NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- When Apple's (AAPL) Phil Schiller spewed Can't innovate any more, my ass at this year's Worldwide Developer's Conference, I came out against his defensiveness. Because, as I explained Monday morning at TheStreet, if you're not concerned about Apple's ability to innovate in a post-Steve Jobs world, they should be waiting for you at Bellevue with their oxygen masks.
(Go ahead, Google that fine piece of lyrical gold).
Schiller simply misplaced his anger. With iTunes Radio, Apple is absolutely not innovating; it's knocking off Pandora (P). And, while you can technically call it "innovation," the new Mac Pro computer, as incredible as it is, means little, if anything, in the consumer (or even business) marketplace. Certainly, you can make the case that Apple should and needs to do these things, but the Internet radio thing isn't innovative and the computer that could double as a generator is innovation in a vacuum.
rue21, inc. operates as a specialty apparel retailer in the United States. It provides fashion apparel and accessories for girls and guys, including graphic T-shirts, denim, dresses, shirts, hoodies, belts, jewelry, handbags, footwear, intimate apparel, and other accessories. The company sells its apparel and accessories under the brand names of rue21, rue21 etc!, tarea by rue21, Carbon and CJ Black, and Carbon Elements; and fragrances under the rue by rue21, revert eco rue21, CJ Black, sparkle rue21, Pink Ice by rue21, MetroBlack rue21, tarea by rue21, twentyone black, runway21 by rue21, Carbon Elements, Intense by rue21, and rue21 etc! brand names. As of January 28, 2012, it operated 755 stores in 713 cities in 46 states. rue21, inc. was founded in 1976 and is headquartered in Warrendale, Pennsylvania.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By John Del, Vecchio,]
Teen apparel retailer�rue21� (NASDAQ: RUE ) recently announced its intention to be acquired by Apax Partners in a buyout valued at $1.1 billion, or $42 a share. Apax already owns 30% of rue21, but the announcement delighted investors and the stock shot up nearly 23% to just under the target acquisition price.
- [By Seth Jayson]
Calling all cash flows
When you are trying to buy the market's best stocks, it's worth checking up on your companies' free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That's what we do with this series. Today, we're checking in on rue21 (Nasdaq: RUE ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.
- [By Brian Pacampara]
What: Shares of rue21 (NASDAQ: RUE) surged 23% today after private equity firm Apax Partners agreed to acquire the specialty apparel retailer for $1.1 billion.
Top Defensive Stocks To Watch For 2014: Cyberonics Inc (CYBX)
Cyberonics, Inc. (Cyberonics), incorporated in 1987, is a medical device company. The Company is engaged in the design, development, sales and marketing of implantable medical devices that provide a neuromodulation therapy, vagus nerve stimulation therapy (VNS Therapy), for the treatment of refractory epilepsy and treatment-resistant depression (TRD) and other device solutions for the management of epilepsy.VNS Therapy System includes an implantable pulse generator to provide stimulation to the vagus nerve; a lead that connects the generator to the vagus nerve; equipment to assist with implantation surgery; equipment to assist with setting the stimulation parameters for each patient; instruction manuals, and magnets to suspend or induce stimulation manually. The VNS Therapy pulse generator and lead are surgically implanted into patients generally during an outpatient procedure. The VNS Therapy System consists of a pulse generator, a bipolar lead, a programming wand and software and a tunneling tool.
The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the Company's VNS Therapy System in July 1997 for use as an adjunctive therapy in epilepsy patients over 12 years of age for reducing the frequency of partial onset seizures that are refractory or resistant to antiepileptic drugs. Regulatory bodies in Canada, the European Economic Area, certain countries in Eastern Europe, Russia, South America, Africa, Australia and certain countries in Asia, including Japan, China and Taiwan, have approved the VNS Therapy System for the treatment of epilepsy, many without age restrictions or seizure-type limitations. In July 2005, the FDA approved the Company's VNS Therapy System for the adjunctive long-term treatment of chronic or recurrent depression for patients 18 years of age or older who are experiencing a depressive episode and have not had an adequate response to four or more adequate anti-depressant treatments. Regulatory bodies in the European Economic Area, Canada and Israel have approv! ed the Company's VNS Therapy System for the treatment of chronic or recurrent depression in patients who are in a treatment-resistant or treatment-intolerant depressive episode without age restrictions.
