Biotech Pulse: Top Picks & Budget Buys to Watch

Stocks surged Thursday, buoyed by strong gains in megacap tech names, as investors looked for signs of progress in the ongoing global trade negotiations.

Overnight, China stated that no trade talks were taking place with the U.S., with Ministry of Commerce spokesperson He Yadong dismissing any progress made on bilateral talks. He also called for the cancellation of “unilateral” tariffs imposed by the U.S.

The S&P 500 has dropped 4% since April 2, the day President Trump unveiled his new tariff policy on U.S. imports. During this period, the Dow has fallen by 5.7%, while the Nasdaq has declined 3.6%.

As of 11:17 AM ET, the Dow was up 253.75 points, or 0.6407%, at $39,860.32. The Nasdaq Composite added 340.31 points, or 1.82%, at $19,033.57. The S&P 500 rose 67.45 points, or 1.25%, at $5,443.31. Among the 11 major S&P 500 sectors, 6 showed positive movement, with Communication Services leading the way with a 1.61% increase.

Top Movers: Under $10 

CERo Therapeutics Holdings Inc (CERO) is up 42.61% today to trade at the current level of $1.14. This comes after announcing Sarah Cannon Research Institute at Colorado Blood Cancer Institute.

KWESST Micro Systems Inc (KWE) zoomed 15.88% in today’s trade to $5.28. This rally can be attributed to news that clarified its share consolidation and effectiveness.

In current trading, Ardagh Metal Packaging S.A (AMBP) stock is up 26.45% at $3.49 following release of its quarterly results and announcement dividend payment.

La Rosa Holdings Corp (LRHC) rose 32.68% in the early hours of today's trading to move at $0.16. The strong performance of LRHC stock came as investors were encouraged by the announcement of stock Buyback Program authorization.

In the current trading session, Community Health Systems, Inc (CYH) jumped 27.12% to $3.09 over a previous close of $2.43 as the company release its Q1 financials and announced an equity move.

Ex-Dividends Stocks

Lakeland Financial Corp (LKFN) is about to trade ex-dividend tomorrow, meaning that investors who buy the stock after tomorrow will not be eligible for the next dividend payment. The company's next dividend payment will be $0.5 per share. It has fixed April 25 as the record date for the same and will pay the actual dividend on May 05. Last year, the company distributed a total of $1.94 to its shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, LKFN has a trailing yield of 3.62% on the current stock price of $53.57.

Another stock that is shelling out dividends tomorrow is Fastenal Co (FAST), having a market capitalization of $46.71B. It will pay a dividend of $0.44 per share, the payment date of which is May 23. Currently, the stock is trading at a trailing dividend yield of 1.96%.

Shares of Coca-Cola Consolidated Inc (COKE) will be the talk of stock market on Friday as the stock will turn ex-dividend. The company's next dividend payment will be $2.5 per share, and in the last 12 months, it paid a total of $6.00 per share. Last year's total dividend payments show that COKE has a trailing yield of 0.42% on the current share price of $1,413.61.

Kaiser Aluminum Corp (KALU) is also set to go ex-dividend tomorrow. The next dividend payment from KALU will amount to $0.77 per share. April 25 has been designated as the record date for this dividend, with the actual payout scheduled for May 15. In the previous year, KALU distributed a total of $3.08 to its valued shareholders. Considering the cumulative dividend payments from last year, the trailing yield for KALU stands at 5.53% based on the current stock price of $55.68.

Concentrix Corp (CNXC) will be paying out a dividend of $0.33 per share to shareholders holding their shares as of the close of the business hours on the record date of April 25. Over the past 12 months, CNXC has paid out a total of $1.27 per share in dividends. Based on the total dividends paid out last year, CNXC boasts an impressive trailing yield of 2.56% on the current share price of $49.64.

Crypto Market Highlights

• Prince Filip of Serbia anticipates a major Bitcoin price surge dubbed the “omega candle,” but warns that market players might temporarily suppress its trajectory.

