R&D funding to the tune of $1.6 billion.
Gilead has a similarly structured, though larger, deal in place with Galapagos. In total, Gilead invested $5.1 billion in the Belgian-Dutch biotech last year. The two are working together on rheumatoid arthritis treatment, filgotinib, which is currently awaiting U.S. and European regulatory approval.
Weighing in for Maxim Group, analyst Jason McCarthy believes Gilead’s ever-growing portfolio will present the large-cap with fresh opportunities.
The 5-star analyst said, “With near-complete dominance in HIV and a steadily declining Hep-C franchise, inflammation and oncology have been positioned as the next growth areas for Gilead. Deals like the Galapagos and Arcus partnerships represent an attractive structure for Gilead, granting them access to deep therapeutic candidate pipelines while mitigating risk by not acquiring the companies outright. More 'bolt-ons' like Galapagos and Arcus, or full acquisitions? We'll see as Gilead continues its transformation.”
Waiting to see how things play out, McCarthy maintains a Hold recommendation on Gilead. He also has not set a price target
There’s no doubt about it, Moderna’s (MRNA) profile has increased dramatically since the pandemic’s onset.
The biotech name has climbed 206% higher this year, as investors have piled in with the hope that its COVID-19 vaccine candidate, mRNA-1273, might be the one to solve the coronavirus conundrum. Yet, it hasn’t all been positive news. Recently, questions have surfaced concerning the company’s sale of shares following the stock’s latest surge.
Blocking out all of the noise, Oppenheimer analyst Hartag Singh recently attended Moderna’s virtual Science Day to get some visibility on the work going on behind the scenes. The 5-star analyst liked what he heard, to say the least.
“Building on the last two Science Days, Moderna has kept a focus on strengthening its Research Platform science, with (1) increasing mRNA and encoded protein half-lives and stabilizing mRNA while avoiding double-stranded RNA impurities, (2) making a novel squaramide-based ionizable lipid (new LNP) to improve protein expression, and (3) designing a preclinical HIV vaccine program to MRNA's platform with its rapid iterative design/testing abilities,” Singh said.
Highlights from the presentation included information regarding protein half-lives; Singh notes the duration of response and protein expression is improved by increasing half-lives of mRNA and protein. This is accomplished by “maximizing secondary structure and codon optimality, with a terminal idT added to prevent deadenylation that causes mRNA decay.”
Singh added, “On a broader level, being able to understand and govern half-lives could potentially open new indication opportunities as well as better products for life-cycle management.”
Moderna’s research collaboration with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) to develop an HIV vaccine also got a mention, with MRNA's “unique platform capabilities,” receiving plaudits from both presenting KOLs (key opinion leaders).
Summarizing, Singh “stays bullish,” and further said, “We would like to remind investors that MRNA's story is not a linear one but a platform expanding its value from many aspects.”
To this end, Singh reiterated an Outperform rating on Moderna shares along with a $108 price target. Investors could be in for nearly 80% gain, should the Oppenheimer analyst’s thesis play out over the next year.
On Thursday, June 4, Royal Caribbean (NYSE:RCL) announced that it would be tapping the debt markets yet again, less than a month after it had raised a whopping $3.3 billion in debt in mid-May. It's curious that Royal would go back to the debt markets for more money, since the company's recent cash burn estimates gave it another 12 months or so of liquidity if the no-sail period lasts that long.
Royal Caribbean is likely doing the new raise for one of two reasons. Either it now thinks the cruising delay might last longer than it had expected, or it views the current debt markets as very favorable to companies like itself and worries that they might close later on this year.
Either way, the company is using another novel technique to raise money -- as it did in May -- despite recently having been downgraded to junk status.
Cruise ship docked in a tropical port viewed from the shore.
IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES.
Forming a new subsidiary
For the new debt raise, Royal Caribbean is looking to acquire an additional $2 billion in the form of both senior notes and convertible notes due in 2023. We don't yet know the allocation among the two types of debt.
For its previous raise, Royal Caribbean had used a novel technique in order to get debt investors to come on board. In May, Royal's debt was downgraded two notches by Moody's (NYSE:MCO) to junk status. In late March, when the coronavirus pandemic spread across the globe, Moody's had downgraded Royal's debt from Baa2 to Baa3, the lowest rung of investment-grade bonds. Then on May 13, Moody's downgraded Royal Caribbean's debt again two notches to Ba2, firmly in junk territory.
Junk status brings new limits on how much collateral a company can pledge to raise senior secured debt, which could deter debt investors. However, Royal Caribbean and its advisors were able to formulate a new scheme whereby the debt was divided, with part of the debt secured by ships and part with equity rights on the pledged ships, effectively giving these investors part first dibs and part second dibs on the collateral.
