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Author: ST Staff

Hancock Jaffe Laboratories Inc [HJLI] – What next after Bullish breakout?

Hancock Jaffe Laboratories Inc [NASDAQ: HJLI] is in a bullish breakout at the moment. After trading in a range for months, the stock has shot up by 130%. The breakout follows the company’s announcement that follow-up data on two more VenoValve patients showed improvement compared to their condition before the surgery. The two are part of the company’s first human studies in Colombia.

The company stated that the two patients included an 86-year old male, whose reflux had improved by 62%. The study also found that on the Venous Clinical Severity Scores, the patients showed an improvement of 42%, while pain improved by about 79%. Besides these two patients, the company had reported that 8 other patients had completed the first-in-human trials. Of the eight, seven patients had an over 50% success on Venovalves, VCSS, Reflux, and VAS. Commenting on the success, the company’s CEO Dr Marc H. Glickman said that the results were a major improvement and that they would drive excitement in the world of vascular treatment.

The treatment will now go to the next step of more monitoring and undergo several tests as required by the FDA. The company also announced that it expected to file for a pivotal trial in Q1 of 2021.

What next?

With the progress that the company has made so far with this treatment, positive sentiment is likely to remain high, until 2021 when it enters the pivotal trial. That’s because approval of this treatment would mean a huge bump in revenues and an increase in the intrinsic value of the stock.

The stock also stands to benefit from two major market-related factors. The first one is the increased fear of market overvaluation. Since the S&P 500 hit a new high recently, momentum has become more subdued. Investors are looking more into tech, and stocks that have strong growth fundamentals. From this perspective, HJLI offers good prospects that could see it grow revenues long-term, due to the positive progress with regards to the treatment currently undergoing human trials. This is likely to see more money flow into the stock, especially now that it has broken resistance.

There is also the possibility of a market-wide rally if a COVID-19 vaccine is found soon. There is growing consensus in the scientific community that a vaccine could be found before the end of 2020. If this happens, a stock with strong momentum such as HJLI could rally even more. Its momentum could be boosted if the vaccine comes out at around the same time as the pivotal trial for the company’s treatment in 2021.

About Hancock Jaffe Laboratories Inc

Hancock Jaffe Laboratories Inc is a biotech company that develops tissue solutions for cardiovascular ailments. The company is headquartered in Irvine, California.

August 21, 2020
Stocks to Watch as Caution Grips the Markets

The markets are headed to a weak start this morning. This comes amidst rising concerns that the market is overvalued after the S&P 500 hit an all-time despite the ongoing pandemic. The uncertainty comes after labour data consistently showing that the U.S economy was still struggling from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic The FOMC recent minutes also point to tempered optimism.

This environment has seen investors pile money into tech stocks that have an element of dominance in their markets, or have innovations that could help drive up their market value. Despite the current market environment, there are non-big tech stocks that are gaining momentum before markets open. Some of the top performers ahead of markets are:

Eyepoint Pharmaceuticals Inc [NASDAQ: EYPT]

Eyepoint Pharmaceuticals Inc is a top performer pre-market and is up by 49%. This follows the company’s announcement that it had received $9.5 million in upfront payments for an expanded license agreement from Ocumension Therapeutics.

The company stated that the deal was for the commercialization of YUTIQ® and DEXYCU® in South Korea and other markets in Southeast Asia. The payment is supposed to be full compensation for all development, regulatory and commercial sale transactions. Commenting on the deal, CFO George Elston stated that Ocumension was a major partner and shares the company’s core beliefs of pushing YUTIQ® and DEXYCU® in the treatment of several unmet medical needs.

He added that the company was happy to expand its partnership with Ocumension in the Asian market and that the money received would be used to expand the company’s clinical projects that are currently being developed. On his part, Ocumension CEO Ye Liu stated that they looked forward to the continued development of the two products. Since the deal is a revenue boost for Eyepoint, the company is uniquely positioned for gains all through the day.

Oragenics Inc [NYSE: OGEN]

Oragenics Inc is another top performer pre-market and is currently up by 11 %. This follows the company’s announcement that it had signed a process development and a manufacturing deal with Avid Bioservices for a COVD-19 vaccine. Under the deal, Avid will offer Oragenics support for analytical methods drug manufacturing and method development for Terra Cov-2 (a COVID-19 vaccine).

Commenting on the deal, Oragenics CEO Alan Joslyn stated that with Avid’s infrastructure capabilities, they are the right partners for the development. This deal is likely to support this project all through the day.

