Thursday, August 21, 2014

Best Life Sciences Companies To Watch For 2014

Miami, Fl.-based Opko Health (NYSE: OPK  ) took a 10% stake in Russian peer pharmaceutical firm OAO Pharmsynthez, Opko announced Thursday.

Like the name sounds, Pharmsynthez is a drugmaker and, in fact, the only life sciences company currently trading on the Moscow Stock Exchange. (The "OAO" simply refers to the Russian words for "joint stock company," the Russian designation for a public corporation). It manufactures and sells branded pharmaceutical products, primarily in Russia and the Baltics.

Opko described its stake-purchase as part of a $60 million, two-stage financing project, whereby Russian state-owned corporation Russian Corporation of Nanotechnologies first invested $26.1 million in Pharmsynthez, followed by Opko's larger investment.

Going forward, Opko plans to partner with Pharmsynthez in the development and marketing of several of its own products for sale in Russia and other East European countries, specifically:

CTAP101 Capsules, a vitamin D prohormone to treat secondary hyperparathyroidism �in patients with stage 3 or 4 chronic kidney disease and vitamin D insufficiency several diagnostic products utilizing OPKO's point of care platform Opko's "4Kscore," panel of kallikrein biomarkers used in the detection of prostate cancer

The companies will also collaborate on R&D projects.

Top 5 Medical Stocks To Own For 2015: National Health Investors Inc. (NHI)

National Health Investors, Inc., a real estate investment trust (REIT), invests in health care properties, primarily in the long-term care industry in the United States. As of December 31, 2008, it had investments in real estate assets and mortgage notes receivable investments in 123 health care facilities consisting of 83 long-term care facilities, 1 acute care hospital, 4 medical office buildings, 14 assisted living facilities, 4 retirement centers, and 17 residential projects for the developmentally disabled in 17 states. The company has elected to be treated as a REIT for federal income tax purposes and would not be subject to federal income tax, if it distributes at least 90% of its REIT taxable income to its shareholders. National Health Investors, Inc. was founded in 1991 and is based in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Lauren Pollock]

    National Health Investors Inc.(NHI) signed an agreement to acquire 25 independent-living facilities from Holiday Retirement Corp. affiliates for $491 million. The health-care focused real-estate investment trust also unveiled plans to offer 4.5 million shares of its stock to help fund the pending deal.

  • [By Jonas Elmerraji]

     

     

    After performing pretty poorly in the last year, $2 billion healthcare property owner National Health Investors (NHI) has gone from laggard to leader in 2014. Since the start of the year, NHI has moved more than 11% higher, stomping the S&P 500's performance by comparison. And now, NHI looks well positioned for another leg up...

     

    NHI is forming a "rounding bottom" pattern, a basic classic setup that looks exactly like it sounds: it's identified by a curved support level below shares and a horizontal resistance level to the top side. That rounded support line indicates a gradual shift in control from sellers to buyers -- and resistance at $63 is the price level to watch from here.

     

    Why all the significance at $63? It all comes down to buyers and sellers. Price patterns are a good quick way to identify what's going on in the price action, but they're not the reason a stock is tradable. Instead, the "why" comes down to basic supply and demand for NHI's stock.

     

    The $63 resistance level is a price where there has been an excess of supply of shares; in other words, it's a spot where sellers have previously been more eager to step in and take gains than buyers have been to buy. That's what makes a breakout above $63 so significant -- the move means that buyers are finally strong enough to absorb all of the excess supply above that price level.

     

  • [By Marc Bastow]

    Long-term care and senior housing real estate investment trust National Health Investors (NHI) raised its quarterly dividend 6.2% to 77 cents per share, payable on May 9 to shareholders of record as of Mar. 31. NHI stock has the second-highest yield on this week’s list of dividend stocks increasing payouts.
    NHI Dividend Yield: 4.88%

Best Life Sciences Companies To Watch For 2014: Vapor Corp (VPCO)

Vapor Corp (Vapor), incorporated in 1987, is engaged in designing, marketing and distributing electronic cigarettes and accessories under the Fifty-One, Krave, VaporX, EZ Smoker, Green Puffer, Americig, Fumre Hookah Stix and Smoke Star brands. Electronic cigarettes or e-cigarettes, are battery-powered products that enable users to inhale nicotine vapor without smoke, tar, ash, or carbon monoxide. Electronic cigarettes look like traditional cigarettes and consists of three functional components: a mouthpiece, which is a small plastic cartridge that contains a liquid nicotine solution; a heating element that vaporizes the liquid nicotine so that it can be inhaled; and the electronics, which include: a lithium-ion battery, an airflow sensor, a microchip controller and an light emitting diode (LED), which illuminates to indicate use. When a user draws air through the electronic cigarette, the air flow is detected by a sensor, which activates a heating element that vaporizes the solution stored in the mouthpiece/cartridge, the solution is then vaporized and it is this vapor that is inhaled by the user. The cartridge contains either a nicotine solution or a nicotine free solution, either of which may be flavored. The Company offers rechargeable and disposable electronic cigarettes in two varieties: a two-piece unit, which the Company markets under its DUO product line; and a three-piece unit, which the Company markets under its TRIO product line.

The DUO

The DUO's 2-part construction (battery component and cartridge) features a disposable all-in-one atomized cartridge (also known as a cartomizer). This cartomizer is replaced when the nicotine or nicotine free solution is depleted from use. The all-in-one configuration eliminates the need for maintenance of a separate atomizer and maintains consistent performance of the e-cigarette over time.

