What happened
ChromaDex (CDXC 0.76%) was a hit on a slightly downbeat Tuesday for the broader market. Its shares raced nearly 10% higher on a price target increase from an analyst.
So what
New York-based investment bank H.C. Wainwright lifted its price target on the stock Tuesday. Actually, that's an understatement; that level was shot into the sky, to $16 per share from the previous $7. The company maintains its buy recommendation on ChromaDex.
H.C. Wainwright's upgrade is not the only one in recent days. Last week, Ladenburg Thalmann analyst Jeffrey Cohen cranked his target price on the shares up to $12 from the preceding $8.50, and Brian Nagel from the influential Oppenheimer nearly doubled his from $9 to $17. Both prognosticators have the equivalent of a buy recommendation on the stock.
Two major recent factors are behind the sunnier outlooks. First, ChromaDex reported fourth quarter results that, while basically in line with analyst expectations, showed a considerably narrower EBITDA loss compared to the year-ago quarter. Second, and perhaps more important, the company announced that it signed a supply deal with Walmart for the monster retailer to carry its flagship Tru Niagen dietary supplement in 3,000 of its stores.
Now what
ChromaDex has an active product pipeline and a modest chemicals business, but for now its fortunes are strongly tied to Tru Niagen. So at the moment it's a fairly limited healthcare business. Potential investors should keep an eye on how that pipeline develops.