This time around, Royal Caribbean is actually raising unsecured debt but is forming a new subsidiary underneath Royal Caribbean overall, consisting of seven of the company's ships. The total book value of the ships within the subsidiary is $7.7 billion, so the $2 billion will be secured against this new "company" consisting of the seven ships, leaving an additional $5.2 billion in book value of headroom.
Basically, instead of officially pledging the ships, Royal Caribbean is pledging the new subsidiary, which contains the ships. It seems like a distinction without a difference, but if Royal Caribbean needs to jump through some legal hoops and it's allowed, so much the better. These are interesting times in the debt markets, after all!
Why now?
It's curious that Royal Caribbean is going back to the debt markets so soon, since not much has changed in the past three weeks. However, management might have looked with envy at Norwegian Cruise Lines' (NASDAQ:NCLH) capital raise, which recently gave it 18 months of runway, and thought that it should do the same. Carnival (NYSE:CCL) just extended its pause on cruising from August until October for certain Princess-branded cruises, so that might have been a factor too. In addition, Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) analyst Jamie Rollo just downgraded all the cruise stocks this week, believing a full recovery might take longer than expected.
While the new raise isn't necessarily good news for this consumer discretionary stock and sector, it will buy Royal Caribbean more time. The market seems unfazed, with all cruise stocks rising today.
Moderna Inc (NASDAQ: MRNA), which is on the cusp of starting a Phase 3 trial of its SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate mRNA-1273, announced a C-suite change Thursday.
Moderna Taps Amgen Veteran
The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based biopharma said it has appointed David Meline as its CFO effective June 8.
The company announced along with its first-quarter earnings release May 7 that Lorence Kim, the incumbent CFO, will leave the company in August after a six-year stint.
Meline previously served as CFO of Amgen, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMGN) between 2014 and 2019, and also served in a similar position at 3M Co (NYSE: MMM).
While at Amgen, Meline was known for producing pristine financial reports and was also instrumental in striking the Beigene Ltd (NASDAQ: BGNE) deal, which has helped the former expand its footprint in China, Endpoints News reported.
Why It Matters
The appointment assumes importance as Moderna is touted by sell-side as well as the Trump administration as one of the contenders likely to successfully clear the finish line in the coronavirus vaccine race.
A Phase 2 trial is underway, with a Phase 3 study set to start in July. The company recently announced positive interim results from a NIAID-sponsored Phase 1 trial.
"I am pleased to welcome David to Moderna as our Chief Financial Officer and to the Executive Committee. As we prepare for the Phase 3 studies of our SARS-CoV-2 vaccine and our CMV vaccine, we are entering another critical phase for the Company. We have started to build commercial capabilities and started to set up commercial subsidiaries in several countries," Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel said in a statement.
At last check, Moderna shares were rising 0.65% to $60.28 at the time of publication.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Let’s keep going $$$$$$$$$
Coronavirus is a monster, a pandemic, a threat to humanity on a global scale.
Do I overstate the case? Perhaps, but after nearly 375,000 deaths globally, and 6.2 million infections -- meaning there will be more deaths to come -- I don't think I overstate the case by much.
Coronavirus has already tipped the United States into a recession, and most of the rest of the world as well. Airlines are barely flying, restaurants half-open -- if they're lucky -- and amusement parks even in countries such as China, which claims to have largely recovered from the epidemic, operate at a fraction of capacity. Before the world economy can recover, we simply must have a vaccine that permits businesses to open back up, full force.
SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENTAD
While we #StayHome, you don’t have to feel alone.
But here's the problem with that (for investors). The urgency of the need means that there will be intense pressure upon the companies, that discover COVID-19 vaccines, to distribute them regardless of whether they make a profit -- or even give their vaccines away for free. (Witness, for example, Gilead Sciences' commitment to distribute its first 1.5 million doses of the remdesivir anti-viral drug free of charge).
And how is a company supposed to make a profit off of that kind of business model?
The answer, as 5-star Chardan analyst Geulah Livshits explains in her latest note on Moderna (MRNA), could include the ability to use lessons learned from making one vaccine at low or no profit, to the production of other vaccines for a profit.
Moderna, you see, is working to get U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of its new mRNA vaccine candidate (mRNA-1273) to prevent infection with the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In so doing, Moderna is perfecting such processes as using DNA plasmid templates, along with enzymes and buffer systems, "to assemble nucleotides into mRNA, which can then be formulated into lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) that can then be filtered, fill-finished into vials, and quality controlled" to produce safe, effective vaccines against COVID-19.