In February 2011, the Company announced FDA approval of its fifth generation generator, the AspireHC generator. In August 2011, the Company announced that the Company discovered a hardware-related design issue with the AspireHC Model 105 and AspireSR (Seizure Response) Model 106 generators. In December 2011, the FDA approved the Company's re-designed AspireHC generator, and the Company resumed its limited commercial release of the generator in the United States.
Pulse Generator
The pulse generator is an implantable, programmable signal generator designed to be coupled with the bipolar lead to deliver mild electrical pulses to the vagus nerve. The pulse generator is a battery-powered device. Before or upon depletion of the battery, the pulse generator may be removed and a new generator implanted in a short, outpatient procedure. The Model 102 (Pulse), Model 102R (Pulse Duo ), Model 103 (Demipulse), Model 104 (Demipulse Duo) and Model 105 (AspireHC), are the VNS Therapy pulse generators the Company offers and are similar in design and manufactures to a cardiac pacemaker.
Bipolar Lead
The bipolar lead conducts the electrical signal from the pulse generator to the vagus nerve. The lead incorporates electrodes, which are self-sizing, minimizing mechanical trauma to the nerve. The lead's two electrodes and anchor tether wrap around the vagus nerve, and the connector end is tunneled subcutaneously to the upper chest area, where it attaches to the pulse generator. The Company offers three lead models in the United States. The leads are available in two inner spiral diameter sizes to ensure optimal electrode placement on different-sized nerves.
Programming Wand and Software
The Company's programming wand and software are us! ed to int! errogate the implanted pulse generator and to transmit programming information from a handheld computer to the pulse generator via an inductive coupling. Programming capabilities include modification of the pulse generator's programmable parameters (pulse width, amplitude and frequency and stimulation ON and OFF intervals) and storage and retrieval of telemetry data.
Tunneling Tool
The tunneling tool is a single use, sterile, disposable surgical tool designed to be used during surgical placement of the bipolar lead. The tool is used for subcutaneous tunneling of the lead between the nerve site in the neck and the pulse generator site in the upper chest area.
Accessory Pack
The accessory pack includes two resistor assemblies used to test the function of the device prior to implantation, the bipolar lead tie-downs and one hex screwdriver. The patient kit includes two magnets, one watch-style and one pager-style.
The Company competes with Medtronic, Inc., NeuroSigma Inc. and CerboMed GmbH.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Roberto Pedone]
Another potential earnings short-squeeze candidate is implantable medical devices player Cyberonics (CYBX), which is set to release numbers on Thursday after the market close. Wall Street analysts, on average, expect Cyberonics to report revenue of $74.05 million on earnings of 55 cents per share.
Read More: 5 Breakout Stocks Under $10 Set to Soar
The current short interest as a percentage of the float for Cyberonics is rather high at 11.6%. That means that out of the 21.65 million shares in the tradable float, 2.52 million shares are sold short by the bears. The bears have also been increasing their bets from the last reporting period by 4%, or by about 97,000 shares. If the bears get caught pressing their bets into a strong quarter, then shares of CYBX could easily rip sharply higher post-earnings as the shorts rush to cover some of their trades.
From a technical perspective, CYBX is currently trending above its 50-day moving average and just below its 200-day moving average, which is neutral trendwise. This stock recently formed a double bottom chart pattern at $55.75 to $56.56 a share. Following that bottom, shares of CYBX have started to trend back above its 50-day moving average of $59.83 a share and it's quickly moving within range of triggering a near-term breakout trade above some key overhead resistance levels.
