Stock Pick

  • Clinical trial results indicate Moderna coronavirus vaccine is on the right track

    Clinical trial results indicate Moderna coronavirus vaccine is on the right trackResults from the phase 1 clinical trial of Moderna's coronavirus vaccine show it's on the right track, though there were serious side effects at high doses.

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  • 2 ASX shares I’d love to buy right now

    cartoon of man on laptop hitting the buy button

    ASX share prices are always changing, so the best investment pick may change as the values change.

    For much of the last four months one of my preferred investment ideas was Pushpay Holdings Ltd (ASX: PPH). However, the strong Pushpay share price performance has meant I’m now looking at other shares as investment ideas.

    It’s getting harder to choose good value ideas right now because of how strongly the high quality growth companies have performed.

    But I still think there are some good choices out there. I’d happily invest in these two ASX share ideas today:

    Share 1: Vitalharvest Freehold Trust (ASX: VTH)

    This is an agricultural real estate investment trust (REIT) which is currently invested in berry and citrus farms. These farms are among the largest in Australia. Food is important, particularly in these COVID-19 times. 

    There is a value play here. At 31 December 2019 the REIT said its net asset value (NAV) was $0.95 per share. This means, assuming the same NAV, the Vitalharvest share price is trading at a 20% discount to the NAV.

    What’s of more interest to me is the Primewest Group Ltd (ASX: PWG) involvement. The fund manager has come in to take over the management whilst also taking up a sizeable stake of the food REIT.

    It plans to change the name to Primewest Agri-Chain Fund and invest in a wider group of different assets (not just farms) including processing and manufacturing facilities for food, food and beverage packaging facilities and storage facilities related to food. It may also find opportunities in New Zealand, not just Australia.

    I think the shift to new management and taking on an acquisition strategy could be a smart move to diversify Vitalharvest’s asset base. Primewest is going to aim for high-quality locations with long-term leases for the ASX share.

    Using the current distributions for 2020, it offers a distribution yield of 6.25%.

    Share 2: Bubs Australia Ltd (ASX: BUB)

    I think plenty of ASX growth shares right now are a bit too pricey to get into my portfolio. However, I think Bubs is well placed to become a much larger business over the long-term.

    It’s an infant formula business with a specialty in goat milk products. I’m encouraged by the growing distribution network that Bubs has created to get its range of products out to as many consumers as possible. It’s now sold through Coles Group Limited (ASX: COL), Woolworths Group Ltd (ASX: WOW), Baby Bunting Group Limited (ASX: BBN), Chemist Warehouse and Alibaba.

    It usually takes a while for consumers to become aware of, and trust, a new infant formula brand. Bubs’ current distribution network has good growth potential for the next few years as it builds its brand presence.

    I’m also excited by the new (cow) organic grass fed infant formula that Bubs has launched, which opens up a much larger addressable market for the company.

    Recent growth has been really good for the ASX share. In the quarter ending 31 March 2020, quarterly revenue grew by 67% year on year to $19.7 million. Revenue was up 36% compared to the previous quarter.

    I think Bubs has a very profitable future ahead, particularly as its gross margin keeps improving as the ASX share gets bigger with more products sold.

    The fact that it’s now cashflow positive is a pleasing milestone because it means its impressive $36.4 million cash balance won’t be eaten up from just running the day to day operations of the business. It can be invested for further growth.

    Bubs is growing strongly in other markets outside of China, such as Vietnam. I’m not suggesting that Bubs is going to become as large as A2 Milk Company Ltd (ASX: A2M), but I think it’s on a very good growth trajectory.

    Foolish takeaway

    If growth is your main aim then I think Bubs looks like a compelling ASX share with a long-term investment timeframe. Vitalharvest looks like a solid dividend option at today’s share price, plus it’s trading at a nice discount to the NAV.

    Where to invest $1,000 right now

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for more than eight years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes are the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they are great buys right now.