In previous notes, Livshits has cautioned that Moderna's work on mRNA-1273 might produce only "modest" sales and perhaps even weaker profits. However, Moderna should be able to take expertise, generated in creating vaccines from mRNA without the need to grow chemicals in live cells, and apply it to the development of other vaccines in its pipeline. Such pipeline products include the company's vaccine against cytomegalovirus, which can cause permanent neurological injury in newborns, its Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) vaccine, and other vaccine programs aiming to defend against autoimmune diseases -- all of which may have longer-lived commercial potential than a COVID-19 vaccine.
This is more than just a theory, by the way. As Livshits explains, Moderna has already used lessons learned from its Chikungunya (a virus transmitted by mosquitoes) vaccine program to optimize mRNA stability when manufacturing long mRNA strands such as those used to create the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. Taking lessons learned from creating its coronavirus vaccine, and applying them to the creation of yet more vaccines against other diseases, would just be adding one more link in the chain, ultimately resulting in "faster production and easy switching from 1 program to another" -- and hopefully, reducing development costs and enabling fatter profit margins in the process.
Overall, based on the 10 Buy ratings vs just 2 Holds assigned in the last three months, Wall Street analysts believe that this ‘Strong Buy’ is a solid bet. It also doesn’t hurt that its $89.33 average price target implies nearly 50% upside potential from current levels. (See Moderna stock analysis on TipRanks)
Diamond Hill Capital recently released its Q1 2020 Investor Letter, a copy of which you can download below. The Diamond Hill Small Cap Fund posted a return of -36.17% for the quarter, underperforming its benchmark, the Russell 2000 Index which returned -30.61% in the same quarter. You should check out Diamond Hill Capital's top 5 stock picks for investors to buy right now, which could be the biggest winners of the stock market crash. There weren’t a lot of funds who could deliver these kinds of returns without shorting the market or using aggressive put options.
In the said letter, Diamond Hill Capital highlighted a few stocks and Gilead Sciences Inc (NASDAQ:GILD) is one of them. Gilead Sciences is a biotechnology company. Year-to-date, Gilead Sciences Inc (NASDAQ:GILD) stock gained 15.9% and on June 3rd it had a closing price of $74.40. Here is what Diamond Hill Capital said:
"Biopharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences, Inc. outperformed as fundamentals remained strong. The company’s HIV drug portfolio is expected to remain competitive, the oncology and immunology business divisions are making good progress, and it continues to shore up its clinical pipeline. Gilead is a leader in infectious disease research and is researching a possible COVID-19 treatment, which has seen some early success."
Countries With Highest Medical Research Spending
Countries With Highest Medical Research Spending
In Q1 2020, the number of bullish hedge fund positions on Gilead Sciences Inc (NASDAQ:GILD) stock increased by about 13% from the previous quarter (see the chart here), so a number of other hedge fund managers seem to agree with GILD's growth potential. Our calculations showed that Gilead Sciences Inc (NASDAQ:GILD) isn't among the 30 most popular stocks among hedge funds.
The top 10 stocks among hedge funds returned 185% since the end of 2014 and outperformed the S&P 500 Index ETFs by more than 109 percentage points. We know it sounds unbelievable. You have been dismissing our articles about top hedge fund stocks mostly because you were fed biased information by other media outlets about hedge funds' poor performance. You could have doubled the size of your nest egg by investing in the top hedge fund stocks instead of dumb S&P 500 ETFs. Below you can watch our video about the top 5 hedge fund stocks right now. All of these stocks had positive returns in 2020.
The Trump administration has reportedly named five drugmakers that it expects to be the most likely to produce a viable COVID-19 vaccine, according to The New York Times, which cited people familiar with the matter. This includes AstraZeneca AZN, +0.51% in combination with Oxford University, Johnson & Johnson JNJ, +0.27%, Moderna Inc. MRNA, +0.03%, Merck & Co. Inc. MCK, -0.90%, and Pfizer in combination with BioNTech SE BNTX, -2.32%. With the exception of Merck, Pfizer, and BioNTech, shares of those companies were up in afternoon trading on Wednesday. Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc. INO, -13.31%, an early vaccine contender, was not included in the Times' report. Its stock was down 10.8%. Much of the nation's hopes for an economic recovery are tied to the development of a vaccine that can successfully prevent people from becoming infected with COVID-19. The administration has tirelessly promoted the idea that a vaccine can be developed by the end of the year; however, executives at J&J and Merck have pointed out that the research and development process can take years to develop a safe, efficacious vaccine. Merck CEO Ken Frazier recently told the Financial Times a 12- to 18-month timeline is "very aggressive."
The coronavirus outbreak continues to spread globally as the number of confirmed cases rise to more than 6.3 million, with the death toll of at least 380,000, according to Johns Hopkins University. Moreover, the situation in Latin America seems to be alarming as Brazil, Peru and Mexico are easing restrictions despite a rapid rise in cases. Meanwhile, the situation in the United States is grim as concerns of a fresh wave of coronavirus cases are intensifying due to protests breaking out across the country. Already, the United States has more than 1.8 million infected people with over 106,000 deaths.
