It is not uncommon to see companies perform well in the years after insiders buy shares. Unfortunately, there are also…

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With Biden surging ahead of President Trump in 2020 election polls, investors are beginning to worry that a Biden presidency could end the market-friendly policies Trump has propagated. Yahoo Finance’s Rick Newman and Kristin Myers discuss.

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Out on the Street, it’s full speed ahead. Despite the chaotic events of 2020, the S&P 500, which is coming off of its best quarter in more than 20 years, is down by only 2% year-to-date. Somewhat remarkably, the market has continued to charge forward as the number of new COVID-19 cases surges.  As COVID-19 could be with us in waves for some time, there’s plenty of uncertainty going forward into the second half of the year. Consequently, spotting compelling plays can feel like a fool’s errand, especially given the hefty toll the virus has already taken on companies spanning multiple sectors.Having said that, the Street’s pros argue that the pandemic has actually positioned some names as beneficiaries. Looking specifically at the biotech sector, massive amounts of capital have been pumped into a handful of names racing to develop solutions to combat the virus.Bearing this in mind, we used TipRanks’ database to get more information on three biotech penny stocks, trading for less than $5 per share, that are poised for COVID-related gains. While these tickers are risky in nature, the investing platform revealed that all of these Buy-rated tickers have been flagged by some analysts for their huge potential.CTI BioPharma Corporation (CTIC)Focused on the development of innovative therapies, CTI BioPharma wants to address the unmet medical needs of patients. Given the potential of its COVID-19 treatment and its $1.18 share price, it’s no wonder this healthcare name is on Wall Street’s radar.CTIC scored major investor attention after it initiated the Phase 3 PRE-VENT study of its pacritinib asset in COVID patients, with the study evaluating whether the therapy can reduce the occurrence of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). It should be noted that the study will include cancer patients, and initial data is expected by YE:20.Writing for Needham, five-star analyst Chad Messer points out that ARDS, which is caused by an overreaction of the immune system, is the leading cause of mortality in COVID-19 patients. What makes CTIC’s therapy a stand-out, in Messer’s opinion, is that unlike ruxolitinib, it doesn’t target JAK1. This is important as JAK1 inhibition has been associated with immune-suppression towards infections.“Pacritinib also inhibits CSF-1R which is associated with macrophage activation. Additionally, pacritinib is less thrombocyotpenic than other JAK inhibitors. These features differentiate pacritinib and may make it a potential best in class JAK inhibitor for treatment of severe COVID infection,” Messer commented. To this end, Messer continues to give CTIC his stamp of approval. Along with a Buy rating, the top analyst keeps the price target at $3.50. Should the target be met, a twelve-month gain of 195% could be in the cards. (To watch Messer’s track record, click here)Other analysts also take a bullish approach. CTIC’s Strong Buy consensus rating breaks down into 3 Buys and zero Holds or Sells. Additionally, the $3.50 average price target matches Messer’s. (See CTIC stock analysis on TipRanks)PhaseBio Pharmaceuticals (PHAS)When it comes to PhaseBio, its focus lands squarely on the lack of new treatment options for serious cardiovascular diseases. Even though the pandemic has created challenges for the company, several members of the Street believe it can overcome these obstacles, with its $4.39 price tag reflecting an attractive entry point.Five-star analyst Andrew Fein, of H.C. Wainwright, reminds investors that its lead candidate, PB2452, which was designed to reverse ticagrelor antiplatelet effects in major uncontrolled bleeding and urgent emergency surgery events, has entered its pivotal Phase 3 trial. While this is exciting, the