Report
Dave Nicoski ...
  • John Betz
EUR 217.56 For Business Accounts Only

Vermilion Compass: Weekly Equity Strategy

• Bullish but selective. As we alluded to last week, our long-term bullish outlook remains intact. However, looking through the charts we find a growing list of extended and parabolic patterns. While we continue to remain bullish, we acknowledge the likelihood of backing and filling, or a pause, is building. The further a stock's price action moves from its 200-day, the greater the possibility of a corrective reversion to the mean, or pullback. In last week's Compass our example was Boeing Corporation (BA). The stock is trading 40% above its 200-day moving average, and this rate of momentum is not likely to continue at such an accelerated rate. That said, we are selective about new buy recommendations, and recommend sticking to a policy of buying new breakouts/inflections or pullbacks near support.

• Health Care is exhibiting breadth improvement. In last week's Compass, we highlighted that Biotech's are breaking out and indicated this was an actionable event and a confirmation of the risk-on trade. We believe this is likely a result of a rotation by investors to take advantage of an unexploited Sector. Small/micro caps are leading this advance, confirmed by our Micro-Cap Biotech Group, which ranks #1 out of all our Groups (regardless of Sector)... see page 4

• Cyclicals continue to outperform. Cyclicals are leadership, confirmed by a variety of metrics including: (1) the Consumer Discretionary/Staples ratio (XLY/XLP), which is advancing alongside the market; (2) our RSR rankings; and (3) our latest list of Groups trading at 12-month relative strength highs, of which Consumer Staples and Utilities have no representation. In today's report we highlight actionable, stocks within our Biotech Groups.... see pages 3, 9-19

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Underlyings
Agios Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Agios Pharmaceuticals is a biopharmaceutical company focused on areas of hematologic malignancies, solid tumors and rare genetic diseases. The company's product, TIBSOVO? (ivosidenib) is for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory acute myeloid leukemia (R/R AML) with a susceptible isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) 1 mutation. The company's other product is IDHIFA? (enasidenib) for patients with R/R AML and an IDH2 mutation. The company's pre-commercial clinical cancer product candidates include: vorasidenib, a brain-penetrant pan-IDH mutant inhibitor; and AG-270, an orally available selective inhibitor of methionine adenosyltransferase 2a.

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals is a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company developing therapeutics based on RNA interference (RNAi). RNAi is a biological pathway within cells for sequence-specific silencing and regulation of gene expression. The company has two RNAi-based medicines, ONPATTRO? (patisiran) and GIVLAARI? (givosiran). ONPATTRO is approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of the polyneuropathy of hereditary transthyretin-mediated amyloidosis in adults and has also been approved in the European Union, Japan, Canada and Switzerland. GIVLAARI is approved by FDA for the treatment of adults with acute hepatic porphyria.

AMGEN INC.

Amgen is a biotechnology company that discovers, develops, manufactures and delivers human therapeutics. The company's products include: Enbrel? (etanercept), which is used in indications for the treatment of adult patients with moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis, patients with chronic moderate-to-severe plaque psoriasis who are candidates for systemic therapy or phototherapy and patients with active psoriatic arthritis; and Prolia? (denosumab), which is used for the treatment of postmenopausal women with osteoporosis at high risk of fracture or multiple risk factors for fracture, or patients who have failed or are intolerant to other available osteoporosis therapy.

Ascendis Pharma A/S Sponsored ADR

AveXis Inc.

BeiGene Ltd. Sponsored ADR

Bio-Techne Corporation

Bio-Techne and its subsidiaries develop, manufacture and sell biotechnology life science reagents, instruments and services for the research and clinical diagnostic markets.Co.'s segments: Protein Sciences, which developes and manufactures purified proteins and reagent solutions, cytokines and growth factors, antibodies, immunoassays, biologically active small molecule compounds, tissue culture reagents and T-Cell activation technologies; and Diagnostics and Genomics, which develops and manufactures diagnostic products, including Food and Drug Administration-regulated controls, calibrators, blood gas and clinical chemistry controls and other reagents for Original Equipment Manufacturer.

Biogen Inc.

Biogen is a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing and delivering therapies for people living with neurological and neurodegenerative diseases as well as related therapeutic adjacencies. The company's main growth areas include multiple sclerosis (MS) and neuroimmunology; Alzheimer's disease and dementia; neuromuscular disorders, including spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; movement disorders, including Parkinson's disease; and ophthalmology. The company's marketed products include TECFIDERA, AVONEX, PLEGRIDY, TYSABRI, VUMERITY and FAMPYRA for the treatment of MS, SPINRAZA for the treatment of SMA and FUMADERM for the treatment of severe plaque psoriasis.