In such a scenario, the latest updates on drugs, antibody therapies and vaccines for coronavirus are flowing in. Let’s take a look at how can these influence the biotech ETF space.
Latest Progress in Battle Against Coronavirus
Antibody Therapy
Eli Lilly’s LLY shares have been mostly gaining since the company informed about starting dosing in a phase I study, which will evaluate an antibody candidate, LY-CoV555, as a treatment for COVID-19. Notably, it is the first candidate to enter clinical study under the company’s collaboration with privately-held AbCellera. Lilly had signed a collaboration agreement with AbCellera in March to co-develop antibody therapies to treat and prevent COVID-19. The companies will select from more than 500 unique antibodies identified by AbCellera and separated from the blood sample of a U.S. COVID-19 patient who recovered from the disease. Lilly plans to review data from this study later this month. The company intends to initiate broader efficacy studies, if the antibody candidate is found to be safe in the phase I study.
Remdesivir Update
Going on, not a very positive update from Gilead Sciences GILD has come out. The company announced mixed results from the second phase III study (SIMPLE) evaluating five-day and 10-day courses of its investigational antiviral remdesivir plus standard of care (SOC) in hospitalized patients with moderate COVID-19 pneumonia. The data reflected that patients in the five-day treatment arm had 65% higher probability to have clinical improvement at Day 11 as against only SOC. However, the odds of improvement in clinical status with the 10-day treatment course of remdesivir versus standard of care alone were favorable but did not attain statistical significance.
Meanwhile, South Korea has approved the usage of remdesivir for coronavirus treatment. Notably, the FDA granted remdesivir an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for the treatment of hospitalized patients with severe COVID-19, given the severity of the pandemic. The drug is also currently approved in Japan as a treatment for patients infected with COVID-19. Gilead Sciences also recently informed about its plans to begin working on a new version of remdesivir that will allow patients to inhale the medication.
Vaccine Update
Per a CNN report, Dr. Anthony Fauci, the infectious diseases expert, recently said that the United States could have 100 million doses of one candidate COVID-19 vaccine by the end of 2020. Dr. Fauci added that the first vaccine candidate, made by Moderna MRNA in partnership with the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, could go into a final stage of trials in volunteers, by mid-summer (per a CNN report).
Antibody Test Approval
Siemens Healthineers AG SMMNY recently announced the receipt of EUA from the FDA for its laboratory-based total antibody test to detect the presence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, including IgM and IgG, in blood. Test data reflected 100% sensitivity2 and 99.8% specificity.
Biotech ETFs to Gain
The competition to come up with a vaccine is opening up near-term opportunities, making the biotech sector a prospective space for investments. Therefore, we discuss a few ETFs that seek to provide exposure to the biotech space:
iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology ETF IBB
This fund seeks to provide exposure to U.S. biotechnology stocks and tracks the Nasdaq Biotechnology Index. It comprises 210 holdings. The fund has AUM of $8.94 billion, with an expense ratio of 0.47% (read: Is Moderna Winning the COVID-19 Vaccine Race? ETFs to Gain).
SPDR S&P Biotech ETF XBI
The fund seeks daily investment results, before fees and expenses, which match the S&P Biotechnology Select Industry Index. It holds about 122 securities in its basket. It has AUM of $4.68 billion and an expense ratio of 0.35% (read: Biotech ETFs to Gain From Latest Advancements in Cancer Drugs).
First Trust Amex Biotechnology Index FBT
The fund measures the performance of a cross section of companies in the biotechnology industry that are primarily involved in the use of biological processes to develop products or provide services. It holds about 31 securities in its basket. Its AUM is around $2.12 billion and expense ratio is 0.57%.
ARK Genomic Revolution ETF ARKG
This is an actively-managed fund. Companies within ARKG are focused on and are expected to substantially benefit from extending and enhancing the quality of human and other life by incorporating technological and scientific developments and advancements in genomics into their business. It generally holds about 30-50 securities in its basket. It has AUM of $1.10 billion and an expense ratio of 0.75%.
VanEck Vectors Biotech ETF BBH
The underlying MVIS US Listed Biotech 25 Index tracks the overall performance of companies involved in the development and production, marketing and sales of drugs based on genetic analysis and diagnostic equipment. It holds about 24 securities in its basket. Its AUM is $463.3 million and has an expense ratio of 0.35% (read: These ETF Areas Make Great Investment Choices in June).
