The S&P 500 hit a record high earlier this year, confirming its presence in a bull market, and has continued to soar, reaching new highs in recent weeks. Technology stocks, particularly those involved in the field of artificial intelligence (AI), led the gains, but companies in other areas also benefited from this market optimism, particularly those reporting strong earnings lately.
A great way to profit from a bull market is to get into those stocks that have momentum, but it’s also important to think beyond the bull market. Will these companies remain strong in the long term? If so, they could make some great purchases today. And with these players, it’s also a good idea to acquire stocks that may still be in the doldrums but could have a very promising future. Together, these stocks can bring you victory in the bull market and beyond.
You’ll find plenty of such stocks in the biotech and pharma space – let’s take a look at three in particular that are just waiting to soar.
1. Novavax
Novavax (NASDAQ:NVAX) has actually been on the path to gains, climbing more than 200% this year. But it’s essential to put this increase in perspective: The stock fell to extremely low levels after the coronavirus vaccine company reported lower-than-expected vaccine sales – and even questioned its ability to continue its activities.
Things have changed for Novavax, however, thanks to a partnership with Sanofi. The French pharmaceutical group is a vaccine specialist and has reached an agreement to co-market Novavax’s coronavirus vaccine from next year. The deal provides Novavax with $500 million upfront as well as other payments that could total $700 million.
The partnership with Sanofi removes much of the risk associated with Novavax stock and should help the company continue on the path to developing a potentially winning product: a combined flu/coronavirus vaccine. Novavax’s candidate has already shown positive results in its phase 2 trial and the company is targeting commercialization in 2026.
If this program continues to progress smoothly and Novavax’s COVID vaccine sales strengthen over the upcoming vaccine season, shares could move significantly higher from there.
2. Pfizer
Pfizer (NYSE:PFE) also suffered from falling demand for coronavirus vaccinations. The company is a leader in this market, with the vaccine having already helped it surpass $100 billion in annual revenue. However, these days, Pfizer is cutting costs to better align expenses with revenue opportunities. In the short term, cost cuts, leading to expenses such as severance costs, could weigh on profits.
Additionally, some of Pfizer’s biggest drugs are at risk of losing exclusivity, which could amount to about $17 billion in lost revenue over the next few years. But Pfizer’s cost realignment plan and focus on its new drugs and programs – including its acquisition of oncology specialist Seagen -…
