Stock Pick

  • Sanofi Targets Speedier Approval of Coronavirus Vaccine

    Sanofi Targets Speedier Approval of Coronavirus Vaccine(Bloomberg) — French drugmaker Sanofi expects to win approval for a Covid-19 vaccine in the first half of next year as it strengthens a pact with Translate Bio Inc. to develop other shots in a deal that could be valued at as much as $2.3 billion.The experimental coronavirus vaccine that Sanofi is developing with GlaxoSmithKline Plc was previously targeting approval in the second half of 2021.Sanofi’s program with Glaxo is one of dozens sprinting to deliver a vaccine to help end the pandemic. Others like the university of Oxford, working with AstraZeneca Plc, Moderna Inc. and CanSino Biologics Inc. have already started testing their experimental shots in humans, placing them ahead of the pack.Sanofi and Glaxo plan to start a study compressing the early and middle stages of clinical tests in September.The Paris-based pharma giant has a separate coronavirus vaccine candidate under development with Translate Bio, which uses so-called messenger RNA technology to prompt the body to make a key protein from the virus, sparking an immune response.Sanofi will pay $425 million upfront, partly by acquiring Translate Bio shares at a premium of almost 60%, the companies said. The French drugmaker agreed to pay as much as $1.9 billion upon meeting various goals, plus royalties.Translate Bio shares almost doubled in U.S. premarket trading, to as high as $31.16. Sanofi was little changed in Paris trading.Read more: New Hope in the Struggle to Cut Covid’s TollTranslate Bio and Sanofi formed an alliance and license agreement in 2018 to develop mRNA vaccines for infectious diseases. The companies are studying several vaccine candidates for Covid-19, aiming to start a clinical trial in the fourth quarter of this year.Sanofi will get worldwide rights for infectious disease vaccines developed in the pact. The companies are also working on shots for influenza and other pathogens.The upfront payment consists of $300 million in cash and the purchase of $125 million worth of shares at a price of $25.59 each. That’s 58% higher than Monday’s closing price.About $360 million of the milestone payments are anticipated over the next several years, with the bulk available after that. Translate Bio is based in Lexington, Massachusetts.(Updates with premarket trading in seventh paragraph)For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.

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  • Tencent Smashes Record High After Stock’s $307 Billion Rebound

    Tencent Smashes Record High After Stock’s $307 Billion Rebound(Bloomberg) — Tencent Holdings Ltd.’s shares just hit three milestones in a single day.The Chinese internet and gaming giant rose 4.9% to a record HK$497.40 in Hong Kong on Tuesday, leapfrogging Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. as Asia’s most valuable company. It’s also now doubled in value since a low in 2018, a year in which China’s restrictions on online games triggered the world’s biggest wipeout of shareholder wealth. The Shenzhen-based firm is worth $613 billion, the seventh most globally.Tencent has for years captivated investors and analysts with its massively popular online gaming business, payments system and WeChat social networking platform. After homebound players helped propel revenue during China’s Covid-19 lockdowns earlier in the year, Tencent’s integral role in the lives of hundreds of millions of Chinese is adding to optimism that it can keep up that pace of growth.Regulatory meddling from Beijing remains a key risk, with the government intensifying scrutiny over the country’s user-generated online content that’s proven difficult to monitor. China on Tuesday said it suspended some operations on 10 of the country’s most popular live-streaming apps, including services backed by Tencent.Tencent stock analysts, who rarely back away from their bullish recommendations on the shares, have boosted their average 12-month price target by 13% over the past six weeks. Chinese investors are also fans, holding a record amount of the company’s shares through exchange links with Hong Kong, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.comSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.

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  • 3 ASX shares that I’d invest $1,000 into EVERY month

    Clock showing time to buy, ASX 200 shares

    There are some ASX shares that I’d invest $1,000 into every single month.

    I think it’s important to realise that some shares can be very volatile and in some weeks it might not be such a good idea to pay that higher price.

    For example, over the past month the Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT) share price has traded above $58 and below $46. I wouldn’t commit to a consistent investment strategy into a single business like Afterpay when it’s so volatile.

    But there are some ASX shares that it could make sense to invest $1,000 into every month, particularly in these coronavirus times. Here are three of those monthly ideas:

    Share 1: Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF (ASX: VGS)

    I think it’s the easiest to commit to a monthly investment strategy with exchange-traded funds (ETFs). ETFs will always trade at their net asset value (NAV), they’re normally diversified and usually come with low costs.

    ASX shares offer good potential investments, but the ASX only represents 2% of the total global share market. We can invest in many of the world’s biggest and best businesses with Vanguard MSCI Index International Shares ETF.

    It is invested in over 1,500 businesses across major developed countries such as the US, Japan, the UK and France. Its top holdings are shares like Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Alphabet, Facebook, Johnson & Johnson, Visa and Nestle.

    Despite COVID-19, the ETF has generated returns of 10.3% per annum over the last three years. It has an annual management fee of 0.18% per annum. 

    Share 2: Washington H. Soul Pattinson and Co. Ltd (ASX: SOL)

    Soul Patts is an interesting business. It’s an investment conglomerate that has been going for over a century. I think it will be around for many decades to come with how it’s set up.

    It is invested in a variety of businesses like TPG Telecom Ltd (ASX: TPM), Brickworks Limited (ASX: BKW), Clover Corporation Limited (ASX: CLV), Milton Corporation Limited (ASX: MLT), Bki Investment Co Ltd (ASX: BKI) and Magellan Financial Group Ltd (ASX: MFG).

    Soul Patts also owns stakes in a variety of unlisted businesses like swimming schools and agriculture.

    The ASX share is steadily increasing its diversification and the share price generally tracks its underlying portfolio value. It’s not an ETF, but I think it’s another great option to diversify a portfolio.

    Soul Patts has a great dividend record. It has paid a dividend every year in its existence since 1903 and it has grown its dividend each year since 2000.

    I’d be happy to invest $1,000 every month into Soul Patts shares every month because it nearly always looks good value to me, has good diversification and offers something very different to a typical ASX share ETF.

    Share 3: Future Generation Global Invstmnt Co Ltd (ASX: FGG)

    Future Generation Global is one of my preferred listed investment companies (LICs).

    I like it for three reasons.

    The first is that it has good philanthropic credentials. It donates 1% of its net assets each year to youth mental health charities. But there are no management fees or performance fees involved with this LIC. Indeed, there aren’t many costs at all as many services are provided to Future Generation Global for free.

    The second reason is Future Generation Global is diversified. It’s an ASX share itself, but it invests in the funds of fund managers who target overseas shares. It’s invested with high-quality fund managers like Magellan Financial Group Ltd (ASX: MFG). Each fund represents a whole portfolio of shares, so Future Generation Global could be invested in many dozens of different non-ASX shares.

    The third reason is that it looks great value. At the moment the share price is trading at a 21% discount to the May 2020 pre-tax net tangible assets (NTA). That’s despite Future Generation Global’s portfolio outperforming the MSCI AC World Index (AUD) over the past month, six months, year, three years and since inception in September 2015.

    Foolish takeaway

    I’d be very happy to invest $1,000 a month into each of these ASX shares. Future Generation Global definitely looks like the best value with the big NTA discount. But Soul Patts could be the most reliable over the long-term.

    5 stocks under $5

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