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If we want to find a potential multi-bagger, often there are underlying trends that can provide clues. Firstly, we'd…

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Ligand Pharmaceuticals has entered into an agreement to buy Pfenex in an all-stock deal for a total consideration of $513 million.As part of the deal, Ligand (LGND), a revenue-generating biopharmaceutical company, will buy all outstanding shares of Pfenex at $12 per share in cash for $438 million, which represents a 57% premium to Pfenex’s closing share price on Aug. 10. Pfenex surged 59% to $12.20 in extended market trading on Monday.In addition, Ligand, will pay $2 per share or $78 million as a Contingent Value Right (CVR) in the event a predefined regulatory milestone is achieved by the end 2021. The deal, which is subject to customary conditions, is expected to close in the fourth quarter.Pfenex (PFNX) is a development and licensing biotechnology company focused on the production of enzymes, peptides, antibody derivatives and engineered non-natural proteins.“Pfenex is an ideal strategic, business and cultural fit with Ligand. The acquisition holds potential to have a significantly positive scientific and financial impact on our business in the short and long term,” said Ligand CEO John Higgins. “Pfenex will add an established, proven protein expression platform to Ligand that is highly complementary to our essential, proprietary drug discovery and formulation technologies.”Ligand expects the deal will be modestly dilutive to 2020 adjusted diluted EPS and will add $0.10 to $0.30 of adjusted diluted EPS accretion in 2021. Thereafter the biopharma company estimates that the transaction will generate “significant” annual adjusted diluted EPS accretion with the current forecast of $0.60 to $0.80 in 2022 and $1.25 to $1.50 in 2023.Ligand shares have advanced 14% so far this year. What’s more, the $179.75 average analyst price target implies another promising 52% upside potential might be lying ahead over the coming 12 months.Five-star analyst Joseph Pantginis at H.C. Wainwright last week reiterated a Buy rating on the stock with a $229 price target (93% upside potential), saying that shares continue to be undervalued.“We highlight that Ligand’s assets, both in-house and from partners, are positively advancing towards the clinic, pivotal inflection points, and may reach a certain investment verdict promptly,” Pantginis wrote in a note to investors. “Ligand continues to deliver on its promise of building future revenue streams and value for shareholders via the advancement of the shots-on-goal business strategy in hand, which includes acquiring healthy and potentially highly valuable companies, and securing key partnerships to collect royalty and milestone payments.”Overall, the rest of the Street shares Pantginis bullish outlook. The Strong Buy analyst consensus boast 4 unanimous Buy ratings. (See LGND stock analsys on TipRanks)Related News: MGM Spikes 14% As IAC Makes $1B Investment Amid Online Gambling Bet Roper Looking To Snap Up Vertafore For $5.5 Billion- Report Tilray Plunges 10% As Canadian Cannabis Market Remains Under Pressure More recent articles from Smarter Analyst: * IBM Inks Multiyear Hybrid Cloud Deal With Coca-Cola European Enterprises * RBC Capital: Why Shopify Deserves To Move Even Higher * Occidental Petroleum Posts $8.4 Billion Loss in 2Q Amid Oil Price Crisis * Royal Caribbean Rises In Pre-Market On Higher Demand For 2021 Cruises

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Vuzix Smart Glasses revenues for the second quarter increased 183% year-over-yearOverall revenues for the second quarter increased 98% sequentially compared to the first quarterROCHESTER, N., Aug.

