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Bernstein named Taiwan Semiconductor a "best idea" for 2024, raising its price target on the stock. — Alex Harring 7:01 a.m. In addition to the best-pick honor, analyst Steve Scala has an outperform rating and $86 price target. Analyst Michael Lavery downgraded the stock to neutral from overweight and slashed his price target by $40 to $200. ET: Morgan Stanley hikes PDD price target, calls stock a top pick following earnings Morgan Stanley named Chinese e-commerce name PDD Holdings a top pick following its latest quarterly earnings report.

Persons: Bernstein, Morgan Stanley, LSEG, Bank of America's Tal Liani, Morgan Stanley's Hamza Fodderwala, Alex Harring, Craig Siegenthaler, Blackstone, That's, — Alex Harring, Ken Hoexter, Hoexter, TD Cowen, Steve Scala, Scala, Jefferies, John Colantuoni, bode, Colantuoni, Neil Beveridge, Josh Silverstein, Silverstein, JMP, Baldwin, Mitch Germain, Germain doesn't, Germain, Piper Sandler, Michael Lavery, Lavery, elasticities, HSY's, Hershey, Eddy Wang, Wang, Mark Li, Li, — Fred Imbert Organizations: CNBC, Taiwan Semiconductor, Holdings, Wall, Bank of America, Bank of America's, KKR, Apollo Global Management, Pacific, Transport, AstraZeneca, pharma, Airbnb, Toyota, UBS, Exxon Mobil, Natural Resources, Exxon Mobil's, Hershey, PDD, U.S, LSEG, Commerce, PDD's U.S, Apple, Huawei Locations: Tuesday's, Ivory Coast, Ghana, 4Q23, Taiwan, China

☆ Exclusive: Activist investor Elliott targets drugmaker BioMarin -sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Svea Herbst-Bayliss | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

NEW YORK, Nov 7 (Reuters) - Activist investor Elliott Investment Management has built a stake in BioMarin Pharmaceutical (BMRN.O) and has been in discussions with the biotechnology company for months about its future, according to two people familiar with the matter. Elliott declined to comment, while a representative for BioMarin did not immediately respond to a request for comment. BioMarin shares rose 12% to $85.36 on the news in morning trading in New York on Tuesday. Prior to news of Elliott's engagement, BioMarin shares were down 24% year-to-date, significantly underperforming the iShares Biotechnology ETF (IBB.O), which is down 8.6%. Elliott also successfully pushed for drug makers Alexion Pharma (AZN.L) and Allergan (ABBV.N) to be sold.

Persons: Elliott, BioMarin, hemophilia, Jean, Jacques Bienaime, Alexander Hardy, Jefferies, Bienaime, Harvey, Richard Meier, Svea Herbst, Bayliss, Jamie Freed Organizations: Investment Management, BioMarin Pharmaceutical, Biotechnology, Alexion Pharma, Svea, Thomson Locations: BioMarin, San Rafael , California, West Palm Beach , Florida, New York

☆ AstraZeneca succession sickness demands urgent fix
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-15 | by ( Aimee Donnellan | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON, Sept 15 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Can a CEO be worth $9 billion? That’s the question posed by the 4% fall in AstraZeneca’s (AZN.L) shares following an article stating boss Pascal Soriot may soon resign. The company has played down the report, and its stock has recovered, but the episode highlights its uncertain position were 64-year-old Soriot to leave. Without a clear succession plan, investors should prepare for further swings. Small wonder investors and analysts wonder whether AstraZeneca will be able to find a successor capable of replicating his success.

Persons: Pascal Soriot, AstraZeneca’s, Ivan Menezes, Debra Crew, Soriot, Susan Galbraith, David Fredrickson, Luke Miels, Soriot’s, Neil Unmack, Streisand Neto Organizations: Reuters, Pfizer, pharma, Novartis, Sanofi, GSK, AstraZeneca, Diageo, Thomson Locations: AstraZeneca’s, Swedish

☆ AstraZeneca to buy Pfizer's rare disease gene therapy portfolio for up to $1 bln
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] FILE PHOTO-Test tubes are seen in front of a displayed AstraZeneca logo in this illustration taken, May 21, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File PhotoJuly 28 (Reuters) - AstraZeneca (AZN.L) said on Friday its unit Alexion has agreed to buy U.S. drugmaker Pfizer's <PFE.N> early-stage rare disease gene therapy portfolio for up to $1 billion, plus royalties on sales. AstraZeneca bought Alexion in 2021. It focuses on rare diseases and plans to close the deal in the third quarter, the British drugmaker said. AAV capsids have been shown to be an effective mechanism for delivering therapeutic gene cargos for gene therapy and gene editing, the company said.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Alexion, drugmaker, AAV, Yadarisa, Nivedita Organizations: AstraZeneca, REUTERS, Thomson Locations: Bengaluru

SummaryCompanies Q2 sales and earnings beat estimatesReiterates full-year guidanceNo revenue from COVID vaccine in Q2Shares up 3.1% in early tradeCompany is largest drugmaker in ChinaLONDON, July 28 (Reuters) - AstraZeneca (AZN.L) on Friday delivered better-than-expected profits and sales in the second quarter as a strong performance of its blockbuster cancer drugs helped offset the loss of COVID-19 vaccine sales. The Anglo-Swedish drugmaker posted an adjusted profit of $2.15 per share, up 25% and exceeding the $1.98 per share expected in company-compiled consensus estimates. Total revenue in the quarter was $11.4 billion, up 6% and beating company-compiled analyst estimates of $10.97 billion. Excluding COVID medicines, sales in China grew by 7% at constant exchange rates in the quarter, the fourth consecutive quarter of growth on that basis. AstraZeneca is the largest drugmaker in China, which accounted for 13% of last year's revenue.