If you're bullish on CYBX, then I would wait until after its report and look for long-biased trades if this stock manages to break out above some near-term overhead resistance levels at $63.65 to $64.08 a share with high volume. Look for volume on that move that hits near or above its three-month average action of 228,522 shares. If that breakout materializes post-earnings, then CYBX will set up to re-test or possibly take out its next major overhead resistance levels at $67.12 to $69.18 a share, or even $72 to its 52-week high at $73.52 a share.
I would avoid CYBX or look for short-biased trades if after earnin
- [By Benjamin Shepherd]
The rise of public health services, improvements in sanitation and access to clean drinking water have led to a huge improvement in human life expectancy, which has jumped from only about 30 years five centuries ago to more than 75 years in most industrialized countries today.
Advances in medical science have also played a major role, such as the development of antibiotics to treat once deadly infections, surgical interventions to correct once fatal injuries and medications to treat chronic conditions.
We have yet to reach the limit of human ingenuity and today the trend is towards harnessing technology to break the reliance on long-term medication usage to treat chronic conditions. One area where huge strides are being made in that direction is the treatment of epilepsy.
Epilepsy is the fourth most common neurological disease in the world, affecting more than 9 million people in developed countries alone, and epileptics have a mortality rate more than 25 times higher than the general population. The costs associated with dealing with the disease run in excess of $13.5 billion in the US alone.
The disease is typically treated using a drug regime that includes several pills a day, including anti-convulsants and sedatives which can have unpleasant side effects. Drug therapy is typically successful in controlling seizures in about 70 percent of patients, but about a third of those who don�� respond to medication find themselves undergoing surgery to essentially remove the area of the brain triggering the seizures.
Cyberonics (NSDQ: CYBX) is making headway into an alternative treatment for the disease, called vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) therapy, which can reduce the number or even eliminate the need for the drugs epileptics depend upon and requires only minor surgery.
During an outpatient procedure conducted under general anesthesia, two small incisions are made, one in the upper chest area and the other in the neck. At t
- [By Seth Jayson]
Calling all cash flows
When you are trying to buy the market's best stocks, it's worth checking up on your companies' free cash flow once a quarter or so, to see whether it bears any relationship to the net income in the headlines. That's what we do with this series. Today, we're checking in on Cyberonics (Nasdaq: CYBX ) , whose recent revenue and earnings are plotted below.
Top Defensive Stocks To Watch For 2014: Cadence Design Systems Inc (CDS)
Cadence Design Systems, Inc. (Cadence) develops electronic design automation (EDA), software, hardware, and silicon intellectual property (IP). Cadence licenses software and IP, sells or leases hardware technology and provides engineering and education services worldwide to help manage and accelerate electronics product development processes. The Company�� customers use its products and services to design and develop complex integrated circuits (ICs) and electronics systems. The Company combines its products and technologies into platforms for four design activities: Functional Verification; Digital IC Design and Implementation; Custom IC Design and Verification, and System Interconnect Design. It sells software using three license types: subscription, term and perpetual. It also offers a number of fee-based services, including engineering and education services. In June 2010, Cadence acquired Denali Software, Inc. (Denali). In May 2011, it acquired Altos Design Automation, Inc. On July 11, 2011, the Company acquired Azuro, Inc. In July 2012, the Company acquired Sigrity, Inc. In April 2013, Cadence Design Systems Inc announced the acquisition of Tensilica, Inc. In May 2013, the Company acquired Cosmic Circuits Pvt Ltd. In June 2013, Cadence Design Systems Inc announced that it has completed the acquisition of the IP business of Poland-based Evatronix, SA SKA. In February 2014, Cadence Design Systems Inc completed the acquisition of Forte Design Systems.