Shares of cruise operators rallied Wednesday, reversing earlier losses, despite a bearish call from Morgan Stanley analyst Jamie Rollo, who said he believes the cruise industry will take longer than almost any other form of travel to return to normal, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Shares of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. NCLH, +3.39% rose 3.7% in afternoon trading, after being down as much as 4.0% earlier in the session; Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. RCL, +3.76% gained 3.8%, after being down 2.5% at its intraday low; and Carnival Corp. CCL, +2.25% reversed an earlier loss of as much as 1.8% to trade up 2.2%. Rollo downgraded Norwegian to underweight from equal weight and trimmed his price target to $13, which is 27.5% below current levels, from $12. He also resumed coverage of Royal and Carnival with underweight ratings. "We model a return to operations in [the fourth quarter of 2020], but expect it will take 6 months for the industry to rehire crew and reposition ships, and we also assume 2021 revenue yields will be depressed by weak demand, travel uncertainty and the use of credits given on 2020 cancellations," Rollo wrote in a note to clients. He doesn't expects positive earnings per share until 2023 for the companies, and sees "no return" to 2019 EPS levels, as high cash burn and capital commitments mean debt leverage "has taken a permanent step up." Over the past month, Norwegian's stock has rallied 30.4%, Royal shares have advanced 42.6% and Carnival's stock has climbed 23.8%, while the S&P 500 SPX, +1.36% has tacked on 10.2%.
Waitr Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: WTRH) ("Waitr" or the "Company"), a leader in on-demand food ordering and delivery, today announced that it has engaged Mats Diedrichsen, former Chief Marketing Officer of Delivery Hero, to advise on all marketing aspects of the Company. Mats was at Delivery Hero for over five years until he recently left in early 2020 to start his own consulting company. During his illustrious career, Mats has held chief marketing roles with several ecommerce startups in Berlin and London managing large size marketing teams focused on high growth and internationalization. Before entering the startup scene, he worked for Dell and Google holding various international marketing roles in Dublin and Copenhagen.
"We are lucky to have the opportunity to work with an advisor of Mats’ caliber," said Carl Grimstad, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Waitr. "Mats has extensive experience with Delivery Hero and I’m excited for him to expand Waitr’s brand through his digital marketing and brand awareness strategies."
About Waitr Holdings Inc.
Founded in 2013 and based in Lafayette, Louisiana, Waitr is a leader in on-demand food ordering and delivery. Waitr, and its sister brand Bite Squad, connects local restaurants and grocery stores to hungry diners in underserved U.S. markets. Together they are a convenient way to discover, order and receive great food from local restaurants, grocery stores and national chains. As of March 31, 2020, Waitr and Bite Squad operated in small and medium sized markets in the United States in over 600 cities.
Bro,,,, it’s just the beginning.... Longs know what we HAVE here $$$$$$$
Aurora Cannabis Inc. ACB, -1.58% ACB, -1.68% has agreed to sell 9.2 million shares of Alcanna Inc. CLIQ, +1.25% to an underwriting syndicate led by Cormark Securities Inc. for a price of C$3 {$2.21) each to raise a total of about C$27.6 million, Alcanna said on Wednesday. The shares are equal to a roughly 23% stake in Alcanna, a retailer of alcohol in North America that is the largest in Canada with 231 stores in Alberta and British Columbia. Aurora will have no remaining shares in Alcanna once the deal closes around June 24. Aurora shares were up 0.5% premarket, but have fallen 48% in the year to date, while the Cannabis ETF THCX, +1.29% has fallen 14% and the S&p 500 SPX, +1.36% has fallen 5%.
Look at this thing RUN
16 plus printing $$$$$$$
Give it time..... these prices are steals!!!!! Just wait and see
That’s the plan my friend
Shares of Gilead Sciences Inc. GILD, +0.25% gained 1.1% in premarket trading on Wednesday after SVB Leerink upgraded the drugmaker to outperform from market perform. Analysts there predict that remdesivir, Gilead's experimental COVID-19 treatment that has received an emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration, will generate annual peak revenue of $7.7 billion in 2022. They are also in support of Gilead's recent investment in Arcus Biosciences Inc. RCUS, -3.33%, which gives the drugmaker "critical mass in oncology.". "With these additional opportunities we believe a valuation of $94+ is realistic, perhaps as soon as the company declares its price for commercial sale of remdesivir," SVB Leerink analyst Geoffrey Porges wrote. He expects Gilead to price remdesivir at around $5,000 for a course of treatment, at the list price in the U.S. Gilead's stock is up 12.7% year-to-date, while the S&P 500 SPX, +0.78% is down 4.6%
Filled my 3s this morning $$$$$$$$
Interesting things here happening today!!!
Waitr Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: WTRH) ("Waitr" or the "Company"), a leader in on-demand food ordering and delivery, today announced that it has engaged Mats Diedrichsen, former Chief Marketing Officer of Delivery Hero, to advise on all marketing aspects of the Company. Mats was at Delivery Hero for over five years until he recently left in early 2020 to start his own consulting company. During his illustrious career, Mats has held chief marketing roles with several ecommerce startups in Berlin and London managing large size marketing teams focused on high growth and internationalization. Before entering the startup scene, he worked for Dell and Google holding various international marketing roles in Dublin and Copenhagen.