Persons: Swedish drugmaker, Pascal Soriot, Markus Manns, Alexion, drugmaker, Maggie Fick, Radhika Anilkumar, Nivedita Bhattacharjee, Josephine Mason Organizations: AstraZeneca, UK's, Pfizer, Moderna, U.S, Union Investment, Thomson Locations: China LONDON, Swedish, China, London, Bengaluru

☆ California, other states join FTC bid to block Amgen deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-22 | by ( David Shepardson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, June 22 (Reuters) - The states of California, New York, Illinois, Minnesota, Washington and Wisconsin have joined a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) lawsuit to stop Amgen's (AMGN.O) $27.8 billion deal to buy Horizon Therapeutics (HZNP.O), according to a court filing on Thursday. Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson said his state had joined the lawsuit because "monopolies harm consumers" and the merger could allow Amgen to "dominate" prescription drug markets. The FTC acquisition marks a change for the agency, which previously had typically flagged therapeutic overlaps in companies and waved deals through after requiring one of the medicines to be divested. Amgen said in a statement last month it was disappointed by the FTC decision and it believed it had "overwhelmingly demonstrated" that the deal had no legitimate competitive issues. The last major pharmaceutical deal approved by the FTC was AstraZeneca's (AZN.L) $39 billion acquisition of Alexion Pharma in April 2021, about two months before FTC Chair Lina Khan was appointed by the Biden administration.

Persons: Bob Ferguson, Rob Bonta, Amgen, Lina Khan, Biden, David Shepardson, Jamie Freed Organizations: Federal Trade Commission, Horizon Therapeutics, . Washington, FTC, Horizon, Alexion Pharma, Thomson Locations: California , New York , Illinois, Minnesota, Washington, Wisconsin, California

LONDON, April 27 (Reuters) - AstraZeneca (AZN.L) on Thursday beat expectations for its first -quarter profit and revenue, helped by sales of its roster of drugs in emerging markets. The London-listed drugmaker, which reports its results in U.S. dollars, reported adjusted profit of $1.92 per share on sales of about $10.9 billion. Excluding sales of its COVID-19 products, sales grew 22% to $3.1 billion in emerging markets on a constant currency basis. AstraZeneca's best-selling cancer drugs — Tagrisso, Imfinzi and Lynparza — generated $1.4 billion, $900 million and $651 million of sales, respectively, in the quarter. Cowen analysts expected the three drugs to bring in about $1.45 billion, $735 million and $700 million respectively, in quarterly sales.

The company also predicted a return to growth in China, one of its key markets, after reporting a second consecutive quarter of growth even as prices remain under pressure. Sales of its best-selling cancer drugs — Tagrisso, Imfinzi and Lynparza — came in just below estimates from Cowen analysts. Sales started to pick up in the second half of 2022 and in the fourth quarter grew by 3% at constant currency rates. Of key interest to investors is the experimental cancer drug, datopotamab deruxtecan, being evaluated in a keenly anticipated late-stage trial involving lung cancer patients. Partner Daiichi Sankyo (4568.T) this month said results of that study have been delayed to the second quarter from the first quarter of 2023.

☆ AstraZeneca Q4 revenue just shy of analyst estimates
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-09 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Companies AstraZeneca PLC FollowLONDON, Feb 9 (Reuters) - AstraZeneca (AZN.L) on Thursday posted fourth-quarter revenue just shy of analyst estimates, with slightly lower-than-expected sales of its best-selling oncology and rare blood disorder drugs. The London-listed drugmaker, which reports its results in U.S. dollars, reported an adjusted profit of 1.38 cents per share on sales of about $11.2 billion. Analysts were expecting $1.34 per share on sales of about $11.3 billion, according to company-compiled consensus estimates. Sales of AstraZeneca's best-selling cancer drugs — Tagrisso, Imfinzi and Lynparza — generated $1.34 billion, $752 million, $689 million in the quarter respectively. Cowen analysts expected the three drugs to bring in about $1.4 billion, $760 million and $695 million respectively.

☆ Why biotech CEOs are growing more cautious about going public — and what they're waiting for
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Andrew Dunn | Yeji Jesse Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Biotech-startup CEOs are taking more nuanced approaches to going public amid a downturn. SAN FRANCISCO — After record years of initial public offerings in 2020 and 2021, biotech leaders told Insider that the "recipe" for going public no longer works. Most biotechs saw their valuations increase by between 20% and 50% after going public. Insider asked five startup CEOs about how they approach going public and their perspectives on the biotech-IPO market for 2023. But going public doesn't carry an importance of validation for herself or the field of biotech companies specializing in AI, she said.

☆ The recipe biotech startups use to go public is being thrown out. 5 startups CEOs reveal how they're changing their focus.
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Andrew Dunn | Yeji Jesse Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

☆ Amgen’s $28 bln deal is a reasonable gamble
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( Robert Cyran | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

NEW YORK, Dec 12 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Biotechnology deals are always a gamble, and, on the face of it, Amgen’s (AMGN.O) $28 billion purchase of Horizon Therapeutics (HZNP.O) looks both risky and pricey. Investors in the $150 billion drug buyer should give it the benefit of the doubt. Amgen is largely buying Horizon for a drug named Tepezza, which helps a thyroid disease that affects eyesight. Sales in Alexion’s drug this year should be $7 billion, a 16% jump from where they were when AstraZeneca bought it. If Amgen similarly helps Horizon, its deal will look like a reasonable wager.

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