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E-commerce players, especially Amazon, have disrupted the retail space over the past few years and led to the bankruptcy of several brick-and-mortar retailers. However, Walmart and Target continue to grow and adapt to changing industry dynamics.The COVID-19 pandemic led to consumers piling up groceries and other essentials amid lockdowns. This stockpiling benefited the sales of certain categories of Walmart and Target. E-commerce sales of both companies witnessed a sharp spike in the fiscal first quarter. However, sales of certain discretionary items took a hit.Walmart and Target are set to announce their fiscal second-quarter results soon. Analysts expect strong e-commerce sales and some improvement in physical store sales due to easing of the lockdown restrictions.Using TipRanks’ Stock Comparison tool, we lined up the two alongside each other to analyze what the near-term holds for these big-box retailers. Walmart (WMT)Walmart has sustained its leadership position in a highly competitive retail landscape due to its continued focus on low prices and aggressive investments in e-commerce. The company’s cost control and productivity efforts have also helped in improving its performance.Walmart’s FQ1 2021 (Feb to April quarter) revenue increased 8.6% year-over-year to $134.6 billion. The company’s US comparable sales surged 10% thanks to pandemic-led demand for food and essentials. Towards the end of the quarter, the company also saw higher sales in categories like video games, toys and televisions as people were restricted to their homes.Indeed, the retail giant was already experiencing strong e-commerce growth. But the COVID-19 pandemic took the e-commerce sales to another level. The company’s first quarter US e-commerce sales surged 74%. Notably, focus on online grocery helped in boosting digital sales.However, costs to support increased workforce and additional benefits impacted the company’s first-quarter profitability. Walmart hired over 235,000 new associates in the US. The first-quarter gross margin was also hurt by a spike in sales of lower-margin categories.UBS analyst Michael Lasser believes that Walmart’s strong performance likely continued through the second quarter. He expects a 6% comparable sales growth in the second quarter, which is higher than the 5.5% consensus. The five-star analyst also feels that the food-at-home trend amid the coronavirus crisis would continue to benefit Walmart’s grocery sales.He explained, “WMT’s commitment to its EDLP [Every Day Low Price] strategy likely drove value for its customers, especially at a time when many competitors decreased promotions, thereby raising prices. Also, its SSS [Same Store Sales] likely benefited from robust digital sales (we model 55% digital sales growth at Walmart US) as more shoppers favored ordering online.” As a result, the analyst reiterated his Buy rating with a price target of $135 on August 4.Overall, 18 Buy ratings and 5 Holds assigned in the last three months add up to a bullish ‘Strong Buy’ analyst consensus for Walmart stock. With an average price target of $140.58, analysts see an upside of 6.6% over the coming 12-months. (See Walmart stock analysis on TipRanks) Target (TGT)Like its rival Walmart, Target also gained from the spike in the demand for groceries since the implementation of at-home restrictions due to COVID-19. However, it is notable that Target has a lower exposure to groceries compared to Walmart.Target’s FQ1 2020 revenue increased 11.3% year-over-year to $19.6 billion. The company’s comparable sales grew 10.8% essentially due to a 141% rise in digital sales while store comparable sales grew by just 0.9%.Its same-day delivery services, comprising Order Pick Up, Drive Up and Shipt services, boosted the company’s e-commerce sales as customers avoided going to the stores to curb the spread of the coronavirus. These fulfillment services helped the company’s e-commerce site win 5 million new customers in the first quarter. Target’s acquisition of last-mile platform from start-up Deliv is expected to further enhance its delivery capabilities.However, Target’s first-quarter margins took a hit as demand for higher-margin merchandise like apparel slowed down and less profitable categories like food and essentials grew. Also, higher wages and benefits to support employees weighed on the bottom line.Meanwhile, Cowen analyst Oliver Chen is optimistic about Target’s prospects owing to its exposure to home décor, food, and essentials. He notes “We acknowledge some weakness in the back-to-school portion of Home, but believe shoppers nesting at home will be a key category driver over the coming quarters.”  The analyst expects the company’s fulfillment capabilities to favor its performance. The four-star analyst reaffirmed his Buy rating for Target stock on August 4 with a price target of $150.The rest of the Street has a cautiously optimistic ‘Moderate Buy’ analyst consensus for Target stock with 10 Buy ratings, 5 Holds, and one Sell. At $130.27, the average price target implies a 2.01% downside potential lies ahead. (See Target stock analysis on TipRanks)Bottom Line Looking at the stock gain over the past one-year, Target has delivered higher returns compared to Walmart. However, based on Wall Street consensus and upside potential, Walmart currently seems to be the better choice.To find good ideas for stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks’ Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks’ equity insights.Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analysts. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment More recent articles from Smarter Analyst: * Occidental Petroleum Posts $8.4 Billion Loss in 2Q Amid Oil Price Crisis * Royal Caribbean Rises In Pre-Market On Higher Demand For 2021 Cruises * Pfenex Pops 59% On Ligand $513M Buy-Out Deal; Analyst Sees 93% Upside * American Airlines Shares Lifted By Air Travel Demand Data

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With a price-to-earnings (or "P/E") ratio of 37.6x Silvercorp Metals Inc. (TSE:SVM) may be sending very bearish…

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* WELL achieved record quarterly patient services revenues in the second quarter due to: (1) a successful shift to telehealth which included significant revenues from both VirtualClinic+ and phone consultations; (2) WELL's family practice business proved to be highly resilient; and (3) WELL's corporate-owned clinics remained open as a critical business throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. * COVID-19 has caused an acceleration of WELL's telehealth business as patients observing physical distancing measures increasingly turned to telehealth during the pandemic.