"We are lucky to have the opportunity to work with an advisor of Mats’ caliber," said Carl Grimstad, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Waitr. "Mats has extensive experience with Delivery Hero and I’m excited for him to expand Waitr’s brand through his digital marketing and brand awareness strategies."
About Waitr Holdings Inc.
Founded in 2013 and based in Lafayette, Louisiana, Waitr is a leader in on-demand food ordering and delivery. Waitr, and its sister brand Bite Squad, connects local restaurants and grocery stores to hungry diners in underserved U.S. markets. Together they are a convenient way to discover, order and receive great food from local restaurants, grocery stores and national chains. As of March 31, 2020, Waitr and Bite Squad operated in small and medium sized markets in the United States in over 600 cities.
Slow and steady wins this race my friend.
Research includes innovations in mRNA and protein engineering and delivery science to improve therapeutic properties
Highlights research results from ongoing collaborations with International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI), National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation toward development of an HIV vaccine
Moderna, Inc., (Nasdaq: MRNA) a clinical stage biotechnology company pioneering messenger RNA (mRNA) therapeutics and vaccines to create a new generation of transformative medicines for patients, today announced new research to be highlighted at the Company’s third annual Science Day, held virtually this year. The program is designed to provide insight into the continued diverse efforts underway at Moderna and with collaborators to better understand how to use mRNA as a medicine, and underscores the Company’s continued commitment to basic science and innovation.
"Science Day is an opportunity for us to provide insights into the advancements in our platform science and our further understanding of how to use mRNA as a medicine. Our substantial investments in basic science to date have resulted in major steps forward in our platform’s capabilities, and these have allowed us to open new therapeutic areas and new scientific directions," said Stephen Hoge, M.D., President of Moderna. "Today, we're excited to highlight novel approaches to our lipid nanoparticle technology, which will be used with mRNA-3745, our GSD1a candidate in preclinical development. We are also pleased to provide an update on our collaboration with IAVI, NIAID and Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation toward the development of an HIV vaccine using Moderna’s mRNA platform. We remain firmly committed to further advancing our mRNA science to create a new generation of transformative medicines for patients."
At this year’s Science Day, Moderna will present new platform science and preclinical research, including:
Engineering mRNA and Proteins to Improve Therapeutic Properties
An advantage of mRNA medicines over small molecule drugs is the ease of engineering their properties to achieve desired pharmacology. New research will be presented on efforts to engineer both mRNAs and encoded proteins to improve and extend therapeutic effect.
These efforts include modifications to mRNA and proteins to prevent degradation and lengthen half-life. Presentations will include data on the addition of an inverted deoxythymidine (idT) to the 3’-end of mRNA, which is designed to stabilize mRNA by blocking its degradation through deadenylation. Preclinical data show that 3’-idT-stabilized mRNA encoding phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH), the enzyme missing or dysfunctional in the metabolic disorder phenylketonuria (PKU), supports sustained reduction of serum phenylalanine levels in a PKU mouse model. Data will also be presented on removal of ubiquitination sites from PAH, designed to prevent ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation. Results show that combining mRNA stabilization along with PAH stabilization maintained low serum phenylalanine levels even further, suggesting an additive effect.
One challenge for the production of mRNA therapeutics is to minimize or eliminate double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) impurities produced during the synthesis process, as this can trigger undesirable innate immune responses in vivo. At Science Day, Moderna will present a protein engineering workflow by which it has engineered a Moderna T7 RNA polymerase (MT7) that does not produce dsRNA impurities.
Optimizing Lipid Nanoparticle Technology
The Company will present new research in delivery science to optimize its lipid nanoparticles (LNPs). The presentations will highlight a novel squaramide-based ionizable lipid designed to enhance the interactions between the lipid and mRNA. Preclinical data from new LNPs incorporating this novel ionizable lipid show improved protein expression after IV administration, including repeat dosing, and efficient delivery to the liver, as compared to current state-of-the-art Moderna proprietary LNPs.
This squaramide-based LNP represents a new delivery system and will be used with the Company’s glycogen storage disease type 1a (GSD1a) candidate (mRNA-3745), which is in preclinical development. Preclinical studies with this new LNP containing mRNA encoding for G6Pase, the missing or dysfunctional enzyme in GSD1a, show sustained improvements in fasting blood glucose in a mouse model of GSD1a, achieving the target product profile.