ShiftPixy Inc [NASDAQ: PIXY]

ShiftPixy is up in pre-market trading and is currently up by 11%. This comes after the company announced that it was relocating its corporate headquarters to Miami, Florida. Co-founder Scott Absher stated that Miami was on their roadmap for

August 21, 2020
GEVO Inc [GEVO] – A Top Stock To Watch For The Remainder Of 2020

GEVO Inc [NASDAQ: GEVO] is a top performer today and is up by over 200%. This comes after the company announced that it had entered into a revenue contract with Trafigura. The agreement is a long-term take or pay contract that is worth $1.5 billion and is the biggest deal in Gevo history.

Under the deal, Trafigura, a world-leading commodity trader, will receive 25 MPGY of renewable hydrocarbon. The deal is expected to become operational in 2023 and is part of Trafigura’s strategy to develop a market of low-carbon gasoline. Commenting on the deal, Gevo CEO Patrick Gruber stated that the deal was bringing in $1.5 billion to the company. He added that the company expected to be of value to Trafigura by helping the commodities giant lower its carbon footprint. The deal has seen Gevo form a bullish reversal pattern as the market adjusts the price to reflect the news.

What next?

The momentum that this deal has created could be followed by a rally that could run into the foreseeable future for several reasons. First investors are anticipating a long-term jump in revenues to the tune of $1.5 billion. This could see long-term investors take positions in this stock, and in the process support the upside price momentum.

Secondly, the company has a number of other projects that likely to drive the value of this stock long-term. Earlier in the week, the company stated that had entered into a partnership with Praj in a deal that will lead to the commercialization of sustainable aviation fuel in the Indian market. Under the deal, Gevo will offer its technology to Praj under license, while Praj will offer EPC services and plant equipment. Gevo will also license its services refineries and help them convert isobutanol to premium gasoline.

On this deal, Gevo CEO Patrick Gruber stated that jet fuel made with their technology can reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Given that India is one of the most important markets for the global oil and gas industry, the deal is likely to drive up the company’s stock value in the long run. That’s because as revenue from the deal materializes, the intrinsic value of the deal will increase and reflect in the stock price.

The stock could also get a boost from the approval of a COVID-19 vaccine. A vaccine would lead to a rally in the entire market, and stocks with strong fundamentals such as Gevo would benefit immensely.

About Gevo

Gevo Inc. is a renewable energy company. It sells diesel, jet full and aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It is based in Englewood, Colorado.

August 20, 2020
High Potential Stocks to Watch Despite Weak Market Sentiment

It’s a weak start to the markets as investors await weak labor data from the labor department. Investors are also digesting the cautious data from the Federal Reserve about the economy. Members of the Federal Open Markets Committee are in agreement that the current health crisis could continue to weigh heavily on the U.S economy including on employment and inflation.

The Federal Reserve was also in agreement that the pandemic would pose a risk to the economy in the near-term. This has created an element of uncertainty in the markets, raising fears that equities could be highly overvalued at the moment. Despite the dampened mood, there are stocks that are doing well this morning and have the potential to do well all through the day. Some of the stocks that posed for major gains in the day are as below:

OpGen Inc [NASDAQ: OPGN]

OpGen Inc has started the day on a high note and continues the momentum that started earlier in the day. This follows the company’s announcement that its German subsidiary has received certification for its COVID-19 test kit.

Commenting on the development, CEO Oliver Schacht stated that the launch of this product as part of the company’s commitment to supporting its customers and distributors of COVID-19 test kits. The COVID-19 pandemic continues to ravage the world economy and testing is one of the ways that the pandemic is being tackled. In essence, by advancing its testing tools in the EU market, the company is uniquely positioned for growth.

AirNet Technology Inc [NASDAQ: ANTE]

This is another big mover this morning and started, gaining upside momentum in pre-market trading. The stock’s strong gains follow the company’s announcement that it had got a capital injection from Dragonpass Co.Ltd. The agreement between the two companies stated that the investment would be in installments and that the next installment would be around RMB 20 million.

CEO, Herman Guo stated that the company was happy with the investment and that it would use it to fuel growth, and open new opportunities. Given that the markets are currently choppy due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a capital injection is likely to keep investor interest in this stock high all through the day.

Xcel Brands Inc [NASDAQ: XELB]

Xcel Brands Inc is another top performer this morning. This comes after the company released impressive Q2 results. The company reported that it had improved its balance sheet in the quarter and that it was still on track to cut on expenses. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the company announced that it maintained positive cash flows in the quarter. This is likely to keep the stock gaining all through the day.