Bluebird bio Inc.

bluebird bio is a biotechnology company engaged in researching, developing, and commercializing potentially transformative gene therapies for severe genetic diseases and cancer. The company has built a product platform with a range of therapeutic potential in a variety of indications based on its lentiviral gene addition platform, gene editing and cancer immunotherapy capabilities. The company is developing LentiGlobin gene therapy for sickle cell disease; Lenti-D gene therapy for cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy; and in collaboration with Bristol-Myers Squibb, the company is developing bb2121 (idecabtagene vicleucel) and bb21217 product candidates as treatments for multiple myeloma.

Editas Medicine Inc.

Editas Medicine is a clinical stage genome editing company focused on developing genomic medicines to treat a range of serious diseases. The company has developed a proprietary genome editing platform based on clustered, regularly interspaced, short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) technology. The company is developing both in vivo CRISPR medicines, in which the medicine is injected or infused into the patient to edit the cells inside their body, and engineered cell medicines, in which cells are edited with the company's technology and then administered to the patient. In ocular diseases, the company's program is designed to address a specific genetic form of retinal degeneration called Leber congenital amaurosis 10.

Enanta Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Enanta Pharmaceuticals is a biotechnology company that creates small molecule drugs primarily for the treatment of viral infections and liver diseases. The company's wholly owned research and development programs are in virology, namely respiratory syncytial virus and hepatitis B virus, and in liver disease (non-virology), namely non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and primary biliary cholangitis. Through its Collaborative Development and License Agreement with AbbVie Inc (AbbVie), the company has discovered and out-licensed to AbbVie two protease inhibitor compounds that have been clinically tested, manufactured, and commercialized by AbbVie for the treatment of hepatitis C virus.

Exelixis Inc.

Exelixis is an oncology-focused biotechnology company that involved in the discovery, development and commercialization of new medicines for cancers. The company's marketd products are: CABOMETYX? (cabozantinib) tablets for renal cell carcinoma and previously treated hepatocellular carcinoma; and COMETRIQ? (cabozantinib) capsules for progressive, metastatic medullary thyroid cancer. The company's products resulting from its discovery efforts are: COTELLIC? (cobimetinib), an inhibitor of MEK approved as part of a combination regimen to treat melanoma; and MINNEBRO? (esaxerenone), an oral, non-steroidal, selective blocker of the mineralocorticoid receptor approved for the treatment of hypertension in Japan.

FibroGen Inc.

FibroGen is a biopharmaceutical company engaged in discovering, developing and commercializing a pipeline of therapeutics. The company applies its capability in hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) and connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) biology to develop medicines for the treatment of anemia, fibrotic disease, and cancer. Roxadustat, the company's primary product, is an inhibitor of HIF prolyl hydroxylase that acts by stimulating the body's natural pathway of erythropoiesis, or red blood cell production. Pamrevlumab is the company's human monoclonal antibody that inhibits the activity of CTGF, a central mediator and key common element in the progression of fibrotic and fibro-proliferative diseases.

Gilead Sciences Inc.

Gilead Sciences is a research-based biopharmaceutical company that discovers, develops and commercializes medicines. The company's primary areas of focus include viral diseases, inflammatory and fibrotic diseases and oncology. The company's products include: Biktarvy for the treatment of HIV-1 infection in certain patients; Vosevi?, a single tablet regimen of sofosbuvir, velpatasvir and voxilaprevir for the re-treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus infection in adults; Vemlidy? for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B virus infection in adults with compensated liver disease; and Yescarta (axicabtagene ciloleucel) for the treatment of adult patients with relapsed or refractory large B-cell lymphoma.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated

Ligand Pharmaceuticals is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and acquiring technologies that help pharmaceutical companies discover and develop medicines. The company employs research technologies such as antibody discovery technologies, structure-based drug design, formulation science and liver targeted pro-drug technologies to assist companies in their work toward securing prescription drug and biologic approvals. The company's collaboration partners and licensees have programs in clinical development targeting cancer, seizure, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, muscle wasting, liver disease, and kidney disease, among others.

Myriad Genetics Inc.

Myriad Genetics is a precision medicine company acting as a trusted advisor to transform patient lives through molecular diagnostics. The company's molecular diagnostic tests include: myRisk? Hereditary Cancer for assessing the risks for hereditary cancers; BRACAnalysis? for assessing the risk of developing breast and ovarian cancer; riskScore? that improves the company's myRisk Hereditary Cancer test; GeneSight? to support psychotropic drug selection for depressed patients; Vectra?DA for assessing the disease activity of rheumatoid arthritis; and Prolaris? for assessing the aggressiveness of prostate cancer. The company also provides pharmaceutical and clinical services.