The TRIO

The TRIO's 3-part construction (battery component, atomizer, and filter cartridge) features a separate atom! izer from the cartridge; the atomizer is reused and requires separate maintenance over its useful life. Replacement atomizers are available for sale and are easily serviceable by the user. In the TRIO, the only component that needs to be routinely replaced is the refill cartridge (either with or without nicotine).

The Company's electronic cigarettes are sold in kits. In addition to kits the Company sells replacement batteries, replacement mouthpieces that contain the liquid solution and atomizer, for its two-piece configurations as well as mouthpieces with the liquid solution and separate atomizers for its three-piece units. In addition to the Company's electronic cigarette products the Company sells an assortment of accessories, including chargers and simple and fashionable cases. The Company also offers refill cartridges and accessories for its electronic cigarettes. The Company's refill cartridges consist of assorted flavors and nicotine levels (including cartridges without nicotine).

The Company competes with Altria Group, Inc. and Reynolds American Inc.,

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By John Udovich]

    While there is a�new ��tudy��out claiming�that�electronic cigarettes, or so-called e-cigarettes or e-cigs, may contain a comparable level of carcinogens to regular cigarettes,�speculative investors might still want to take a look at�small cap electronic cigarette stocks like�Hop-on, Inc (OTCMKTS: HPNN), Smokefree Innotec (OTCMKTS: SFIO), Vapor Corp (OTCMKTS: VPCO) and Victory Electronic Cigarettes Corp (OTCMKTS: ECIG) as these appear to be the major publicly traded small cap stocks left in the sector. I should note that�all of the�major big tobacco stocks have entered the electronic cigarette market (see Who Are the Big Tobacco Electronic Cigarette Stocks? MO, LO & RAI) through acquisitions or their own R&D initiatives, which might�mean�that an acquisition by big tobacco is off the table as an�exit strategy for investors. �Moreover and as I previously noted, there are concerns about the safety of electronic cigarettes as their popularity grows�while the Wall Street Journal recently reported that the FDA has been in discussions with the e-cigarette industry about a possible online-sales ban of the product.

Best Life Sciences Companies To Watch For 2014: The NASDAQ OMX Group Inc.(NDAQ)

The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc. provides trading, clearing, exchange technology, securities listing, and public company services worldwide. It offers trading across various asset classes, including cash equities, derivatives, debt, commodities, structured products, and exchange traded funds; capital formation solutions; financial services and exchanges technology; market data products; and financial indexes, as well as clearing, settlement, and depository services. The company also provides broker services comprising technology and customized securities administration solutions, such as back-office systems to financial participants. In addition, it offers global listing services; technology solutions for trading, clearing, settlement, and information dissemination; and facility management integration, surveillance solutions, and advisory services, as well as develops and licenses NASDAQ OMX branded indexes, associated derivatives, and financial products. As of December 31, 2010 , a total of 2,778 companies listed securities on The NASDAQ Stock Market. The NASDAQ OMX Group supports the operations of approximately 70 exchanges, clearing organizations, and central securities depositories. The company was formerly known as The Nasdaq Stock Market, Inc. and changed its name to The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc. in February 2008. The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc. was founded in 1971 and is based in New York, New York.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Christina Rexrode]

    Elsewhere in the sector, Twitter plans to list on the New York Stock Exchange when it goes public, according to a report on TheStreet.com. That could be a painful snub to arch-rival Nasdaq (NDAQ) �, the stock exchange that likes to bill itself as the favorite of tech companies.

  • [By Dan Caplinger]

    Yet the importance of the NYSE has fallen in recent decades, as rival exchanges have risen up to compete not just in the U.S. but globally as well. Rival Nasdaq OMX (NASDAQ: NDAQ  ) represents the obvious competitive threat in U.S. stocks, with recent moves like opening up shorter ticker symbols to Nasdaq-traded companies helping the exchange close a gap with the NYSE. Yet so-called dark pools have taken away a considerable amount of volume from the major exchanges as well, as computer-driven traders seek advantages from other trading venues.

Best Life Sciences Companies To Watch For 2014: Equifax Inc. (EFX)

Equifax Inc. collects, organizes, and manages various financial, demographic, employment, and marketing information solutions for businesses and consumers. The company�s U.S. Consumer Information Solutions segment provides consumer information services, such as credit information, credit scoring, credit modeling, locate, fraud detection and prevention, identity verification, and other consulting services; mortgage loan origination information, appraisal, title, and closing services; consumer financial marketing services; and identity management services. Its International segment provides information services products, which include consumer and commercial services, such as credit and financial information, and credit scoring and modeling services; and credit and other marketing products and services. The company�s Workforce Solutions segment offers employment, income, and social security number verification services, as well as employment tax and talent management servi ces. Its North America Personal Solutions segment sells credit information, credit monitoring, and identity theft protection products directly to consumers through the Internet and hard-copy formats. The company�s North America Commercial Solutions segment offers commercial products and services comprising business credit and demographic information, credit scores, and portfolio analytics, which are derived from its databases of business credit, financial, and demographic information. It serves customers in financial services, mortgage, human resources, consumer, commercial, telecommunications, retail, automotive, utilities, brokerage, healthcare, and insurance industries; and state and federal governments. The company has operations in Argentina, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Honduras, Paraguay, Peru, Portugal, Spain, the United Kingdom, Uruguay, the United States, and the Republic of Ireland. Equifax Inc. was founded in 1899 and is headquartered in Atla nta, Georgia.

Advisors' Opinion:
  • [By Keith Speights]

    Two other contractors also testified before the committee. Equifax (NYSE: EFX  ) corporate counsel�Lynn Spellecy said that her firm had only a limited role in the overall Obamacare exchange system and that the company's software worked properly. Serco's John Lau emphasized that his company didn't work on the website at all. Serco provides�eligibility support services that support processing of paper applications.

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