It’s that time again – time to look for upwardly mobile stocks at relative bargain prices. We’ve just seen a pullback in market prices, but for some stocks the pullback started earlier and has run deeper. That’s opened up opportunities that Wall Street’s analysts have been quick to point out.
These are Strong Buy stocks, despite their recent slips in share value. The analysts have noted that each one has a path toward near-term gains, making the risk-reward factors suitable for return-minded investors. And with prices down lately, these are suitable for bargain hunters, too.
We’ve used TipRanks' database to find three stocks which meet that profile. Let's take a closer look.
Online retailers have obviously had an advantage in the past year, but on the flip side, the recent reopening of economies around the world has put some pressure on them. Farfetch, an online clothing retailer with an international profile – headquarters in London, offices in New York, LA, Tokyo, Shanghai, Portugal, and Brazil – shows both trends. The company’s gains in 2H20 pushed its market cap well above $16 billion, while recent stressors have forced the stock price down by 38% since its February peak.
Farfetch has a solid foundation, based on more than 3 million active customers and over 1,300 sellers on the platform. The company saw, in 2020, over $3.2 billion gross merchandise offered through the site, making it the top global platform for buying luxury products online. The gross merchandise value was up 49% from the prior year. At the top line, Farfetch’s 2020 revenues were up 64% year-over-year, to $1.7 billion, with $540 million, about one-third of that total, coming in Q4.
Covering Farfetch for J.P. Morgan, 5-star analyst Doug Anmuth notes that the recent weakness has created a “compelling buying opportunity.”
This opportunity is based on: "1) FTCH’s position as the leading global marketplace in the $300B luxury market that is rapidly shifting online; 2) FTCH’s well-established e-concessions model that attracts more brands & inventory to the platform; and 3) FTCH’s strong position in the high growth China luxury market through both the FTCH app & recently launched store on Alibaba’s Tmall Luxury Pavilion. FTCH should also see its first full year of EBITDA profit in 2021, with a path to greater scalability over time driven by leverage in both Gross Margin and G&A.”
In line with this bullish outlook, Anmuth rates FTCH an Overweight (i.e. Buy), with a $72 price target suggesting a one-year upside of 58%. (To watch Anmuth’s track record, click here)
Overall, the Strong Buy consensus rating on Farfetch is based on 7 Buy reviews, which offset a single Hold. The stock’s share price is $45.50, and the average target of $74.38 implies ~63% upside for the next 12 months. (See FTCH stock analysis on TipRanks)
The next stock on our list, Oncternal, is a clinical stage biopharma company focused on oncology. The company is working to develop new treatments for cancers with unmet critical needs. The company’s pipeline has three drug candidate, in various stages of development from preclinical to a Phase 2 trial.
The lead candidate in the pipeline, cirmtuzumab, is the one undergoing that trial. The drug is a monoclonal antibody that inhibits the ROR1 receptor in certain hematologic cancers. In December, the company released interim Phase 1/2 results of cirmtuzumab’s efficacy in combination with ibrutinib. The combination compared favorably to ibrutinib as a single agent.
Cirmtuzumab is also in a Phase 1 clinical study as a treatment agent for breast cancer; updated results released earlier this month showed that a partial response or a stable disease in half or more of the patient cohort.
Despite the positive clinical results, Oncternal’s stock tumbled 30% this month. According to Northland analyst Carl Bynes, in a note titled ‘Weakness Creates Buying Opportunity,’ investors should take this time to buy in.
“We view shares of ONCT as an essential holding for those investing in the oncology segment, with multiple clinical updates anticipated in 2Q21 serving as MAJOR catalysts. We believe cirmtuzumab (anti-ROR1 mAb) is positioned to become a breakthrough therapeutic for treating MCL and other ROR1-expressing malignancies. Further, we anticipate first-in-human dosing of its ROR1 CAR-T candidate in 2H21 in China," Bynes opined.
Congruent with his upbeat outlook, Bynes rates ONCT an Outperform (i.e. Buy), and his $21 price target implies an impressive upside of 265% in the year ahead. (To watch Bynes’ track record, click here)
Wall Street has taken a unanimous stance on ONCT, giving the stock 4 recent positive reviews for a Strong Buy consensus rating. The average price target, at $15.50, indicates ~170% upside from the share price of $5.75. (See ONCT stock analysis on TipRanks)
Drug companies can’t do their jobs without support services – or the products supplied by companies like BioLife. The company supplies cell and gene therapy bioproduction tools, including cryopreservation storage units, biopreservation for blood storage, hypothermic storage and shipping media, and, importantly, cell thawing media allowing use of biosamples after cryopreservation.
BioLife’s quarterly top line has shown sequential gains in both Q3 and Q4. The third quarter gain was 14%, and increased to 30% in Q4. The Q4 revenue, at $14.7 million, was up 78% yoy. For the full year, the top line hit $48.1 million, a yoy gain of 76%. The company has provided 2021 revenue guidance in the range of $101 million to $110 million.
With this in the background, we can look at the share performance. BLFS shares peaked in December, after rising 176% in 12 months. Since then, the shares have retreated 31%.
Carl Bynes, of Northland Capital, sees that share retreat, again, as an ‘in’ for investors.
"We view the recent pullback in BioLife shares as a buying opportunity. BioLife, in our view, is uniquely positioned to emerge as the leading consolidator of the enabling technologies segment supporting the high-growth cell and gene therapy sector. The Co., through internal development and acquisitions, has amassed a comprehensive breadth of product and service offerings that support cell and gene therapy applications from development through commercialization,” Bynes noted.
To this end, Bynes rates BioLife an Outperform (i.e. Buy), along with a $55 price target to indicate a 12-month potential upside of ~75%. (To watch Bynes’ track record, click here)
Looking at the consensus breakdown, Wall Street takes a bullish stance on BLFS. 6 Buys and 1 Hold issued over the previous three months make the stock a ‘Strong Buy.' BLFS shares are selling for $31.51, and their $55.83 average price target suggests a 77% upside. (See BLFS stock analysis on TipRanks)
To find good ideas for beaten-down stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks’ Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks’ equity insights.
Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analysts. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment.
