VBI Vaccines Inc. VBIV will provide updates on its pipeline candidates when it releases second-quarter 2020 results.
The company has a mixed track record, delivering an earnings beat in three of the trailing four quarters while missing in one. The four-quarter earnings surprise was 19.35%, on average. In the last reported quarter, VBI Vaccines came up with anearnings surprise of 28.57%.
Shares of VBI Vaccines have surged 249.2% in the year so far compared with the industry’s growth of 7.4%.
Let’s see how things are shaping up for the quarter to be reported.
Factors at Play
VBI is a commercial-stage, biopharmaceutical company developing a next generation of vaccines to address unmet needs in infectious disease and immuno-oncology. The investors’ focus in the second-quarter conference call will be on updates from its pipeline.
Sci-B-Vac is a tri-antigenic prophylactic hepatitis B vaccine, which is approved for use and commercially available in Israel. The company recently completed its pivotal phase III program on the vaccine in the United States, Europe and Canada. Sci-B-Vac has not yet been approved for use by the FDA, the European Medicines Agency (“EMA”) or Health Canada. The company expected to have a pre-biologics license application (BLA) discussion with the FDA in the second quarter.
VBI-2601 (BRII-179) is a protein-based immunotherapeutic candidate in development for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B infection. The company is expected to provide updates on the initial human proof-of-concept data from the phase Ib/IIa study.
The company’s cancer vaccine immunotherapeutic program, VBI-1901, targets cytomegalovirus (CMV) proteins present in tumor cells, including glioblastoma (“GBM”), breast cancer and pediatric medulloblastoma. The company presented expanded immunologic data and tumor imaging data from the VBI-1901 study, with the GM-CSF study arm in Part B of the study in mid-2020, and initial immunologic data from the same study, with GlaxoSmithKline’s GSK AS01B arm in Part B of the study, is expected in the fourth quarter of 2020.
The extent to which the pandemic will continue to impact the company’s business will depend on its future developments, which cannot be predictedat the moment. The company remains uncertainof the full extent of potential delays or impacts on thebusiness, clinical studies, research programs and manufacturing. However, the COVID-19 outbreak may materially disrupt or delay its business operations, including efforts relating to potential business development transactions, and the marketplace, which could have a material adverse effect on its operations.
Research and development expenses are also likely to have increased in the second quarter due to the ongoing clinical program
What the Zacks Model Unveils
Our proven model does not conclusively predict an earnings beat for VBI Vaccinesthis 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. But that is not the case here as you will see below.
Earnings ESP: VBI Vaccineshas an Earnings ESP of 0.00%, as both the Zacks Consensus Estimate and the Most Accurate Estimate are pegged at a loss of 5 cents. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.
Zacks Rank: The company currently carries a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).
Stocks That Warrant a Look
Here are some biotech stocks with the right mix of elements to beat on earnings this time around:
Alkermes Plc. ALKS has an Earnings ESP of +411.13% and a Zacks Rank #3. The company is scheduled to release second-quarter 2020 results on Jul 29.You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Alexion Pharmaceuticals Inc. ALXN has an Earnings ESP of +0.40% and a Zacks Rank #3.
These Stocks Are Poised to Soar Past the Pandemic
The COVID-19 outbreak has shifted consumer behavior dramatically, and a handful of high-tech companies have stepped up to keep America running. Right now, investors in these companies have a shot at serious profits. For example, Zoom jumped 108.5% in less than 4 months while most other stocks were sinking. Our research shows that 5 cutting-edge stocks could skyrocket from the exponential increase in demand for “stay at home” technologies. This could be one of the biggest buying opportunities of this decade, especially for those who get in early.
See the 5 high-tech stocks now>>
Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
Zacks Investment Research