The four Cadence design platforms are branded as Incisive functional verification, Encounter digital IC design, Virtuoso custom design and Allegro system interconnect design. In addition, the Company augments these platform product offerings with a set of design for manufacturing (DFM), products that service both the digital and custom IC design flows. These solutions and their constituent elements are marketed to users who specialize in areas, such as system design and verification, functional verification, logic design, digital imple! mentation, custom IC design and printed circuit board (PCB), and IC package / SiP design.
Functional Verification
Cadence�� functional verification offerings consist of two categories: Logic Verification and System Design and Verification. Logic Verification offering consists of planning, property checking, testbench simulation, verification IP, and environment capabilities within the Incisive functional verification platform. This offering enables the Company�� customers to employ enterprise-level verification process automation, including metric-driven verification planning, process tracking and management. System Design and Verification offerings consist of hardware-assisted verification with emulation and acceleration, including the verification computing platform Palladium XP, Palladium and Xtreme platforms, system-level design capabilities, verification IP, estimation of system-on-chip (SoC), consulting services, and methodologies. The QuickCycles program allows customers access to its simulation acceleration and emulation products, either on their secure Internet site or remotely over a secure network connection. The products obtained through the acquisition of Denali include verification IP, memory models, and design IP.
Digital IC Design and Implementation
Cadence�� Digital IC offerings are used by its customers to create logical representations of a digital circuit or IC. The Company�� Digital IC offerings include two categories: Logic Design and Physical Implementation. Logic Design offering consists of formal verification, equivalency checking, synthesis and test capabilities within the Encounter digital IC design platform and property checking, simulation, and environment capabilities within the Incisive functional verification platform. This offering provides chip planning, design, verification and test technologies and services to customers across all digital design end markets. Physical Implementation offering consists of a ra! nge of th! e Encounter digital IC design platform capabilities. The Physical Implementation offering includes timing analysis, signal integrity, power analysis, extraction, physical verification, and place and route capabilities within the Encounter digital IC design platform. It enables the customers to create a physical representation of logic models, analyze electrical and physical characteristics of a design and prepare a design for manufacturing.
Custom IC Design and Verification
Cadence�� Custom IC Design and Verification offerings are used by its customers to create schematic representations of circuits down to the transistor level for analog, mixed-signal, custom digital, memory and radio frequency (RF) designs. These logical representations are verified using simulation tools optimized for each type of design. The offering includes the environment, IC layout and simulation capabilities within the Virtuoso custom design platform. Other tools in the Custom IC portfolio are used to prepare the designs for manufacturing.
System Interconnect Design
Cadence�� System Interconnect Design offerings are used by its customers to develop printed circuit board (PCBs), and IC packages. The offerings include the capabilities within the Allegro system interconnect design platform: PCB, IC package, SiP, design management and collaboration. The Company�� offerings also include the simulation capability within the Virtuoso custom design platform. These offerings enable engineers who are responsible for the capture, layout and analysis of advanced PCB and IC packages to design electronic products across the domains of IC, IC package and PCB. For PCB customers, the Company provides the OrCAD family of offerings that is marketed worldwide through a network of resellers.
The Company competes with Synopsys, Inc., Mentor Graphics Corporation and Magma Design Automation, Inc.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By cody56]
The top contributors to performance during the period were Trimble Navigation (TRMB), Sensata Technologies�(ST) and Cadence Design Systems (CDS).