analyst doesn’t dispute that COVID-19 has spurred headwinds.Expounding on this, Fein stated, “Specifically, ERs have focused their attention on treating COVID-19 patients, while surgical sites remain in the process of trying to get back up and running amid shelter-in-place guidance. Therefore, we believe site initiations and patient enrollment are to continue to be site specific for the foreseeable future, based on available site resources and overall quarantine guidelines.” That being said, Fein remains optimistic about the PB2452 platform, as it “directly addresses the unmet therapeutic need in antiplatelet patients facing major bleeding and urgent surgery circumstances that could otherwise result in death or treatment delay.” He added, “We point out there are no ticagrelor or antiplatelet reversal agents, and ticagrelor reversibly binds the P2Y12 receptor, making it the only potentially reversible oral antiplatelet therapy.”Although enrollment was halted for the Phase 2 PB1046 program, the fact that PB2452 Phase 2a data could potentially be presented during the upcoming European Society of Cardiology (ESC) 2020 virtual conference in August 2020 seals the deal for Fein. To this end, Fein maintained a Buy rating on PHAS with an $18 price target, suggesting 298% upside potential from current levels. (To watch Fein’s track record, click here)   Looking at the consensus breakdown, other analysts are on the same page. With 5 Buys and no Holds or Sells, the word on the Street is that PHAS is a Strong Buy. The $13 average price target puts the upside potential at 187%. (See PhaseBio stock analysis on TipRanks)Diffusion Pharmaceuticals (DFFN)As for the final stock on our list, Diffusion Pharmaceuticals develops new treatments for life-threatening medical conditions by improving the body’s ability to deliver oxygen to the areas where it is needed most. Currently going for $0.95 apiece, one analyst thinks that now is the time to snap up shares.Covering DFFN for H.C. Wainwright, analyst Swayampakula Ramakanth is looking forward to the initiation of its COVID-19 study. At the end of May, the company received a response from the FDA regarding its Pre-Investigational New Drug (PIND) meeting request on the proposed clinical development program to assess trans sodium crocetinate (TSC) in COVID-19 patients with severe respiratory symptoms and low oxygen levels.The FDA stated the study should be designed as a double-blinded, controlled, randomized trial by including Gilead’s COVID-19 treatment, remdesivir, as a component of standard of care for hospitalized patients. Additionally, the agency also accepted the proposed safety and oxygenation marker endpoints.If that wasn’t enough, Ramakanth highlights the fact that a European COVID-19 study of TSC will be conducted in collaboration with the Romanian National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NIID), which is the largest provider of treatment for COVID-19 patients in Romania. “Diffusion expects to enroll the first patient for the European study in June, upon regulatory approval, and report initial data in 3Q20, which we believe could be a catalyst,” the analyst said.It’s true that the ongoing public health crisis could slow down the enrollment for its Phase 2 PHAST-TSC (Pre-Hospital Administration of Stroke Therapy-TSC) stroke study, designed to evaluate the therapy as an acute stroke treatment. That said, Ramakanth remains unphased by a possible delay.“In our view, given that the pandemic is starting to abate and TSC is being studied as acute treatment, Diffusion could be able to get the PHAST-TSC study completed as planned. While reporting the company’s 4Q19 earnings, management stated their expectation to complete the study enrollment in 2021 and report topline data in 2022,” the analyst explained.Based on all of the above, Ramakanth rates DFFN a Buy along with a $3.50 price target. This target suggests shares could soar 286% in the next twelve months. (To watch Ramakanth’s track record, click here)To find good ideas for penny stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks’ Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks’ equity insights.