    See The 5 Stocks

    *Returns as of June 30th

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    Tristan Harrison has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of PUSHPAY FPO NZX. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended BUBS AUST FPO. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of A2 Milk and COLESGROUP DEF SET. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended PUSHPAY FPO NZX. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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  • U.K. Phone Market Will Be Duopoly for Years After Huawei Ban

    U.K. Phone Market Will Be Duopoly for Years After Huawei Ban(Bloomberg) — With Huawei Technologies Co. barred from Britain’s future wireless networks, its two European rivals look set to split the market.The ban — forcing phone companies to remove 5G Huawei equipment by 2027 and stop buying it by the end of this year — is a blow to the industry, which had lobbied hard to keep Huawei, and not just because of the burden of having to redesign the next-generation networks they were already building.Read more: U.K. Bans Huawei From 5G Networks in Security Crackdown It also turns Britain’s wireless radio equipment market into an effective duopoly of Finland’s Nokia Oyj and Ericsson AB of Sweden. The companies that run Britain’s communications infrastructure will be bracing for higher prices and will have little choice but to use both Nokia and Ericsson if they are to avoid becoming dangerously reliant on either vendor.“In the short term, carriers can play one supplier off against the other,” said James Barford, an analyst at Enders Analysis. “But a medium- to long-term consequence of not having Huawei means less pricing tension in the market.”Huawei was popular with carriers because of its competitive pricing, and its emphasis on research and development, which often gave its gear a technological edge.Carriers tend to get the best equipment deals in the early stages of a network rollout because suppliers are willing to sacrifice profits to win a decent slice of the market. Removing Huawei from the mix so early in the cycle for the 5G upgrade means the phone companies miss an opportunity for steeper discounts.The two European suppliers have a further opportunity to entrench their position against newcomers as carriers will need to swap out some of their Huawei 4G gear for Nokia and Ericsson equipment before installing 5G.Act NowTuesday’s decision was especially welcome for Nokia, which has struggled to gain traction in 5G equipment. Cormac Whelan, chief executive officer for Nokia in the U.K. and Ireland, said “we have the capacity and expertise to replace all of the Huawei equipment in the U.K.’s networks at scale and speed.”Ericsson Vice President Arun Bansal said carriers can prevent increased costs and substantial delays by swapping out Huawei equipment sooner.“The whole mobile infrastructure is built with swaps every five to seven years, depending on the technology cycle,” he said. “The longer it takes to swap, the more cost operators have.”When the U.K. government began planning Huawei restrictions earlier this year, it opened talks with Japan’s NEC Corp. and Samsung Electronics Co. to determine whether those companies could replace Huawei, a person familiar with the matter said at the time. But there’s been no word of progress on those talks since early June when they were reported by Bloomberg.Read more: U.K. Opens Talks With Huawei Rival as Johnson Confronts China“As a global provider of 5G network solutions, we would welcome the opportunity to support the U.K.’s 5G network roll-out,” Samsung said in an emailed statement.A representative for NEC didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment at its European offices.Even if a company like Samsung was able to step into Huawei’s place for 5G, it would have to make technology that works with the older 2G and 3G standards that still exist in U.K. networks. European operators like to use compatible gear for all of the generations of wireless service, which makes it easier to allocate signal across the technologies and use their spectrum more efficiently, Enders’s Barford said.Open ArchitectureCarriers are also trying to help themselves by lobbying for a more open network architecture that would make it easier to plug in parts from different suppliers.Read more: Huawei Scare Pushes Carriers to Tackle Dominance of 5G SuppliersVodafone has begun issuing small contracts for OpenRAN, an initiative that aims to standardize radio access network hardware and software. CEO Nick Read said last October that Vodafone was “ready to fast track it into Europe as we seek to actively expand our vendor ecosystem.”However keen carriers are to introduce an open standard, availability may be limited for years to come.“Within the time of the Huawei switch out, there will be some OpenRAN options,” said Robert Grindle, an analyst at Deutsche Bank AG. “I wouldn’t be surprised if there were OpenRAN adoptions within the six-and-a-half year time frame.”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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  • 2 ASX tech shares to buy and hold beyond 2025

    business man touching digits 2025 on digital screen

    ASX tech shares have been among the best performing market sectors over the past year. Here we look at two ASX tech shares that are on my buy list right now: Dicker Data Ltd (ASX: DDR) and Appen Ltd (ASX: APX). Here’s why they are both in my buy zone:

    Dicker Data

    Dicker Data has evolved over the past few decades from a small, family run business to a sizeable company with a market capitalisation of around $1.2 billion. This ASX tech share is a wholesale distributor of computer hardware, software, and cloud-based solutions. Dicker Data is also the largest Australian-owned hardware distributor in Australia and New Zealand.

    The Dicker Data share price has been quite volatile over the past few months, however is now trading at similar levels to where it was at before the coronavirus pandemic.

    Dicker Data recently revealed that unaudited revenue for the half year to June 2020 amounted to $1 billion. That was a very strong 18.3% increase over the prior corresponding period. Growth was driven by strong demand for remote working solutions during the pandemic. June was a particularly strong month for the ICT vendor and saw it record $224 million in revenue. Unaudited net profit came in at $40 million, which was a 25% lift on the first half of FY 2019.