August 20, 2020
9 Meters Biopharma [NMTR] Breaks Monthly Resistance – Is A Rally Beckoning?

9 Meters Biopharma [NASDAQ: NMTR] is showing some interesting price action. Yesterday, the stock gapped up and pushed through monthly support at $0.80. This price action came just a day after the company was highlighted at the Truist Securities Catalyst conference call. The conference call touched on preliminary phase 1 /2 data from short bowel syndrome that is expected in the second half of 2020. The highlight points to the progress that 9 Meters has made in the quest for a treatment for short bowel syndrome.

It also comes just a week after 9 Meters had provided an update on its treatment for the problem. In its update, the company stated that it had kick-started phase 1 ./2b clinical trial for its treatment adding that the first patients had been given a dose of the trial treatment in July, with the results expected in Q1 of 2021.

The company also stated that it had amended how it was defining the primary endpoint for its phase 3 trial for its celiac disease treatment. It added that the amendment allowed for a reduction in the number of participants to 525 from the previous 630. The update also highlighted that the company was anticipating multiple inflection points all through the next 18 months. While providing the update, CEO John Temperato stated that the company’s advances at the clinical trials have been good and that they were happy with the team.

What next?

The stock has gained upside momentum after the release of this update indicating that investors are confident that the treatments could turn successful. The excitement around this potential could see the stock keep gaining all through the year. Positive results from the trial in Q1 of 2021 could see the stock gain even further.

Besides, the excitement around the trials, there are several other factors that could see this stock keep gaining in value in the near-term. One of them is that it has the finances to see its treatments succeed. The company recently gave an update for Q2 and stated that in the quarter, its cash and cash equivalents stood at $13.5 million. This was a significant increase compared to Q1 when it’s cash and cash equivalents stood at $2.7 million. The company’s capability to see its programs through instills confidence in investors and could help support the price in the near-term.

Besides these internal factors, the markets have rebound despite the COVID-19 pandemic. There is lots of optimism that a COVID-19 vaccine could be available by the end of the year. Such a development could see NMTR, with all the positive vibe around it, gain all through the year.

About 9 Meters Biopharma

9 Meters Biopharma is a Biopharmaceutical Company that develops treatments for rare disorders. It is headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina.

August 20, 2020
Stocks to Watch as Fears of a Renewed China/U.S Trade War Dampens Markets

The U.S. markets are headed for a weak start following renewed trade tensions between the U.S and China. President Trump has said that he canceled the weekend trade talks with China and added that he was not willing to talk to China right now. At the same time, the U.S government has warned American universities against the continued investment of endowment funds in Chinese stocks.

The administration told Universities that with more stringent measures against Chinese stocks coming, there was a risk that these stocks could be delisted wholesale from American exchanges. These moves by the U.S government have renewed fears that the February trade deal that led to a period of calm in trade between the two countries could be broken.

This also comes at a time when the world economy is still reeling from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the current market situation, there are stocks that are in the green pre-market. Some of the top performers ahead of markets are as below:

Hudson Ltd [NYSE: HUD]

Hudson Ltd is a top performer this morning and is up by 46.20%. This follows the company’s announcement of the acquisition of all outstanding shares by Dufry AG Group. Dufry already controls 57.4% of all the shares in the company. Under the agreement, Dufry will buy the remaining shares at $7.70, which is 50.1% of the price that Hudson was trading at in yesterday’s session.

Commenting on the deal, Hudson CEO Roger Fordyce stated that while the acquisition would reorganize the ownership structure, the integration that will follow will help the company better execute its business strategy. He added that the company’s strategy has not changed and that it would continue to put emphasis on its key business pillars. The deal will be subject to approval by the other Hudson shareholders.

9 Meters Biopharma [NASDAQ:NMTR]

9 Meters Biopharma is another top performer this morning and is up by 32% pre-market. This is a pure price action driven move, pushed by the updates from the Truist Securities Catalyst Conference call that happened yesterday.

Last week, the company had provided an update on the Phase 1b/2a trial for its potential treatment for short bowel syndrome. The company stated that it had done amendments to the primary endpoint for its phase 3 trial and that it was expecting multiple points of inflection in the next 18 months.

Blonder Tongue Laboratories Inc [NYSE:BDR]

Blonder Tongue Laboratories Inc is another top performer this morning and is up by 26%. This increased momentum comes days after the company announced that it had appointed Rick Briggs as a director. The company stated that Briggs was bringing in more than 3 decades of experience in developing tech solutions. It will be interesting to see how its current price action will play out in the day.