Trimble Navigation provides location-based solutions to its customers that enhance their productivity and profitability. The recovery in construction end markets and continued strong demand from the farm economy resulted in strong overall financial results for the company and a strong stock price. We trimmed the position as it began to exceed the upper end of the market cap range that we invest in. Sensata Technologies develops, manufactures and sells sensors and controls. We are attracted to the company�� large growth opportunity, which is driven by increased sensor penetration in industries such as automobiles and general industrial opportunities. We find Sensata�� business model to be attractive given the stability of its revenues, strong operating leverage and excellent management team. During the period, the company benefited from a rebound in European automobile sales and deployed capital in several small accretive acquisitions. We have been trimming the position modestly as the stock approaches our price target. Meridian Growth Fund performance
- [By Jim Jubak]
The price of Credit-Default Swaps (CDS) used to insure US government debt against the possibility of default climbed to 35.5 basis points Wednesday. That was the highest level in six months, and up from 32 basis points on Friday, September 27. But that level is still well below the 62 basis points it cost to insure US government debt against default at the time of last debt ceiling battle, in the summer of 2011. That was the highest level since the global financial crisis. (What this means is that an investor would pay 62,000 euros a year to insure 10 million euros of US Treasuries against a default in the next five years. The contract is denominated in euros to offset the impact of a default on the US dollar.) This insurance is getting more popular too, with these CDS contracts ranking as the fifteenth most traded of the contracts tracked by the Depository Trust & Clearing Corp. in the week through Sept. 27. That's up from a rank of 147th for the previous week.
Top Defensive Stocks To Watch For 2014: iShares Russell 3000 Index Fund (IWV)
iShares Russell 3000 Index Fund (the Fund) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the Russell 3000 Index (the Index). The Index measures the performance of the United States equity market. The Index serves as the underlying index for Russell 3000 Growth and Value Series, and the Russell 1000 and Russell 2000 Indexes, as well as their respective Growth and Value series. The Index is a capitalization-weighted index and consists of the 3000 largest companies domiciled in the United States and its territories.
The Fund invests in a representative sample of securities included in the Index that collectively has an investment profile similar to the Index. iShares Russell 3000 Index Fund's investment advisor is Barclays Global Fund Advisors.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By John Maxfield]
Over the past five years, this ETF has beaten the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJINDICES: ^DJI ) by 23 percentage points. It's outperformed the Russell 3000 (NYSEMKT: IWV ) by 21 percentage points. And it's done the same to the eponymous S&P 500, exceeding it by 11 percentage points.
Top Defensive Stocks To Watch For 2014: Nestle SA (NSRGY)
Nestle SA is a company engaged in the nutrition, health and wellness sectors. It is the holding company of the Nestle Group, which comprises subsidiaries, associated companies and joint ventures throughout the world. The Company has such business units as Food and Beverage, Nestle Waters and Nestle Nutrition. Nestle is also active in the pharmaceutical sector. It divides its products into nine categories: Prepared dishes and cooking aids, Beverages, Confectionery, Ice cream, Water, PetCare, Milk products, Nutrition and Pharma. It has numerous subsidiaries engaged in various areas of activity, including Alcon Ophthalmika GmbH (Austria), Alcon Bulgaria EOOD (Bulgaria) and Galderma Laboratorium GmbH (Germany) for pharmaceuticals; Novartis Nutrition GmbH (Austria) and Hjem-IS A/S (Denmark) for food and beverages, and Galderma International SAS (France) and Galderma Laboratorium GmbH (Germany) for health and beauty activities. The Company is headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland. In July 2008, Novartis AG acquired a 25% stake in Alcon, Inc. from Nestle SA. In March 2010, the Company acquired Kraft Foods Inc' frozen pizza business.
In April 2008, L'Oreal and Nestle SA's joint venture, Galderma Pharma S.A., announced that its United States holding company, Galderma Laboratories, Inc., had acquired approximately 97% interest in CollaGenex Pharmaceuticals, Inc. During the year ended December 31, 2004, Nestle had 500 factories in 83 countries around the world. In 2004, 15 factories were acquired or opened and 29 closed or divested.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By Charles Sizemore]
By and large, you��e going to get a better selection of Emerging Markets Lite stocks in Europe. Want a few examples? How about consumer products and food giants Unilever (UL) and Nestle (NSRGY)? Both are stable performers with long histories of paying and raising their dividends. And both have monster presences in emerging markets. Unilever gets nearly 60% of its revenues from emerging markets, and while that has hurt the company this past quarter, it ensures that it has a bright future. Nestle gets more than 40% of its revenues from emerging markets.