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Wedbush Securities Chief Technology Strategist Brad Gastwirth joins Yahoo Finance’s Zack Guzman to discuss Elon Musk’s recent jab at Tesla short-sellers by listing “short shorts” on the company’s website.

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(Bloomberg Opinion) — In late June, Bayer AG agreed to pay $9.5 billion to settle about 100,000 lawsuits that accused Roundup, the popular herbicide it acquired when it bought Monsanto in 2018, of causing non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The settlement came about even though Bayer adamantly insists that glyphosate, the core chemical in Roundup, is not a cancer agent, a position also taken by the Environmental Protection Agency and other regulators around the world. It also came about after the plaintiffs won the first three cases that went to trial, including one last year in which a jury awarded $2 billion to a California couple. The plaintiffs’ lawyers had hoped to leverage those victories to extract $20 billion or even $30 billion from Bayer to settle the litigation.And the settlement came about even though we’re in the middle of a pandemic. Or perhaps it’s more accurate to say that it came about because we’re in the middle of a pandemic. “There were no juries and no trials,” said Ken Feinberg, who, as the court-appointed special master, was assigned the task of trying to resolve the litigation. You see, without trials, there wasn’t much else either side could do besides settle.When plaintiffs’ lawyers join forces to gin up a mass tort, they have two forms of leverage. One is their ability to accumulate not just hundreds of lawsuits, but tens of thousands of them. That’s why whenever an allegedly faulty product comes under scrutiny by the plaintiffs’ bar, the lawyers advertise heavily, searching for clients who can claim to be hurt by the product. Once upon a time, this was called “ambulance chasing,” but now it’s simply seen as part of a sophisticated legal business model.The second form of leverage are the trials themselves, especially in plaintiff-friendly jurisdictions like St. Louis, Missouri, or Madison County, Illinois. Juries do not need much in the way of evidence to award billions of dollars to sympathetic plaintiffs who are dying of cancer. Sometimes they don’t need any evidence at all — the mere implication of corporate misconduct is all it takes. And even though these awards are invariably lowered by the trial judge — and sometimes overturned on appeal —thousands of more cases are stacked up right behind them. It’s fair to say that Bayer, a German corporation, miscalculated when it bought Monsanto. Indeed, there are those who believe that had Bayer’s executives better understood how the American legal system works (or doesn’t work, depending on your perspective), it would have never completed the deal. By May 2019, less than a year after the Monsanto deal was completed — and after those first three juries had sided with the plaintiffs — Bayer’s stock had dropped 44%. During the ensuing months, it took steps to mitigate the damage. It cut 12,000 jobs. It dumped its animal health business. It sold two of its best-known brands, Coppertone and Dr. Scholl’s. Nothing seemed to help. By late March this year, Bayer’s market cap was less than the $63 billion it had paid for Monsanto. Which is right around the time the pandemic shut down much of the U.S., including its court system.The legal system didn’t completely grind to a halt, of course. Status hearings and depositions can be done using a platform like Zoom; several lawyers have told me they actually prefer to conduct depositions virtually because the process is so much more efficient. But a full-fledged trial can’t take place on Zoom. Too many aspects simply require everyone to be in a courtroom.At the urging of U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria in San Francisco, who was overseeing the Roundup litigation, the two sides began settlement talks in the spring of 2019, with Feinberg brought in as mediator. They had not gone well. The lead lawyers for the plaintiffs were asking for an amount — upwards of $30 billion — that Bayer thought was not only unjustified but far in excess of what the company, which was carrying $38 billion in debt, could afford. Still, with a handful trials scheduled for 2020, including one in St. Louis, the plaintiffs’ lawyers felt they had the upper hand.In early 2020, Bayer sought a delay in the St. Louis trial so the negotiations could continue. Feinberg agreed. But progress remained slow, with the two sides adamant about their positions. Elizabeth Cabraser, a prominent plaintiffs’ attorney, would later tell the court that “each side threatened to walk away at multiple points, and the mediator’s direct resolution of disputes was required, at times, to prevent the discussions from collapsing altogether.”“What broke the logjam was the pandemic,” Feinberg told me.The virus created a new kind of uncertainty. Who could say how long the pandemic would last? Years, perhaps, if a vaccine wasn’t developed quickly.  And thus, who could say how long it would be before trials might be able to resume? The plaintiffs’ lawyers had clients who were sick and eager to get some money. And, of course, the lawyers themselves didn’t want to wait forever to be paid. Suddenly, despite not having won any trials, Bayer had some leverage.Scott Partridge, a Monsanto veteran who became Bayer’s general counsel after the deal was completed, decided to sidestep the lead plaintiffs’ lawyers (they’re called the plaintiffs steering committee), and open negotiations with dozens of other lawyers with large numbers of Roundup cases. Sure enough, with the pandemic having put everything on hold, they wanted to do a deal.Suddenly this intractable litigation gave way to progress, as one law firm after another signed on to a settlement outline that Feinberg and others helped craft. By April, Feinberg felt certain that a deal was close. And while it took two more months to get to the finish line, he was right. The final terms called for Bayer to pay about $9.5 billion to settle about 100,000 cases, with $1.5 billion more or so to handle various other issues, including future claimants.That still means 25,000 lawsuits haven’t accepted the terms, but Feinberg told the New York Times he “would be surprised if there are any future trials.” Besides, as part of the settlement, a five-member scientific panel will be established to examine causation — that is, does glyphosate truly cause cancer? Its conclusion will be binding, which means that the holdouts could get nothing if the panel rules that Roundup is benign, as Bayer believes it will. The settlement was announced June 24. The German company — like many foreign companies caught up in a mass tort — will never stop believing that the process was irrational and its product is safe. And they may well be right. But investors didn’t care. Despite the enormous sum the company has agreed to shell out to the plaintiffs, Bayer’s market cap, at $69.5 billion, is once again larger than the amount it paid for Monsanto.This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.Joe Nocera is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering business. He has written business columns for Esquire, GQ and the New York Times, and is the former editorial director of Fortune. His latest project is the Bloomberg-Wondery podcast "The Shrink Next Door."For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com/opinionSubscribe now to stay ahead with the most trusted business news source.©2020 Bloomberg L.P.

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Tilray, Inc.'s (NASDAQ:TLRY): Tilray, Inc. engages in the research, cultivation, processing, and distribution of…

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SkyBridge Founder and Managing Partner Anthony Scaramucci joined Yahoo Finance’s On The Move to discuss the upcoming 2020 presidential election and the outlook for the Republican party.

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