August 19, 2020
Best Performing Stocks amidst Mixed Sentiment

The markets are mixed this afternoon. The S&P 500 is hovering between positive and negative territory after testing pre-COVID-19 levels earlier in the day. The price action reflects the sentiment in the market at the moment. On one hand, investors are looking forward to stronger markets after proving to be resilient all through the pandemic.

On the other hand, there are real fears that the markets could be overvalued, especially when considering the weak economic data that has come out recently. This may also explain the rise of the NASDAQ today. This index is tech-heavy and investors have been getting into these stocks for their quality. A company like Amazon is dominant in its industry and is well-capitalized, making it a high potential stock under the current economic environment. The same can be said of the other big tech stocks. In this environment of mixed sentiment, there are stocks that are doing extremely well. Some of the top performers this afternoon are:

RISE Education Cayman Ltd [NASDAQ: REDU]

RISE Education is on the rise this afternoon and is up by 56%. This follows the company’s announcement of strong Q2 results. The company stated that in Q2, it continued with the investments that it started in Q2. The CEO stated some of the investments that they continued in Q2 were in human development. The company continued to hire highly talented people and was specifically targeting people with strong tech skills. The CEO further stated that its franchise learning centers restarted most of their operations in the quarter and that they were now operating at 92% of their operations. The company further added that its revenues had increased by 111.7% in the quarter This was driven by the phased reopening of its franchise learning centers. The company also reported that its marketing revenues, reduced in the quarter mainly due to better utilization of staff.

Aduro Biotech Inc [NASDAQ: ADRO]

Aduro Biotech is another top performer this afternoon and is up by 28%. This is mainly price action at play. The stock has been trading in a range for weeks now and was bond to break out in any direction. The upside breakout on high volumes points to a stock that is picking up as optimism in the equity markets rise. Given the strong performance of biotech stocks recently, this stock could see its value keep growing.

GrowGeneration Corp [NASDAQ: GRWG]

GrowGeneration Corp is another top performer today after releasing strong Q2 results. The company announced that in Q2,, revenues increased by `123% compared to a similar quarter in Q2 of 2019. Gross profits also increased by 99% in the quarter when compared to Q2 of 2019. These strong metrics could give this stock upside momentum throughout the week.

August 18, 2020
Stocks to Watch as Big Retailers Raise Market Optimism

It’s a good start to the markets this morning. All the major indices are in the green after major retailers posted strong revenue numbers. Earlier in the day, Walmart reported its Q2 earnings and they were much better than the consensus estimates.

The company reported that comparable same-store sales were up by 9.3% in the quarter. It also reported that e-commerce sales were almost double in Q2. The company attributed this to increased online shopping as consumers tried to avoid the risk of contracting COVID-19. Another retailer that has recorded strong results pre-market is Home Depot. The company has reported that Q2 sales grew by 23.4%, compared to a similar quarter in the last financial year.

Other stocks that have driven optimism are Amazon and Tesla after a positive outlook for both. Analysis by Needham market analysts show that Amazon could be worth as high as $5000 a share, and this has helped renew optimism in the stock, and the equity markets in general. In this environment of increased optimism, several stocks rallied pre-market and look set to continue these gains in the day. Some of the stocks likely to outperform this morning are:

MICT Inc [NASDAQ: MICT]

MICT Inc was a top performer pre-market and at one point was up by 93%. The stock’s strong performance is a reflection of improved market sentiment after the company announced that it had received its first big order for SmartCam. The order came after the company announced that it had a successful trial of the camera with a top Global Telematics Company. The company’s software brings together the latest technology in software and artificial intelligence and is targeting the $45 billion telematics market. Commenting on the deal, CEO Darren Mercer stated that, they expect to sell a sizeable portion of this product by the end of 2020. Given the prospects that the tech offered for the company in revenue growth, It could make significant gains in the day.

Forward Industries Inc [NASDAQ: FORD]

Forward Industries Inc was rallying all through the day and looks set to continue this momentum in the day. This is after the company announced that it had bought out Kablooe Design. The company announced that the deal would be a mix of debt and cash. Given that Kablooe is the 3^rd biggest maker of medical devices in the U.S., investors are looking forward to an increase in the intrinsic value of Forward Industries, and the same reflects in its stock price.

NovaBay Pharmaceuticals Inc [NYSE: NBY]

NovaBay was another top performer pre-market and from its price action, this momentum is set to continue in the day. This comes after the company announced that it was expanding its online distribution for Avenova. The company stated that Avenova, a facial spray confirmed to kill the SARS-Cov-2 virus would now be available online.