Collaborating on an HIV Vaccine
Science Day will also include presentations from William Schief, Ph.D., Professor, Immunology and Microbiology, Scripps Research Institute and Executive Director, Vaccine Design, International Aids Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) and Paolo Lusso, M.D., Ph.D., Chief, Viral Pathogenesis, Laboratory of Immmunoregulation, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)? showcasing research conducted through Moderna’s ongoing collaborations with IAVI, NIAID and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. This research seeks to deliver an engineered HIV immunogen using Moderna’s mRNA platform that allows for a faster, more flexible approach to rapid iterative vaccine design and clinical testing. This approach could significantly accelerate early clinical trials and transform HIV vaccine science and development efforts. The data presented today will highlight progress toward creating a protective HIV-1 vaccine designed to elicit broadly neutralizing antibodies to prevent HIV-1 infection.
Moderna currently has 23 mRNA development candidates in its portfolio with 13 in clinical studies. Across Moderna’s pipeline, more than 1,900 participants have been enrolled in clinical studies. The Company’s updated pipeline can be found at www.modernatx.com/pipeline. Moderna and collaborators have published more than 45 peer-reviewed papers.
Science Day Webcast Information
Moderna will host its annual Science Day for analysts and investors at 8:00 a.m. ET on Tuesday, June 2. A live webcast will be available under "Events and Presentations" in the Investors section of the Moderna website at investors.modernatx.com. A replay of the webcast will be archived on Moderna’s website for one year following the presentation.
About Moderna
Moderna is advancing messenger RNA (mRNA) science to create a new class of transformative medicines for patients. mRNA medicines are designed to direct the body’s cells to produce intracellular, membrane or secreted proteins that can have a therapeutic or preventive benefit and have the potential to address a broad spectrum of diseases. The company’s platform builds on continuous advances in basic and applied mRNA science, delivery technology and manufacturing, providing Moderna the capability to pursue in parallel a robust pipeline of new development candidates. Moderna is developing therapeutics and vaccines for infectious diseases, immuno-oncology, rare diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, independently and with strategic collaborators.
Headquartered in Cambridge, Mass., Moderna currently has strategic alliances for development programs with AstraZeneca PLC and Merck & Co., Inc., as well as the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), an agency of the U.S. Department of Defense, and BARDA. Moderna has been named a top biopharmaceutical employer by Science for the past five years
Hmmmmm.. interesting start since yesterday $$$$$$$$$$
Waitr Holdings Inc. (Nasdaq: WTRH) ("Waitr" or the "Company"), a leader in on-demand food ordering and delivery, today announced a change in location for the Company’s 2020 Annual Meeting of Stockholders (the "Annual Meeting") via the filing of additional proxy materials with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC").
To support the health and well-being of its stockholders, employees and the greater community due to the public health impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, the Company will hold its Annual Meeting on Tuesday, June 16, 2020, at 11:00 a.m. EDT in a virtual meeting format only, via live audio webcast, in order to provide a consistent and convenient experience to stockholders, regardless of location. Stockholders will not be able to attend the Annual Meeting physically in person.
Stockholders as of the close of business on April 27, 2020 are entitled to attend and participate in the Annual Meeting at the virtual meeting website located at www.cstproxy.com/waitrapp/2020. Stockholders of record must enter the 12-digit control number found on the previously received proxy card and Notice of Change of Location sent by Continental Stock Transfer & Trust. Beneficial owners who hold shares through an intermediary, such as a bank or broker, must register in advance to attend the meeting by following the instructions set forth in the additional proxy materials filed today with the SEC. Stockholders participating in the virtual meeting will be in a listen-only mode. However, virtual attendees will be able to vote and submit questions during the meeting using the virtual meeting website.
Stockholders will also have the option to listen to the virtual meeting by telephone (but will not have the ability to vote or submit questions) by calling the numbers set forth in the additional proxy materials.
Information on technical support can also be found in the additional proxy materials.
The Company urges all stockholders to vote and submit proxies in advance of the Annual Meeting by one of the methods described in the proxy materials for the Annual Meeting.
About Waitr Holdings Inc.
Founded in 2013 and based in Lafayette, Louisiana, Waitr is a leader in on-demand food ordering and delivery. Waitr, and its sister brand Bite Squad, connects local restaurants and grocery stores to hungry diners in underserved U.S. markets. Together they are a convenient way to discover, order and receive great food from local restaurants, grocery stores and national chains. As of March 31, 2020, Waitr and Bite Squad operated in small and medium sized markets in the United States in over 600 cities.
Cruise ship stocks rallied on Monday, as optimism for COVID-19 vaccines and treatments rose. By the close of trading, shares of Carnival (NYSE:CCL), Royal Caribbean (NYSE:RCL), and Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings (NYSE:NCLH) were up 6.7%, 7.3%, and 10.4%, respectively.
