Biotech Surge: Affordable Picks Ready to Skyrocket

The S&P 500 surged toward a record close on Thursday, buoyed by renewed optimism following President Donald Trump's push for lower interest rates and reduced oil prices. Market sentiment has been further lifted by the prospect of tax cuts, deregulation, and steady economic growth under the current administration.

As of 11:20 AM ET, the Dow was up 219.77 points, or 0.4977%, at $44376.5. The Nasdaq Composite lost -69.696 points, or -0.31893%, at $21783.3. The S&P 500 rose 7.42 points, or 0.12191%, at $6093.79. Among the 11 major S&P 500 sectors, 7 showed negative movement, with Consumer Defensive leading the way with a -0.41% decrease.

While concerns over tariffs linger, investors have found reassurance in the absence of major new trade measures during Trump's initial days back in the White House. Adding to the market's momentum, the fourth-quarter earnings season has kicked off with strong performances from Netflix and major banks, although some of the excitement was dampened by American Airlines, whose stock plunged over 8% after issuing disappointing guidance.

Top Movers: Under $10

Vince Holding Corp (VNCE) is up 99.96% today to trade at the current level of $4.70. This comes after the company announced that P180, a new venture focused on accelerating growth and profitability in the luxury apparel sector, acquired a majority stake in VNCE from affiliates of Sun Capital Partners, Inc.

SES AI Corporation (SES) zoomed 50.95% in today’s trade to $1.25 after announcing a major milestone for the commercial application of AI for Science for battery material discovery with contracts totaling up to $10 million.

In current trading, N2OFF Inc (NITO) stock is at $1.24 after announcing that it has signed a binding term sheet with Solterra Energy Ltd. to collaborate exclusively on renewable energy projects in Albania for one year, focusing primarily on solar energy and battery storage.

Hepion Pharmaceuticals Inc (HEPA) rose 20.89% in the early hours of today's trading to move at $0.16 after announcing $9.0 million public offering.

In the current trading session, Evolv Technologies Holdings Inc (EVLV) jumped 19.59% to $3.85 over a previous close of $3.22 after providing an update on select strategic metrics for the three-month period ended December 31, 2024.

Ex-Dividends Stocks

SM Energy Co (SM) 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 $0.2 per share. It has fixed January 24 as the record date for the same and will pay the actual dividend on February 03. Last year, the company distributed a total of $0.56 to its shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, SM has a trailing yield of 1.33% on the current stock price of $42.03.

Shares of Gladstone Land Corp (LAND) will be the talk of stock market on Friday as the stock will turn ex-dividend. The company's next dividend payment will be $0.05 per share, and in the last 12 months, it paid a total of $0.56 per share. Last year's total dividend payments show that LAND has a trailing yield of 5.39% on the current share price of $10.38.

Pfizer Inc (PFE) is also set to go ex-dividend tomorrow. The next dividend payment from PFE will amount to $0.43 per share. January 24 has been designated as the record date for this dividend, with the actual payout scheduled for March 07. In the previous year, PFE distributed a total of $1.68 to its valued shareholders. Considering the cumulative dividend payments from last year, the trailing yield for PFE stands at 6.40% based on the current stock price of $26.24.

Procter & Gamble Co (PG) will be paying out a dividend of $1.01 per share to shareholders holding their shares as of the close of the business hours on the record date of January 24. Over the past 12 months, PG has paid out a total of $3.02 per share in dividends. Based on the total dividends paid out last year, PG boasts an impressive trailing yield of 1.84% on the current share price of $164.37.

Crypto Market Highlights

• Transak partners with blockchain-based uranium trading marketplace, Uranium.io.

• OKX receives pre-authorization under the EU’s Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulation.

• Phemex crypto exchange halts withdrawals after $30 million in suspicious outflows raise security concerns.

• South Korean exchanges Upbit and Bithumb to compensate investors for service downtime caused by martial law declaration on Dec. 3, 2024.

• WazirX secures approval from Singapore High Court for restructuring plan to repay customers affected by 2024 cyberattack.

Most Shorted Stocks

Lovesac Company (LOVE) was one of the most shorted stocks as of latest short interest figures, with 24.87% 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 9.2. This represents a change of -330000 shares, which corresponds to a -8.66% decrease in short interest. The total value of the shares held short is estimated to be around $89.61 million. The average daily volume stands at 392.75K shares, and the market capitalization of the company is $397.39M.

The Rekor Systems Inc with the symbol REKR currently has a short interest of 22.60%. The short interest has changed by 6590000 shares. The days to cover ratio stands at 5.4. The estimated value of the shares held short is approximately $42.61 million. On an average day, 5.39M shares are traded, with the company's market capitalization totaling $188.53M.

For the stock Bit Digital Inc (BTBT), the current short interest is at 22.68%. This represents a significant short interest change of 3320000 shares, corresponding to a short interest percentage increase of +10.54%. The days needed to cover the short positions amount to 2.0. The approximate worth of the shares held short is $133.71 million.

With the symbol RUN, the stock currently has a short interest of 22.80%. The short interest change is -1780000 shares, compared with a short interest percentage change of -3.36%. It would take approximately 5.4 days to cover all the short positions. The shares short value is estimated to be around $293.53 million. The company boasts an average daily volume of 10.10M shares, contributing to a market capitalization of $1.89B.

The stock PLUG has a current short interest of 22.48%. The short interest percentage has experienced decrease of -3.68% while there was a change of -7820000 shares in short interest. The ratio indicating the time required to cover short positions is 3.4. The calculated worth of the shorted shares amounts to around $105.37 million. Trading activity averages at 66.39M shares per day, while the company's market capitalization stands at $1.87B.

Biotech Stocks to Watch

According to our ST Score evaluation, Pulmatrix Inc (PULM) emerges as a high-quality stock in the Biotech industry, attaining an impressive score of 60. The stock's financial strength are strong. Additionally, it is neutral in terms of profitability, performance, growth, stock sentiment, Piotroski Score, and forecast.

Our ST Score also classifies XOMA Royalty Corp (XOMA) as a high-quality Biotech stock today, presenting a Score of 60. 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, Immuron Limited ADR (IMRN) has the ST Score of 59, which means that the stock carries the potential for higher returns. The stock is strong in performance, and financial strength. Profitability, growth, stock sentiment, piotroski score, and forecast suggest a neutral outlook.

Lipocine Inc (LPCN) stock has the ST Score of 59 which implies that the Biotech company has a high probability of beating the market. The stock's strengths lie in its profitability, and financial strength, but its weaknesses are in its Piotroski Score. However, it shows neutral outlook in performance, growth, stock sentiment, and forecast.

Oramed Pharmaceuticals, Inc (ORMP) currently has the ST Score of 59, which signifies a huge upward potential. The Biotech stock's strong points are its profitability, and financial strength, while its weak points are its stock sentiment, and forecast. The stock's performance, growth, and Piotroski Score 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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