- [By Holly LaFon]
HL: And you��e held Nestle (NSRGY) for a long time.
TR: I first bought Nestle in 1987, and it was at that time it was very difficult to buy, and it�� probably compounded at close to 15% every year since then, total return. And it�� partly because it was so unloved at the start that the returns have been so strong. But I��e held it for 30 years, and it�� grown in large measure because of that capacity to reinvest, and we have this beautiful portfolio of brands. And they have the capacity to suffer. So for example they had global leadership in coffee, in Nescafe. On top of that they identified the single-serve coffee business as very on-trend because of the increasing number of people who live alone and who also want to have choice and variety. So it�� no longer enough to brew a pot of Maxwell House for 10 people because you have a big family. You��e living alone you want to have variety, you want to have just enough so you don�� waste. Single serve plays a big role in that. And they were willing to invest so heavily behind the development of Nespresso that they didn�� break even for 15 years. So I admired them. They have great domain expertise in coffee. And they have the capacity to suffer, through 15 years of not breaking even, to perfect the product so that by the time it came out it was a true winner. And so with that careful background, today the business does close to $5 billion. And it�� a very solid important franchise. That culture, of being able to take your domain expertise and move from one product to the next and then invest behind it to try to get it right, without rushing to try to show early profits, is at the heart of what I��e learned from these businesses that do it right, as things required to have permanent excellence.
- [By Rich Duprey]
Nestle� (NASDAQOTH: NSRGY ) is the industry leader. owning about one-third of the market with Deer Park and Poland Spring brands, and�Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO ) has its Smartwater, but it's also besieged at the moment with false labeling claims�for its Vitaminwater brand, even if they seem a bit specious. Regardless, Pepsi doesn't need to always follow Coke's lead, does it?
- [By Dan Caplinger]
ConAgra (NYSE: CAG ) will release its quarterly report on Thursday, and investors have increasingly doubted whether the food giant can hold its own in an increasingly competitive environment in the industry. With Nestle (NASDAQOTH: NSRGY ) and Kraft Foods (NASDAQ: KRFT ) both having held up much better since August than ConAgra has, skeptics are pointing at ConAgra's lack of earnings growth as a reason to doubt its capacity for future success.
Top Defensive Stocks To Watch For 2014: Zoom Technologies Inc (ZOOM)
Zoom Technologies, Inc. (Zoom), incorporated on February 29, 2002, is engaged in design, production, marketing, sales, and support of broadband and dial-up modems, voice over Internet Protocol or (VoIP) products and services, Bluetooth wireless products, and other communication-related products. The Company through its wholly owned holding-company subsidiary, Gold Lion Holding Limited (Gold Lion) is the owner of 100% of Profit Harvest Corporation Ltd. (Profit Harvest) and through Gold Lion's wholly owned subsidiary, Jiangsu Leimone Electronics Co., Ltd. (Jiangsu Leimone) is the owner of 80% of Tianjin Tong Guang Group Digital Communication Co., Ltd. (TCB Digital). The Company through its subsidiaries is engaged in manufacturing, research and development, and sales of electronic and telecommunication products for the latest generation mobile phones, wireless communication circuitry, and related software products. On January 4, 2011, the Company acquired 100% ownership of Celestial Digital Entertainment, Ltd., (CDE). During the year ended December 31, 2011, the Company acquired 55% of Portables.
TCB Digital is engaged in electronic and telecommunication product design, development, and manufacturing for original equipment manufacturers (OEM) customers and for its own products under the brand name of Leimone. The Company offers electronic manufacturing service (EMS) to both domestic and global customers including Samsung, Beijing Tianyu Langtong, CECT, Danahar and Spreadtrum. Its primary products include mobile phones, wireless telecommunication modules, digital cameras, cable television (TV) set-top boxes and global positioning system ( GPS) equipment.