So what
A flurry of encouraging coronavirus-related developments in recent days likely contributed to the gains in cruise ship stock prices.
On Friday, Moderna (NASDAQ:MRNA) announced the commencement of its phase 2 study for its COVID-19 vaccine, mRNA-1273. Moderna's experimental drug produced promising preliminary phase 1 results, released on May 18, and the biotech company has been ramping up its manufacturing capabilities so as to be capable of producing large scale quantities of the vaccine should it prove safe and effective.
On Monday, Eli Lilly (NYSE:LLY) began testing an experimental antibody treatment specifically designed to attack SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Lilly is developing the medicine, called LY-CoV555, in partnership with privately held AbCellera Biologics. AbCellera and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) identified the antibody from a blood sample taken from one of the first people who recovered from COVID-19 in the U.S.
Also on Monday, Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) released results from a phase 3 clinical trial of its COVID-19 treatment, remdesivir. Gilead said the study showed patients who received a five-day treatment of remdesivir plus the standard of care were 65% "more likely to have clinical improvement at Day 11 compared with those in the standard of care group." These results are encouraging since they suggest Gilead's remdesivir could potentially help people with moderate cases of COVID-19 recover faster.
A cruise ship sailing with the sun behind it.
CRUISE SHIP STOCKS RALLIED ON PROGRESS TOWARD CORONAVIRUS TREATMENTS. IMAGE SOURCE: GETTY IMAGES.
Better still, we received good news out of Russia on Monday. The country's sovereign wealth fund has financed the development of a COVID-19 treatment based on an influenza drug named favipiravir. Preliminary studies reportedly showed that the treatment, called Aviifavir, could shorten recovery times from COVID-19. Russia has reportedly approved the drug to treat COVID-19 and will start shipping it to treatment centers this month, according to CNBC.
Now what
Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian have seen their businesses (and, by extension, their stock prices) devastated by COVID-19. As multiple outbreaks aboard cruise ships resulted in more than 3,000 people getting sick and 82 deaths, according to the Miami Herald, the Centers for Disease Control issued no-sail orders in March and extended them in April. With their ships stuck at port, Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian are bleeding cash.
All three of the major cruise operators have raised large amounts of capital by taking on additional debt to be able to pay their expenses until coronavirus-related sailing restrictions are lifted. Yet even after these sailing restrictions are removed, many people might decide to avoid a cruise until an effective vaccine or treatment for COVID-19 is discovered.
Thus, the stocks of Carnival, Royal Caribbean, and Norwegian Cruise Line are likely to continue reacting favorably to more positive developments in the race for a coronavirus cure and vaccine.
Volume is because somebody knows something.... No if ands or butts!!!!!!! .001 tomorrow with the way the volume is running $$$$$$$
Just passing the POSITIVE vibes I received Sunday to this board. I own NO DD yet. I’m waiting. No one else understands why this is moving today?????
More DD that’s POSITIVE is supposed to be released. I’m banking for Friday personally.
Could..... try will,,,, just the start my friend. As I stated 2 days ago...: moving North.... wait until Friday ....... go look at my previous post to verify
Loving the volume today!!!!! Let’s finish STRONG $$$$$$$$
Wait until Friday!!!!!!
Thank u to whoever sold me there 5s Much love$$$$$$$
Hahahahaha. You got that right
Taiwan approves Gilead's remdesivir to treat COVID-19
ReutersMay 30, 2020, 1:16 AM CDT
TAIPEI, May 30 (Reuters) - Taiwan's government said on Saturday it had approved Gilead Sciences' potential COVID-19 treatment, remdesivir, to treat the illness caused by the novel coronavirus.
Governments are racing to bolster supplies of remdesivir, which U.S. regulators this month approved for emergency use. California-based Gilead has said it will donate 1.5 million doses of remdesivir, enough to treat at least 140,000 patients, to combat the global pandemic.
Taiwan's Central Epidemic Command Centre said the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration took into account "the fact that the efficacy and safety of remdesivir has been supported by preliminary evidence" and its use is being approved by other countries.
SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENTAd
On that basis, the centre said the conditions had been met for approval of the drug for use in patients with "severe" COVID-19 infection.
Taiwan has been successful at preventing the coronavirus from spreading, thanks to early detection and prevention work and a first rate public health system.
It has recorded 442 cases and only 7 deaths. The vast majority of people have recovered, with just 14 active cases.
There is currently no approved medication or vaccine for COVID-19, but EU countries are already administering remdesivir to patients under compassionate use rules.
Japan and the United Kingdom have both cleared the drug for use and moved to begin supplying it to patients.
The United States, the world's biggest pharmaceutical market, this month granted emergency use authorisation for remdesivir in COVID-19, but has yet to approve the broader use of the drug. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard; editing by Jane Wardell)
Monday moving North?