Antares Pharma Earnings: An Early Look

Earnings season is winding down, with most companies already having reported their quarterly results. But there are still some companies left to report, and Antares Pharma (ATRS) is about to release its quarterly earnings. The key to making smart investment decisions with stocks releasing their quarterly reports is to anticipate how they'll do before they announce results, leaving you fully prepared to respond quickly to whatever inevitable surprises arise. That way, you'll be less likely to make an uninformed knee-jerk reaction to news that turns out to be exactly the wrong move.

Antares has the word "pharma" in its name, but the company stands out as much for how it's trying to change the way patients take drugs as for the effectiveness of the drugs themselves. Let's take an early look at what's been happening with Antares Pharma over the past quarter and what we're likely to see in its quarterly report on Wednesday.

Stats on Antares Pharma

Source: Yahoo! Finance.

Will Antares Pharma make investors feel better this quarter?
Analysts have reined in their views on Antares over the past few months, widening their loss estimate for the just-ended quarter by a penny per share and slashing their full-year 2013 call by $0.04 per share in projecting breakeven results. The stock hasn't responded well, falling about 3% since early December.

Antares specializes in novel drug-delivery techniques, with its needle-free injectors that use high pressure to force medicine through very small openings in the skin. It also produces various gel-based products to treat conditions ranging from overactive bladder to menopause symptoms, as well as a contraceptive gel.

So far, Antares has had trouble getting its business off the ground, with minimal revenue and a lack of a full-fledged marketing partner. But the company hopes that its alliance with Teva Pharmaceutical (TEVA 1.85%) will help lift its prospects, with Antares and Teva having filed New Drug Applications for several drugs using Antares' Tjet and Vibex injectors. In addition, Antares has been working quietly with Pfizer (PFE -3.85%) on an undisclosed product for which Antares has already received milestone payments.

But the real potential that has driven share prices upward comes from Antares' Otrexup treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. With its potential to help patients self-administer the drug methotrexate, which 70% of rheumatoid arthritis patients take, Otrexup may not only be easier for patients to use but also more effective in delivering the drug with fewer side effects.

In its quarterly report, look past Antares' relatively insignificant numbers to gauge its prospects for the future. Whether they come from partnerships or its own prospects, Antares is an interesting though highly speculative play in the industry.

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