Cardinal Health Stock Gets Boost Ahead Of Trump Speech
Dynavax is pacing for its best day since July 2017
Stocks are surging today, with the Dow heading towards its sixth straight win. InVitae Corp (NYSE:NVTA), Dynavax Technologies Corporation (NASDAQ:DVAX) and Cardinal Health Inc (NYSE:CAH) are three drug and healthcare names that are faring particularly well today. Here's a closer look at what has shares of NVTA, DVAX, and CAH moving today.
Analyst Expects InVitae to Double
InVitae stock is up 10% to trade at $6.55, after the company reported first-quarter revenue that nearly tripled in the past year. In response, Leerink issued a price-target hike to $12 from $10, virtually double the equity's current perch. NVTA is now on track for its biggest single-day gain since November 2017. Since falling to a record low of $4.35 on March 28, the equity has gained 50%.
A short squeeze could give NVTA even more room to run. Short interest fell by 17% in the two most recent reporting periods, yet the 4.14 million shares still sold short represent nearly 12% of the stock's total available float, and nearly two weeks of pent-up buying power, at the security's average pace of trading.
Upgrade Vaults Dynavax Stock Higher
Dynavax stock is up 14.2% to trade at $18.33 -- one of the best stocks on the Nasdaq today -- after reportedly receiving an upgrade to "overweight" from "neutral" at J.P. Morgan Securities, as well as a price-target hike to $27 from $25. The analyst in coverage was impressed with the company's hepatitis B vaccine, and said the equity's recent post-earnings dip represents an "interesting" entry point for would-be investors. The security is on track to post its best single-day performance since July 2017, and has more than tripled in the past year.
In the options pits, calls have been overwhelmingly popular. Data from the International Securities Exchange (ISE), Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE), and NASDAQ OMX PHLX (PHLX) shows DVAX with a 10-day call/put volume ratio of 9.83, which ranks in the 78th percentile of its annual range. Given that short interest has increased by 8% in the most recent reporting period, its possible some of this call buying could've been shorts hedging against any unexpected short-term upside.
Cardinal Health Stock Reclaims Some Ground Before Trump Speech
Cardinal Health stock is up 4.4% to trade at $55.08, as shares of pharmaceutical distributors get a boost ahead of President Donald Trump's speech on drug pricing tomorrow. President Trump in 2017 said drug companies are "getting away with murder," but has yet to deliver actionable legislation on the matter. Cardinal Health also hiked its quarterly dividend by 3%.
Although currently on track for its best day of 2018, CAH stock has shed 10% this year and fell to a four-year low of $50.79 last Thursday, following an earnings miss. Considering the stock's weak performance, it's not surprising that Wall Street is skeptical. Of the 14 brokerages covering CAH, 12 rate it a "sell" or "strong sell."