Nektar Therapeutics

Nektar Therapeutics is a research-based biopharmaceutical company. The company's proprietary drugs and drug candidates that have either received regulatory approval or are being developed by the company or in collaboration with other pharmaceutical companies or independent investigators include: ONZEALD?, a topoisomerase I inhibitor targeted for advanced metastatic breast cancer in patients with brain metastases; NKTR-181, an orally-available mu-opioid analgesic molecule for moderate to severe chronic pain; NKTR-214, a CD122-biased immune-stimulatory cytokine targeted for oncology; NKTR-358 for autoimmune disease; NKTR-262 targeted for solid tumors; and NKTR-255 targeted for immuno-oncology.

Neurocrine Biosciences Inc.

Neurocrine Biosciences is a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing treatments for patients with neurological, endocrine and psychiatric disorders. The company is primarily focused on the commercialization of INGREZZA? (valbenazine) in the United States. The company's late-stage pipeline includes opicapone as an adjunctive therapy to levodopa/DOPA decarboxylase inhibitors in adult Parkinson's disease patients, elagolix for the treatment of heavy menstrual bleeding associated with uterine fibroids in women, valbenazine for the treatment of chorea in adult patients with Huntington's disease and NBIb-1817 (VY-AADC) for the treatment of Parkinson's disease patients.

Reliant Bancorp

Reliant Bancorp is a bank holding company. Through its subsidiary, Reliant Bank (the Bank), the company provides a range of banking products and services. The Bank is a full-service community bank. Its principal business is banking, consisting of lending and deposit gathering from (as well as other banking-related products and services) businesses and individuals within the communities it serves, and the operational support to deliver, fund and manage such banking services. Reliant Bank provides a range of commercial banking services for businesses and individuals, including checking, savings, and money market deposit accounts, certificates of deposit and consumer, commercial and real estate loans.

Sangamo Therapeutics Inc.

Sangamo BioSciences is a clinical stage biotechnology company focused on translating science into genomic medicines using its platform technologies in gene therapy and in vivo genome regulation. The company is focused on these therapeutic areas: inherited metabolic diseases, central nervous system diseases and inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. The company is evaluating its wholly-owned investigational ST-920 gene therapy for Fabry disease, an inherited metabolic disease. Under its agreement with Sanofi Genzyme, the company is developing ST-400 and BIVV-003, ex vivo gene-edited cell therapies, for hemoglobinopathies including transfusion dependent beta thalassemia and sickle cell disease.

Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical Inc.

Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the identification, acquisition, development, and commercialization of products for the treatment of genetic diseases. The company's product categories are: biologics, which include Crysvita? (burosumab) for the treatment of X-linked hypophosphatemia and Mepsevii? (vestronidase alfa) for the treatment of Mucopolysaccharidosis VII; small molecules, which includes UX007 for the treatment of long-chain fatty acid oxidation disorders; and gene therapy, which includes DTX301 for the treatment of patients with ornithine transcarbamylase deficiency and DTX401 for the treatment of patients with glycogen storage disease type Ia.

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated

Vertex Pharmaceuticals is focused on developing and commercializing therapies for the treatment of cystic fibrosis (CF) and developing research and development programs in other indications. The company's marketed products are TRIKAFTA (elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor and ivacaftor), SYMDEKO/SYMKEVI (tezacaftor in combination with ivacaftor), ORKAMBI (lumacaftor in combination with ivacaftor) and KALYDECO (ivacaftor), which are approved to treat patients with CF who have specific mutations in their cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator gene. The company is evaluating CTX001, a genetic therapy as a potential treatment for sickle cell disease and beta-thalassemia.

Provider
Vermilion Research
Vermilion Research

Vermilion Research delivers timely, actionable, and unique research inputs to professional investors. Our research strategists highlight securities which we believe are at major inflection points, based on our various proprietary technical indicators, and offer asymmetric risk/return profiles. We believe our research methodology, which is not limited by industry sector or market capitalization, enables us to deliver superior investment recommendations.

Our process begins by organizing all actively traded stocks into coherent sectors, then into logical industry groups. We then apply our proprietary relative strength tools to identify developing price trends. Once attractive trends are identified within a selected sectors or groups, we screen for individual stocks which we believe offer the best risk/reward profile. Vermilion offers U.S. and global equity market research products. Vermilion’s research team, which has received numerous awards and accolades, has a combined 70 year of experience in the analysis of investment securities.

Analysts
Dave Nicoski

John Betz

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