    I believe that Dicker Data is well placed to tap into the growing demand for local IT services over the next decade. In particular, the ever growing trend of cloud computing is likely to drive the company’s revenues higher.

    Appen

    The Appen share price has been on a tear in recent months. After falling in the early phase of the pandemic to $17.14 in mid-March, it is now trading at $36.17. That’s a massive increase of 111%!

    Appen leads the market globally in providing data for use in machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI). Apart from servicing major tech companies, Appen’s reach extends to a range of industries including the automotive and government sectors.

    In a recent market update, Appen indicated that there has been minimal impact from the pandemic so far on its operations and major customers.

    Despite the strong recent rally in the Appen share price, I believe the company remains well placed to deliver continued strong growth over the next decade. The uptake of AI products and machine learning solutions is likely to continue surging higher, leading to growing demand for Appen’s products and solutions.

    Foolish takeaway

    Although each is from very different segments of the technology sector, both Dicker Data and Appen are on my buy list right now. These ASX tech shares have strong and established positions in their technology niches. And, in my view, both are well placed to deliver above average shareholder returns in the next 5 years.

    5 stocks under $5

    We hear it over and over from investors, “I wish I had bought Altium or Afterpay when they were first recommended by The Motley Fool. I’d be sitting on a gold mine!” And it’s true.

    And while Altium and Afterpay have had a good run, we think these 5 other stocks are screaming buys. And you can buy them now for less than $5 a share!

    See the 5 stocks

    *Extreme Opportunities returns as of June 5th 2020

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    Motley Fool contributor Phil Harpur owns shares of Appen Ltd. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Dicker Data Limited. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of Appen Ltd. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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  • Boeing Reports 60 Canceled Orders For The 737 Max In June

    Boeing Reports 60 Canceled Orders For The 737 Max In JuneBoeing (BA) has revealed that a further 60 737 MAX orders were canceled in the month of June due to the fallout from the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, bringing the total 737 cancellations this year to 373. The troubled planemaker had already announced 47 of the June cancellations.According to Bloomberg, this figure did not account for Norwegian Air Shuttle ASA’s cancellation of all 97 of its remaining Boeing jets on order, as the deals have not yet been officially terminated. But the order backlog did exclude an additional 123 ‘orders in peril’ which could be called off.During June, Boeing delivered just 10 aircrafts- which was nevertheless an improvement on May’s 4 deliveries. The company also announced that it delivered a total of 20 commercial airplanes for the second quarter of 2020, vs 90 in the same period last year. Net orders also remained negative with 182 net cancellations, bringing Q2 to 477, up from 307 in Q1.For the second quarter, Boeing delivered seven of the 787 planes, 4 each of the 777, 767 and 737 and one 747. Year-to-date, Boeing has now delivered a total of 36 787 planes.“Our commercial airplane deliveries in the second quarter reflect the significant impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on our customers and our operations that included a shutdown of our commercial airplane production for several weeks,” commented Greg Smith, Boeing exec VP of Enterprise Operations.“The diversity of our portfolio including our government services, defense and space programs will continue to provide some stability as we navigate through the pandemic and rebuild stronger on the other side” Smith added.Shares in Boeing have plunged 45% year-to-date, but analysts have a cautiously optimistic Moderate Buy consensus on the stock. That’s with a $192 average analyst price target (6% upside potential). (See BA stock analysis on TipRanks).For now Cowen & Co’s Cai Rumohr is sitting on the sidelines. “BA delivered only ten aircraft in June vs. four in May and our June est. of 28. The primary shortfall was in the 787, where BA delivered three 787’s vs. our est. of 16” he commented.“We attribute the weak sequential lift to partial COVID-19 related reopenings, although flight restrictions and customer deferrals remain key issues” the analyst told investors on July 14. He has a bearish $150 price target on BA stock (17% downside potential).Related News: Airbus First-Half Deliveries Drop 49% Amid Covid-19 Aviation Crisis Avolon Cancels 27 Of Boeing 737 Max Aircraft Order Boeing: Don’t Expect a Recovery Anytime Soon, Says Analyst More recent articles from Smarter Analyst: * Delta Posts $2.8B Quarterly Loss, Cuts Summer Flights Amid Rise In Covid-19 Cases * Moderna Soars 16% As Covid-19 Vaccine Shows Strong Immune Response * Google Cloud To Use AI Technology In Fox Sports Deal * Google Fined Record 600,000 Euros By Belgian Authority

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  • ASX 200 jumps almost 2% today, Afterpay rises

    ASX 200

    The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) went up by 1.88% today as investors continued to push ASX 200 shares higher.

