Small-Cap Healthcare Companies On The Brink Of Major Growth
The rush to end the COVID-19 pandemic put health care companies fully in the spotlight last year. While COVID-19 vaccinations and treatments are a big business we don’t expect it to last, at least not in its current form. With all the vaccines that are pouring out and the preventative treatments that have also flourished, we don’t think COVID-19 will be much of a global problem within only a few years, but that is up for debate.
In the meantime, there are other areas of the healthcare market we think you should know about and a few of them are micro and small-cap stocks on the verge of major growth. Here are three to consider:
1. IRIDEX Corporation On The Cutting Edge Of Eye Care
Eye care doesn’t get much attention from the market but it should. Eye health is a growing concern worldwide with more than 25% of the global population in need of, or suffering from, some form of eye problem that could have or should be addressed. IRIDEX Corporation (NASDAQ:IRIX) is aiming to fix many of those problems with its line of specialty laser devices for ophthalmologists. Among the many diseases the company’s devices can treat are glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy.
The company’s stock began moving about a month ago when the company revealed one of its treatments was approved by the European Glaucoma Society. The move accelerated when preliminary results were revealed to be better than expected and now, with results topping consensus, the outlook for another acceleration is good. A recently announced deal with Topcon Corp (T:7732) will help see to that. Topcon is a Japanese-based manufacturer now the exclusive distributor of IRIDEX lasers in APAC and certain parts of EMEA, widening the market and increasing penetration.
2. BioLife Solutions Is Fundamental To Cell And Gene Therapy
BioLife Solutions Inc. (NASDAQ:BLFS), is uniquely positioned in that it is a supplier of highly specialized equipment for the cell and gene therapy industries. While not a health care company itself, it is fundamental to the industry and a company whose stock is on the move. Not only did the company deliver a solid 77% increase in YOY revenue but it announced a game-changing acquisition and got an important upgrade to boot.
The acquisition is Global Cooling, the parent company of Stirling Ultracold, a manufacturer of ultra-low temperature mechanical freezers. The deal is an all-stock transaction that will grow BioLife Solutions revenue by 80% by the end of the year with accretive impact to bottom-line results in 2022. The upgrade comes from Benchmark and is from Neutral to Buy. The price target is $54 or 40% from upside from Monday’s close but don’t rush to buy just yet. The premarket action has this stock up 20% so we suggest waiting for a pullback before making any decisions.
3. Applied Molecular Transport Advances Two Studies
Applied Molecular Transport (NASDAQ:AMTI) is an early-stage clinical biopharma company focused on oral transmission of treatment for a wide range of diseases. The company’s leading candidate is labeled AMT-101 and is backed up by AMT-123 which just got approved for its next trial. AMT-101 is a treatment for ulcerative colitis and has passed its Phase 1 a/b trial while AMT-123 is for the treatment of intestinal defects. The company also has a deep pipeline of candidates that it is working to develop so we expect to hear more from this company soon.
Notably, the company is not making any revenue at this time, but managing its capital well. The latest earnings report shows a loss of $2.91 that beat consensus by $0.38 and the balance sheet is in good shape. The company is sitting on over $129 million in cash with little to no debt. Operations should be sustainable for the next 1 to 2 years without the need for additional financing. Shares of the stock are responding favorably to the news in pre-market action but have yet to get above the short-term EMA which we consider one of several triggers to buy.