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Shares in Canadian pharmaceutical and cannabis company Tilray (TLRY) plunged 10% in Monday’s after-hours trading on mixed second quarter earning results. The stock had climbed 7% during the day in the build up to the print.Specifically, Q2 GAAP EPS of -$0.66 missed Street expectations by $0.39. Meanwhile revenue of $50.4M missed by $4.59M (despite rising 10% year-over-year) due primarily to challenges in the Canadian Recreational market. Revenue declined 3% sequentially from Q1 driven by the impact of COVID-19 and a limited number of retail store additions in Q2.“With our significant cost cutting and balance sheet actions behind us, we have positioned Tilray to enter the second half of 2020 in a stronger position so we can remain focused on achieving profitable growth in all our markets and deliver break-even or positive Adjusted EBITDA in the fourth quarter of 2020” commented Brendan Kennedy, Tilray’s CEO.On the positive side, an adjusted EBITDA loss of $12.3M (vs. an $18.0M loss in the prior year) came in ahead of Street expectations for a $14.6M loss. Total cannabis kg equivalents sold also surged 105% year-over-year to 11,430 kgs.Notably, Q2 International Medical revenue increased 349% to $8.3M from $1.9M in the prior year, up from a 220% increase in Q1. Revenue growth for the other cannabis segments was as follows: Canada Medical +65%, Adult Use +17%, and Bulk -94%. (See TLRY stock analysis on TipRanks).Following the results Oppenheimer analyst Rupesh Parikh reiterated his hold rating without a price target. “The company continues to drive strong growth in international medical, but the performance in Canada remains a key focal point for us going forward… [we] continue to model an adjusted EBITDA loss in Q4 primarily driven by the difficult competitive backdrop in Canada” he explained.Overall the stock scores a cautious Hold analyst consensus with 6 recent hold ratings vs just 1 buy rating. The average analyst price target of $9 indicates upside potential of 9%, with shares currently down 53% year-to-date. As MKM Partners analyst Bill Kirk writes, “The sooner Tilray can derive the majority of its sales from Europe with product grown in Portugal, the better.”Related News: Amarin’s Vascepa To Take Part In Covid-19 Study In Adults With Heart Disease Regeneron Prices $1.25B Public Offering; Analyst Cautious On Valuation Eli Lilly, Innovent Deliver Encouraging Lung Cancer Data For Sintilimab More recent articles from Smarter Analyst: * American Airlines Shares Lifted By Air Travel Demand Data * Walmart vs Target: Which Retailer is the Better Buy? * RBC Raises TripAdvisor’s PT On Improving Demand Outlook * Inovio To Start Phase 2/3 Study Of Covid-19 Candidate In Sept.; Shares Drop 8%

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Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY) has announced that Opdivo (nivolumab) plus Yervoy (ipilimumab) demonstrated a significant improvement in overall survival (OS) in patients with previously untreated, unresectable malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). This is a rare but aggressive form of cancer that forms in the lining of the lungs, and is frequently caused by asbestos exposure.With a minimum follow-up of 22 months, treatment with Opdivo plus Yervoy reduced the risk of death by 26%, demonstrating a median OS of 18.1 months vs. 14.1 months for chemotherapy. At two years, 41% of patients treated with the Opdivo plus Yervoy combination were alive, compared to 27% of patients treated with chemotherapy.The safety profile of Opdivo plus Yervoy in the Phase 3 CheckMate -743 clinical trial was consistent with previously reported studies, and no new safety signals were observed.The primary endpoint of the randomized Phase 3 trial, which involved 605 patients, was OS in all randomized patients. Key secondary endpoints included objective response rate (ORR), disease control rate (DCR) and progression-free survival (PFS).“An aggressive cancer with a five-year survival rate of less than 10%, malignant pleural mesothelioma has shown resistance to many clinical treatments,” said Paul Baas, M.D., Ph.D., Department of Thoracic Oncology, Netherlands Cancer Institute.“Now, for the first time, we have evidence that a dual immunotherapy combination showed a superior, sustained overall survival benefit compared to chemotherapy in the first-line treatment of all types of malignant pleural mesothelioma” he stated, adding that the data supports the potential for nivolumab plus ipilimumab to become a new standard of care.Indeed, in CheckMate -743, Opdivo plus Yervoy showed improvements in survival across both non-epithelioid and epithelioid MPM, with a larger magnitude of benefit observed in the non-epithelioid subgroup. This is striking because non-epithelioid patients generally experience poorer outcomes.With the dual immunotherapy combination, median OS was 18.7 months for epithelioid patients and 18.1 months for non-epithelioid patients, compared to 16.5 months and 8.8 months, respectively, with chemotherapy.Opdivo plus Yervoy is a combination of two immune checkpoint inhibitors, targeting two different checkpoints to help destroy tumor cells: Yervoy helps activate and proliferate T cells, while Opdivo helps existing T cells discover the tumor.Shares in BMY are down 5% year-to-date, but the stock scores a bullish Strong Buy consensus from the Street. That’s with an average analyst price target of $69 (13% upside potential).On August 6 JP Morgan’s Chris Schott reiterated his buy rating on the stock, writing 2Q sales were negatively impacted due to unwinding of COVID-19-related stocking in 1Q, reduced new patient starts, and fewer patient visits to physicians.However the analyst noted that management expects an accelerated resumption of clinical trials in 2H20. “We found the commentary to be comparable to other large-cap biopharma companies this earnings season” Schott wrote. He has a $74 price target on BMY for upside potential of 21%.(See BMY stock analysis on TipRanks).Related News: Amarin’s Vascepa To Take Part In Covid-19 Study In Adults With Heart Disease Moderna Secures $400M In Deposits For Supply Of Covid-19 Vaccine Candidate Eli Lilly, Innovent Deliver Encouraging Lung Cancer Data For Sintilimab More recent articles from Smarter Analyst: * AstraZeneca Strikes First China Manufacturing Deal For Covid-19 Candidate * Regeneron Prices $1.25B Public Offering; Analyst Cautious On Valuation * Cisco Completes ThousandEyes Deal; Analyst Warns Of Growth Headwinds * Roper Looking To Snap Up Vertafore For $5.5 Billion- Report

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