August 18, 2020
Top Performing Stocks as Markets Rally Back to Pre-COVID-19 Levels

This afternoon, the markets are up, in a continuation of the trend that started earlier in the day. The S&P 500 has in the last few hours retested its February highs. This follows increased optimism that the U.S could be returning to pre-crisis normalcy. The optimism is twofold. On one hand, biopharma has over the past month hinted to a vaccine coming soon.

Russia has already approved its vaccine which makes such a possibility come even closer. There is also the fact that States that were most affected by the pandemic are starting to reopen. Today, the governor of New York has announced that gyms can reopen provided that they do so in a restricted manner. This increased optimism in the markets has seen stocks that have shown resilience during the pandemic rally. Such stocks are likely to show more strength as normalcy returns. Most of them have reported strong Q2 results. Among the top performers this afternoon are as below:

Lifeway Foods Inc [NASDAQ: LWAY]

Lifeway Foods Inc is a top gainer this afternoon and is up by 23%. This follows the release of strong Q2 results. The company reported an 8% increase in net sales when compared with a similar quarter in Q2 of 2019. The gross profits as a percentage of net sales also increased by 410 points from 23.6% in 2019, to 27.7% in Q2 of 2020.

The company attributed this to better milk prices during the COVID-19 period. Commenting on the results, CEO Julie Smolyansky stated the company had benefited from strong consumer demand both through the company’s e-commerce and retail. The CEO also added that the results also pointed to the company’s strength and resilience despite the pandemic. The CEO also added that the company will continue to meet clients’ needs. As overall market sentiment improves, this stock will be in a position to keep gaining.

Altisource Asset Management Corporation [NYSE: AAMC]

This is another top performer this afternoon and is up by 30%. This upside momentum follows the company’s release of strong Q2 results. The company announced that rental income from its front yards stood at $55.1 million, or a year-on-year increase of 6.9%.

The company also announced that it had successfully negotiated an agreement with Front Yard in a $54 million deal. Commenting on the results, CEO Indroneel Chatterjee said that the company was happy with the performance so far. He added that the company had made progress in the design of the business to take advantage of the emergent opportunities. This is likely to see it keep gaining in the near-term.

August 17, 2020
Stocks to Watch as Market Sentiment Points to a Strong Day

The markets have started the day in positive territory, and the S&P 500 is trading close to record highs. This comes amidst rising optimism that a COVID-19 vaccine is close. There is also the fact that market dynamics point to economic resilience despite the pandemic.

The markets are also looking forward to a host of economic data both on the economy and company earnings. On the economic front, some of the key data that the market is awaiting is on the home sales report and the FOMC minutes for the July meeting.

Home sales are largely expected to be high due to the low-interest rates environment that has prevailed for some time now. Looking into individual, stocks, companies that have announced strong quarterly earnings have shown the most potential pre-market, are likely to remain strong all through the day. Some of the biggest gainers this morning that are likely to remain strong all through the day are as below:

Comstock Mining Inc [NYSE: LODE]

Comstock was gaining upside momentum all through pre-market trading, and at one point was up by 86%. The rally follows the company’s release of strong Q2 results. The company reported a net income of $1.3 million, which represents an income of $0.05 per share. It’s significantly higher than the loss of $2.1 million that it reported in Q2 of 2019.

The company also reported a number of strategic moves that it made in the quarter. Some of them include investments in multiple high potential companies. For instance, the company made investments in Tonogold Resources Inc and Mercury Clean Up LLC. The company also announced that it had made a strategic decision to sell non-mining properties in Silver Springs. Given that Q2 has been difficult for a lot of companies, the swing to profitability points to fundamental strength, and could see LODE emerge as one of the day’s top gainers.

LMP Automotive Holdings Inc [NASDAQ: LMPX]

LMP Automotive Holdings Inc was up by 50% in pre-market trading and looks set to extend those gains in the day. Its bullish price momentum follows last week’s announcement of strong Q2 results. The company announced that quarterly revenues grew by 44% to stand at $7.7 million. The company also reported that gross profits for the quarter increased by 85% to stand at $1.5 million.

The company’s cash position was also stable in Q2, closing the quarter with a cash position of $17.7 million. CEO, Sam Tawfik stated that the numbers were a reflection of the huge opportunity that exists in the industry. With such prospects for good performance in the near-term, this stock could remain strong today, and in the foreseeable future.

August 17, 2020