    Here are some of the movers and shakers from the ASX today:

    Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT) announces digital wallet links

    Today, the buy now pay later business announced that its customers can now use both Apple Pay and Google Pay in physical stores in the US.

    Some of the businesses that now offer both Apple Pay and Google Pay in-store in the US are: Forever21, Fresh and Solstice Sunglasses.

    July 2020 is actually the first month where customers can start using the ASX 200 share’s service in physical stores.

    Afterpay CEO and co-founder Nick Molnar said:

    “As we enter the second half of the year and retail re-emerges across the world, it’s critical we help our partners drive business growth, both online and offline.

    “As a proven solution for driving incremental sales and new customer growth, we are thrilled to introduce our new omni-channel solution to US retailers as they begin to open their doors and bring shoppers back to their physical stores.”

    In reaction to this announcement, the Afterpay share price ended the day higher by 2.4%.

    Zip Co Ltd (ASX: Z1P) share price sold off by 6.7%

    The second largest buy now, pay later operator on the ASX released its FY20 fourth quarter trading update today.

    It said that in FY20 it achieved full year revenue of $161.2 million, which was up 91% compared to FY19. Its quarterly revenue was $46.4 million, up 72% year on year.

    The FY20 annualised transaction volume was $2.3 billion, which beat its target of $2.2 billion. It achieved record quarterly volume of $570.7 million, which was 62% higher year on year.

    Receivables increased to $1.2 billion, this was growth of 73% year on year.

    Customer numbers increased by 63% year on year to 2.1 million whilst merchant numbers rose by 51% year on year to 24,500.

    Zip boasted of a strong credit performance with net bad debts of 2.24% at 30 June 2020. Monthly arrears, which is seen as an indicator of future losses, reduced from 1.55% in March to 1.33% in June.

    Zip’s acquisition, QuadPay, also had a good final quarter. Quadpay achieved quarterly total transaction value (TTV) of $233 million, $16.4 million in revenue and 1.8 million customers.

    ELMO Software Ltd (ASX: ELO) quarterly update

    Software business Elmo released its quarterly update today. The Elmo share price went up by 2.8%.

    The fourth quarter saw cash receipts of $16.8 million, up 26.2% on the previous quarter and a rise of 8.4% compared to the prior corresponding period.

    For the whole of FY20 the ASX share achieved cash receipts of $57.5 million, up 27.4% compared to FY19.

    It finished the quarter with a closing cash balance of $139.9 million. It recently launched a new module called ELMO Connect, a new communications module for instant messaging and Zoom conference calls.

    Australian Ethical Investment Limited (ASX: AEF) funds under management

    The ethical fund manager announced its funds under management (FUM) at 30 June 2020 today.

    Australian Ethical said its FUM grew by 18.6% over FY20 to $4.05 billion. Over the whole of FY20 it saw net inflows of $660 million.

    During the final quarter of FY20 it experienced $120 million of net inflows. The quarterly increase of FUM by 12.9% was driven by the net inflows and “strong” investment performance and included $0.04 billion of outflows following the federal government’s changes to early release of superannuation conditions.

    The Australian Ethical share price was almost flat, it fell by 0.2% today.

    5 stocks under $5

    We hear it over and over from investors, “I wish I had bought Altium or Afterpay when they were first recommended by The Motley Fool. I’d be sitting on a gold mine!” And it’s true.

    And while Altium and Afterpay have had a good run, we think these 5 other stocks are screaming buys. And you can buy them now for less than $5 a share!

    See the 5 stocks

    *Extreme Opportunities returns as of June 5th 2020

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    Tristan Harrison has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of and recommends Elmo Software. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of Australian Ethical Investment Ltd. and ZIPCOLTD FPO. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of AFTERPAY T FPO. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended Australian Ethical Investment Ltd. and Elmo Software. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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  • The dangers of investing in managed funds

    Chalk drawing of a risk bag and a reward bag on set of scales

    Over the last few weeks, we Fools have been reporting on the performance of some of the ASX’s most popular and successful managed funds.

    In contrast to exchange-traded funds (ETFs) that simply follow a benchmark index like the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO), managed funds aim to deliver market-beating performance through actively picking shares on your behalf. The ASX 200 index holds 200 different companies. But a typical managed fund can hold 100, 50, 20 or even 10 shares in an effort to find winners and ditch losers for outsized returns.

