Could this be it? The U.S. stock market hasn’t strung together back-to-back winning months since a seven-month run that ended August 2021. A year later, the S&P 500 finds itself mired in an up and down pattern that began in February and has made it difficult for any positive momentum to take hold.
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Off to a good start in September, investors are hoping this week’s inflation readings and other key data releases point to a resilient economy destined for better days on the other side of the Fed’s inflation battle.
The hottest stocks out of the September gate have included some unlikely names that have slumped in 2022. Let’s look at what is behind the surprise rise in these three names—and whether they can continue to pace this month’s market rally.
Why is Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Stock Up?
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: REGN) gapped up nearly $100 on Thursday (9/8) and climbed as high as $754 the next day. The stunning late week rally came when the stock was hovering near a 52-week low. The biotech company enters this week having reversed not just to a 52-week high but also to an all-time high.
The rally was sparked by news that Regeneron’s Aflibercept drug candidate met its primary endpoints in a pair of global trials. The first study involved patients with diabetic macular edema (DME), an eye complication commonly observed in people with diabetes. The second trial of wet age-related macular degeneration (wAMD) patients achieved significant vision gains with a longer dosing interval of Aflibercept, which is also known by its brand name Eylea.
Regenergon offered a triple dose of good news when it also announced that Dupixent demonstrated significant improvements in patients with an inflammatory skin disease called prurigo nodularis. Dupixent, which is under priority FDA review, is seeking to become the first approved medicine for the indication.
This week Regeneron has picked up where it left off by reporting positive data around two of its oncology candidates. There is suddenly a ton of momentum in this stock driven by Regeneron’s progressing pipeline. When combined with analyst upgrades, this could lead to more record highs in the months ahead.
Has Snap Stock Bottomed?
Snap Inc. (NYSE: SNAP) is up 16% month-to-date and on track for its first two-month winning streak of the year. The operator of the trendy Snapchat social media app released an investor update at the end of August that the market found to be better than feared amid fierce competition from TikTok and others.
For the first two months of the third quarter, Snap’s revenue growth was reported to be up 8% year-over-year despite the challenging macro backdrop and competitive pressures. This showed that Snap may not be done growing just yet and that profitability may actually be attainable in the not so distant future. Management also outlined a plan to reduce costs by an annualized $500 million by cutting personnel, fixed content, and other expenses.
Meanwhile, Snap is leaning on innovation to drive better top line performances as its flagship product faces slowing growth in the U.S. and soft adoption trends in international markets. Snapchat+, Spotlight, and Snap Map are slated to be new revenue contributors in the quarters ahead and help offset the anticipated pause in digital ad spending. Further down the road, a push into augmented reality is positioning the company for long-term growth.
With the path to profitability a bit less cloudy, optimism around Snap’s revival appears to be building. Encouraged by management’s bullish financial targets for FY23, Wall Street has grown more bullish themselves. Last week three analysts called Snap a buy with price targets in the $15 to $22 range.
What Does Bausch Health Companies Do?
Bausch Health Companies Inc. (NYSE: BHC) is a Canada-based developer of a range of branded and generic pharmaceuticals. Its primary focuses are gastroenterology, hepatology, neurology, and dermatology.
Last week, the company issued a press release about its Salix Pharmaceuticals gastroenterology unit that was greeted with a sigh of relief and buying activity from investors. It helped clarify the FDA’s tentative approval of rifaximin, a generic version of Bausch’s xifaxan developed by U.S.-based Norwich Pharmaceuticals. Since it was a Paragraph III filing that Norwich submitted to the FDA, the competitor will not be able to get full approval to market its drug until the patents for Bausch’s drug expire in July 2029.
Bausch shares rallied 10% on Friday in response to the clarification and with the support of the broader market uptrend. They have run more than 20% already in September and regained the all-important 50-day moving average line in above average volume. Bargain hunting combined with a spat of insider buying suddenly have Bausch looking healthy again.
