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Enough top-performing CAPS members have turned bullish on Exelixis (Nasdaq: EXEL) recently to upgrade it from the four-star rank it has held for months to a more formidable five stars. A total of 2,336 members have given their opinion on Exelixis, with many of them offering analysis and commentary explaining the recent optimism.
Many CAPS members like to point to Exelixis' growing pipeline of drugs and licensing deals -- including eight cancer compounds and three others that it's working with on its own. Its latest partnership with sanofi-aventis (NYSE: SNY) rocked the market with the announcement that Exelixis will get $140 million up front with the opportunity for $1 billion more.
It also struck an excellent deal last December with Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY) for its brain cancer drug, XL184, after GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE: GSK) had turned it down. The drug is in clinical trials and has the potential to treat several types of cancer.
Larger players see big potential in cancer drugs, as evidenced by Johnson & Johnson's (NYSE: JNJ) agreement to acquire prostate cancer drug maker Cougar Biotechnology, and the high investor interest surrounding Dendreon's (Nasdaq: DNDN) Provenge and Pfizer's (NYSE: PFE) Sutent.
While many other small drug companies struggle in a tight market, Exelixis has now brought in more than $400 million through licensing deals since late last year, giving it a solid cushion of cash for the near future, and leading the CEO to claim the company's in the best financial shape it's ever been in.
To see what the very best CAPS analysts are saying now about Exelixis -- as well as other winning stocks they are picking -- head on over to CAPS and have a look. The community research and resources in CAPS are totally free.
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