• New Hampshire’s House Bill 302, allowing state crypto investments in assets with over $500B market cap, has advanced to a full Senate vote.

• Helium has partnered with AT&T to offer automatic access to its decentralized WiFi network for the telecom giant’s users.

• Japan’s Metaplanet has reached 50% of its 10,000 BTC accumulation goal, as Asian investment firms increase their Bitcoin holdings.

• South Korea’s DAXA flagged risks with Synthetix USD, prompting Upbit and Bithumb to suspend SNX deposits after the stablecoin lost its dollar peg.

 Most Shorted Stocks

BriaCell Therapeutics Corp (BCTX) was one of the most shorted stocks as of latest short interest figures, with 5.53% short interest. The days to cover ratio, a measure of how long it would take for all the short positions to be covered based on average trading volume, is 0.6. This represents a change of 3,800 shares, which corresponds to a +2.02% increase in short interest. The total value of the shares held short is estimated to be around $1.31 million. The average daily volume stands at 700.46K shares, and the market capitalization of the company is $25.26M.

The Palantir Technologies Inc with the symbol PLTR currently has a short interest of 3.57%. The short interest has changed by -14,700,000 shares. The days to cover ratio stands at 1.1. The estimated value of the shares held short is approximately $8.73 billion. On an average day, 110.02M shares are traded, with the company's market capitalization totaling $244.23B.

For the stock SoFi Technologies Inc (SOFI), the current short interest is at 12.89%. This represents a significant short interest change of -870,000 shares, corresponding to a short interest percentage decrease of -0.63%. The days needed to cover the short positions amount to 2.8. The approximate worth of the shares held short is $1.68 billion.

With the symbol AREB, the stock currently has a short interest of 13.28%. The short interest change is -377,200 shares, compared with a short interest percentage change of -82.61%. It would take approximately 0.04 days to cover all the short positions. The shares short value is estimated to be around $588.83 million. The company boasts an average daily volume of 5.64M shares, contributing to a market capitalization of $10.11M.

The stock NVDA has a current short interest of 1.00%. The short interest percentage has experienced a decrease of -9.17% while there was a change of -23,670,000 shares in short interest. The ratio indicating the time required to cover short positions is 0.8. The calculated worth of the shorted shares amounts to around $8.34 million. Trading activity averages at 315.27M shares per day, while the company's market capitalization stands at $2,561.49B.

Biotech Stocks to Watch

According to our ST Score evaluation, Innoviva Inc (INVA) emerges as a high-quality stock in the Biotech industry, attaining an impressive score of 62. The stock's profitability, performance, growth, and Piotroski Score are strong. However, its financial strength is weak. Additionally, it is neutral in terms of stock sentiment, and forecast.

Our ST Score also classifies Argen X SE ADR (ARGX) as a high-quality Biotech stock today, presenting a Score of 61. The stock has strong fundamentals in terms of profitability, performance, and financial strength. The growth, stock sentiment, Piotroski Score, and forecast are neutral.

Another stock in the category, Theratechnologies Inc (THTX) has the ST Score of 67, which means that the stock carries the potential for higher returns. The stock is strong in profitability, performance, and financial strength but weak in stock sentiment, and forecast. Growth, and piotroski score suggest a neutral outlook.

Biocryst Pharmaceuticals Inc (BCRX) stock has the ST Score of 61 which implies that the Biotech company has a high probability of beating the market. The stock's strengths lie in its profitability, performance, and growth. However, it shows a neutral outlook in financial strength, stock sentiment, Piotroski Score, and forecast.

Halozyme Therapeutics Inc (HALO) currently has the ST Score of 61, which signifies a huge upward potential. The Biotech stock's strong points are its profitability, performance, financial strength, and Piotroski Score. The stock's growth, stock sentiment, and forecast indicate a neutral outlook.

That's it for today. Thanks for reading. Good luck out there!

Best Regards,

Stocks Telegraph Team

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