    Recently, we’ve covered managed funds offered by Magellan Financial Group Ltd (ASX: MFG) here, Mirrabooka Investments Ltd (ASX: MIR) here and Antipodes Partners here.

    All of these funds have delivered some pretty impressive numbers, making a fair case that investing with them is better than just going with an index fund like the Vanguard Australian Shares Index ETF (ASX: VAS).

    But I think a warning that some managed funds are more equal than others is pertinent.

    The dangers of investing in managed funds

    The fact is, most Australian managed funds do not outperform the ASX 200 index over a long period of time. In fact, 9 in 10 Aussie funds underperformed the index last year, according to a report in the Australian Financial Review (AFR). Those aren’t odds I’d like to take a punt on.

    In separate reporting in the AFR just this week, the paper looked at the performance of a popular ASX fund in Montgomery Investment Management’s flagship Australian Equities Fund.

    According to the report, the Montgomery fund underperformed the S&P/ASX300 Accumulation Index by 1.2% per annum over the five years to 31 May 2020. In other words, you would have been better off just ‘buying the index’ over investing in this fund back in 2015. This fund’s not-inexpensive management fee of 1.36% per annum wouldn’t have helped either, especially when you consider Vanguard’s VAS ETF charges just a fraction of this with a 0.10% per annum fee.

    In Montgomery’s defence, the portfolio manager did tell the AFR that its ‘quality-focused, value-orientated’ strategy is a hard one to execute in the current market environment, and investors should expect it to underperform around 3 years in 10. But even so, the risks of investing in these relatively expensive managed funds instead of an index are hard to ignore.

    Foolish takeaway

    I’m not prepared to totally write off managed funds as a good way to invest in ASX shares just yet, despite the sobering statistics quoted above. Like any investment, you should scrutinise each fund like you would a company. That means assessing its managers and how much skin they have in the game, reading reports and aligning with the fund’s style. In most cases, you will indeed just be better off buying an index fund. But finding that 1-in-10 needle in the haystack can be a lucrative game if you play it properly.

    5 stocks under $5

    We hear it over and over from investors, “I wish I had bought Altium or Afterpay when they were first recommended by The Motley Fool. I’d be sitting on a gold mine!” And it’s true.

    And while Altium and Afterpay have had a good run, we think these 5 other stocks are screaming buys. And you can buy them now for less than $5 a share!

    See the 5 stocks

    *Extreme Opportunities returns as of June 5th 2020

    More reading

    Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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  • Why I would buy these blue chip ASX 200 shares this week

    Clock showing time to buy, ASX 200 shares

    One thing the Australian share market isn’t short of is blue chip shares.

    But with so many to choose from, it can be hard to decide which ones to buy.

    To narrow things down, I have picked out two blue chip ASX 200 shares which I think would be great long term options for investors. Here they are:

    Aristocrat Leisure Limited (ASX: ALL)

    The first blue chip ASX 200 share to consider buying is Aristocrat Leisure. This gaming technology company’s shares have fallen heavily this year due to the negative impact of the pandemic on its core poker machine business. While this is disappointing, it should only be a short term headwind and demand is likely to recover strongly once the crisis passes.

    In the meantime, lockdowns and casino closures are giving its digital (mobile) portfolio of games a major boost. This segment is offsetting much of the decline in the core business with material recurring revenues. Once trading conditions return to normal and both sides of the business are pulling together, I expect Aristocrat Leisure’s growth to accelerate again.

    SEEK Limited (ASX: SEK)

    Another blue chip ASX 200 share to consider buying is this job listings giant. Although current trading conditions are tough and its FY 2020 result is likely to underwhelm, I believe it is well worth looking beyond this and focusing on the future. A future which I continue to believe is very bright thanks to its underappreciated Zhaopin business in China.

    During the first half Zhaopin contributed 47.8% of SEEK’s total revenue, making it the biggest contributor to its overall revenue by some distance. Given how this business has a massive opportunity in a very lucrative market, I believe it is likely to be the key driver of growth over the next decade and beyond. This should be supported by its ANZ business, which continues to dominate the local market.

    Where to invest $1,000 right now

    When investing expert Scott Phillips has a stock tip, it can pay to listen. After all, the flagship Motley Fool Share Advisor newsletter he has run for more than eight years has provided thousands of paying members with stock picks that have doubled, tripled or even more.*

    Scott just revealed what he believes are the five best ASX stocks for investors to buy right now. These stocks are trading at dirt-cheap prices and Scott thinks they are great buys right now.

