Actions speak louder than words, as the old saying goes. So why does the media focus so much attention on what Wall Street says about companies, instead of what it does with them?
Once upon a time, we didn't know what the bankers were up to. Now, thanks to the folks at finviz.com, it's easy to keep tabs on the stocks that financial institutions buy and sell. And the 180,000-plus lay and professional investors on Motley Fool CAPS can lend us further insight into whether these decisions make sense.
Here's the latest edition of "Wall Street's Buy List," alongside our investors' opinions of the companies involved:
|
Companies
|
Recent Price
|
CAPS Rating
(out of 5)
|
| Antares Pharma (AMEX: AIS ) |
$2.34 |
***** |
| YM BioSciences (AMEX: YMI ) |
$2.78 |
*** |
| Celldex Therapeutics (Nasdaq: CLDX ) |
$3.71 |
*** |
| XenoPort (Nasdaq: XNPT ) |
$7.48 |
*** |
| Sequenom (Nasdaq: SQNM ) |
$7.55 |
*** |
Companies are selected based on past-three-month changes in institutional ownership, as reported on finviz.com. Recent price provided by Yahoo! Finance.
Wall Street vs. Main Street
Up on Wall Street, the professionals think these five stocks are the greatest things since sliced bread (and by "bread," I mean money). They've been...
And if you get the impression Wall Street is laying big bets on biotech -- you're right. Judging from the three-star ratings these stocks receive on CAPS, however, it appears Fools aren't quite ready to rush in and imitate the Street on most of these plays. Turns out, there's only one stock on this week's buy list that wins applause from professional investors and individual investors alike: a little biotech start-up that you've probably never heard of, called Antares Pharma.
The bull case for Antares Pharma
Space-age as the name may sound, Antares actually markets a solution to a very human problem: incontinence. Last week, the company inked an exclusive deal with Watson Pharmaceuticals (NYSE: WPI ) , licensing Watson its topical oxybutynin gel product, for use in treating overactive bladder syndrome in the United States and Canada.
It's a popular decision. CAPS member yazzbro thinks Antares' gel is a "great delivery system for multiple uses" and believes the stock could ultimately become "a buyout candidate." bruceedge agrees that Antares is "addressing some large markets," and further points out a streak of "insider buying" in recent months -- some of which buying appears to have been done on the open market.
And no wonder. As dgoldmeier opines, "If Antares gets approval to market their gel for overactive bladders later this year this company can turn into a cash cow over the next few years."
All systems go
According to Antares, tying up with Watson will entitle it "milestone payments based on the achievement of regulatory approval," plus "escalating royalties based on product sales in the U.S. and Canada." Meanwhile, Watson will be taking responsibility "for certain manufacturing start-up activities" -- relieving Antares of that expense.
Already, Antares is one of those rare start-ups that's hardly losing money at all (analysts predict this year's loss will be no more than $0.02 per share). Even better, the analysts see this deal lifting Antares into profitability as early as next year. Meanwhile, FDA approval of oxybutynin for treating incontinence seems likely, since the drug just underwent a 12-week phase 3 clinical study that demonstrated both the drug's effectiveness and its low incidence of nonserious side effects.
Foolish takeaway
The future looks bright for Antares, and I see why both Wall Street and Main Street are so hot for this stock. With America's population aging, the market for OAB treatments can only grow. At a share price of just 16 times next year's earnings, and with FDA approval of its drug looking likely, I'm pretty optimistic the stock will grow nicely, too.
Of course, that's just my opinion. If you think I'm mistaken, feel free to set me straight. Click over to Motley Fool CAPS, and give us your two cents on this $2 stock.
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