The Company has developed mobile phones and Smartphones based on both of the main network technologies: Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), and Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), and beginning in 2010 also 3G CDMA2000 capable products. As of December 31, 2011, the Company markets its mobile phone products through di! stributors in China and also supplies GSM, CDMA and 3G CDMA2000 mobile phones to customers, including one of China's main mobile operators, China Telecom. The Company through its Portables subsidiary operates a wholesale distributor business for T-Mobile products and services in the United States. The Company also has the right to sell branded mobile handsets including those carrying the Zoom brand name and related peripherals in the retail stores managed by Portables under the agreement with T-Mobile.
The Company competes with Bird Ningbo Co., Ltd, Haier Telecom Co. Ltd., Konka Group Co., Ltd, Lenovo Group Limited, TCL Communication Technology Holdings Limited, LG Electronics Ltd., Motorola Inc., Nokia Corporation, Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., and Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications (China) Co., Ltd.
Advisors' Opinion: Top Defensive Stocks To Watch For 2014: Conatus Pharmaceuticals Inc (CNAT)
Conatus Pharmaceuticals Inc., incorporated on July 13, 2005, is a biotechnology company focused on the development and commercialization of medicines to treat liver disease. The Company is developing its lead compound, emricasan, for the treatment of patients in orphan populations with chronic liver disease and acute exacerbations of chronic liver disease. The Company has designed a clinical program to demonstrate the therapeutic benefit of emricasan across the spectrum of fibrotic liver disease. The Company�� initial development strategy targets indications for emricasan with high unmet clinical need in orphan patient populations, such as patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF), chronic liver failure (CLF), and patients who have developed liver fibrosis post-orthotopic liver transplant due to Hepatitis C virus infection (HCV-POLT).
The Company has completed two placebo-controlled Phase II trials in patients with liver disease showing reductions in ALT levels that occur rapidly, within as little as one day after initiation of therapy, and are maintained throughout the treatment period. In the Company�� 204-patient Phase 2b trial, it also measured cCK18, an important biomarker of apoptosis and disease severity. Emricasan has been generally well-tolerated in all of the clinical studies. As of July 23, 2013, the Company had not generated any revenue.
Advisors' Opinion: - [By John Udovich]
While Intercept Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ: ICPT) surged earlier this year and Achillion Pharmaceuticals, Inc (NASDAQ: ACHN) has surged this week after Merck & Co. Inc (NYSE: MRK) agreed to purchase hepatitis stock�Idenix Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ: IDIX) at a 239% premium, it seems the herd has realized that small cap Conatus Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ: CNAT) is also a liver disease stock as shares suddenly surged 56.69% on no apparent company news. But just what is�Conatus Pharmaceuticals and is it worth taking a chance on?
- [By John Udovich]
Recent IPO�FibroGen Inc (NASDAQ: FGEN) surged 22.96% today, reportedly after the journal Hepatology published the results of a workshop between the FDA and the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease (AASLD) which laid out criteria for a phase three study of a treatment for non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH)���meaning its worth taking a closer look at the stock along with the performance of potential small cap or mid cap liver disease stock peers like Conatus Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ: CNAT), Intercept Pharmaceuticals Inc (NASDAQ: ICPT) and Raptor Pharmaceutical Corp (NASDAQ: RPTP) which rose 24.35%, 10.98% and 2.02%, respectively. According to Investors Business Daily, NASH (the more serious version of fatty liver disease) is potentially an enormous market with about 6 million�US patients but the�lack of previous treatments had left it unclear how the FDA would measure success against the disease while FibroGen Inc doesn't yet have a NASH human trial in the works, it has said it hopes to start one for its lead candidate FG-3019 (its in mid-stage trials for pulmonary fibrosis and liver fibrosis due to hepatitis B infection).