    See The 5 Stocks

    *Returns as of June 30th

    More reading

    Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro owns shares of SEEK Limited. The Motley Fool Australia has recommended SEEK Limited. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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  • Moderna Soars 16% As Covid-19 Vaccine Shows Strong Immune Response

    Moderna Soars 16% As Covid-19 Vaccine Shows Strong Immune ResponseModerna (MRNA) soared a further 16% in Tuesday’s after-market trading after the biotech announced the publication of an interim analysis of the open-label Phase 1 study of mRNA-1273, its vaccine candidate against COVID-19.Results reaffirmed positive interim data assessment announced on May 18, said Moderna, and show mRNA-1273 induced rapid and strong immune responses against SARS-CoV-2. Neutralizing antibodies were observed in 100% of evaluated participants at the 100 µg dose level selected for the upcoming Phase 3 trial.Published in The New England Journal of Medicine, the interim analysis evaluated a two-dose vaccination schedule of mRNA-1273 given 28 days apart across three dose levels (25, 100, 250 µg) in 45 healthy adult participants ages 18-55 years, and reported results through Day 57.The study was led by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).“These Phase 1 data demonstrate that vaccination with mRNA-1273 elicits a robust immune response across all dose levels and clearly support the choice of 100 µg in a prime and boost regimen as the optimal dose for the Phase 3 study,” said Tal Zaks CMO of Moderna. “We look forward to beginning our Phase 3 study of mRNA-1273 this month to demonstrate our vaccine’s ability to significantly reduce the risk of COVID-19 disease.”Encouragingly, mRNA-1273 was generally safe and well-tolerated, with no serious adverse events reported through Day 57. Adverse events (AEs) were generally transient and mild to moderate in severity.mRNA-1273 induced binding antibodies to the full-length SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein (S) in all participants after the first vaccination, with all participants seroconverting by Day 15. This is the time period during which a specific antibody develops and becomes detectable in the blood.After two vaccinations, mRNA-1273 elicited robust neutralizing antibody titers. At Day 43, neutralizing activity against SARS-CoV-2 (PRNT80) was seen in all evaluated participants. At the Phase 3 selected dose of 100 µg, the geometric mean titer levels were 4.1-fold above those seen in reference convalescent sera (n=3).Evaluation of the durability of immune responses is ongoing, and participants will be followed for one year after the second vaccination, with scheduled blood collections throughout that period.With the Phase 3 dose being finalized at 100 μg, Moderna says it remains on track to be able to deliver approximately 500 million doses per year, and possibly up to 1 billion doses per year, beginning in 2021, due to collaborations with Lonza, Catalent and ROVI.The Phase 3 study protocol has already been reviewed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and is expected to include approximately 30,000 participants at the 100 µg dose level in the U.S. The primary endpoint will be the prevention of symptomatic COVID-19 disease with study initiation planned for July 27.Shares in Moderna have surged 280% so far this year, and Wall Street analysts have a bullish Strong Buy consensus on the stock’s outlook. The $86 average price target suggests an additional 15% upside potential lies ahead. (See MRNA stock analysis on TipRanks).“With COVID-19 cases rising across large swaths of the US, and a record high of new US cases we believe the stage is set for rapid evaluation of the study’s primary endpoint of symptomatic COVID-19 disease prevention” comments Chardan Capital analyst Geulah Livshits. She has a buy rating on the stock and a $84 price target.Meanwhile JP Morgan’s Cory Kasimov writes: “The company has spent almost a decade building a world-class platform around mRNA therapeutics, a new class of medicines that, if ultimately successful, could have broad and disruptive potential across the whole biopharma landscape.”Related News: IMV Pops 134% In Pre-Market On “Rapid Progress” Of Covid-19 Vaccine Development Abbott Labs, Edwards Lifesciences Settle Heart Device Patent Disputes Akebia Initiates Vadadustat Study In Covid-19 Patients More recent articles from Smarter Analyst: * Google Cloud To Use AI Technology In Fox Sports Deal * Google Fined Record 600,000 Euros By Belgian Authority * Cloud Tailwinds Could Trigger Further Upside for Microsoft Stock, Says 5-Star Analyst * 3 Healthcare Stocks Under $5 With Triple-Digit Upside Potential

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  • Nissan takes on Tesla in China’s electric car market

    Nissan takes on Tesla in China's electric car marketThe Japanese carmaker has unveiled the first of many electric vehicles as part of a new strategy.

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