We expect

Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc.


INO

to surpass expectations when it reports fourth-quarter and full-year 2020 results on Mar 1, after market close.

The company’s earnings surprise record is dismal. It missed estimates for earnings in each of the trailing four quarters, the average miss being 24.37%. In the last-reported quarter, Inovio delivered a negative earnings surprise of 22.22%.

Shares of Inovio have rallied 56.4% in the year so far compared with the

industry’s

increase of 9.4%.

Let’s see how things have shaped up for the quarter to be reported.

Factors at Play

With no approved product in its portfolio, Inovio’s top line mainly comprises of revenues under collaborative research and development arrangements. In the last-reported quarter, revenues were down 72.7% year over year, a trend most likely to have continued in the to-be reported quarter.

Inovio is developing INO-4800, its DNA vaccine candidate against COVID-19. The company has started dosing subjects in the phase II segment of the phase II/III INNOVATE study which is evaluating INO-4800 in the United States. We expect management to provide more updates on the candidate’s development path during the upcoming investors’ call.

Also, a phase II study is currently evaluating safety and immunogenicity (primary endpoints) of INO-4800 within the Chinese population.

Meanwhile, Inovio is developing VGX-3100, a human papillomavirus (“HPV”) immunotherapy for the treatment of three HPV-16/18-related disease states – anal dysplasia, vulvar dysplasia and cervical dysplasia. The company expects to read out data from the studies on VGX-3100 later in 2021.

This apart, Inovio is developing INO-3107 for the treatment of recurrent respiratory papillomatosis. The company is also developing INO-5401 for treating newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme. Investors will be keen to get more updates on the same at the upcoming earnings call.

The activities related to the development of INO-4800 and other pipeline candidates are likely to have escalated operating expenses in the to-be-reported quarter.

Why a Likely Positive Surprise?

Our proven model predicts an earnings beat for Inovio this season. The combination of a positive

Earnings ESP

and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our

Earnings ESP Filter.

Earnings ESP:

Inovio has an Earnings ESP of +4.55% as the Zacks Consensus Estimate is pegged at a loss of 22 cents per share while the Most Accurate Estimate is pegged at a loss of 21 cents per share.

Zacks Rank:

Inovio has a Zacks Rank #3.

Other Stocks to Consider

Here are a few other stocks you may want to consider, as our model shows that these too have the right combination of an earnings beat.

Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc.


LXRX

has an Earnings ESP of +3.57% and a Zacks Rank #2. You can see


the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here


.

Acceleron Pharma, Inc.


XLRN

has an Earnings ESP of +4.69% and a Zacks Rank #3. The company is scheduled to report earnings on Feb 25.

Travere Therapeutics, Inc.


TVTX

has an Earnings ESP of +18.61% and a Zacks Rank #2. The company is scheduled to report earnings on Mar 1.

5 Stocks Set to Double

Each was hand-picked by a Zacks expert as the #1 favorite stock to gain +100% or more in 2020. Each comes from a different sector and has unique qualities and catalysts that could fuel exceptional growth.

Most of the stocks in this report are flying under Wall Street radar, which provides a great opportunity to get in on the ground floor.

Today, See These 5 Potential Home Runs >>

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