JFrog stock rises as Cantor Fitzgerald maintains Overweight rating after strong Q2
Investing.com -- Rothschild initiated coverage of Regeneron Pharmaceuticals with a Buy rating and a $890 price target, saying the drugmaker’s pipeline potential is being overlooked amid concerns over its key eye drug Eylea.
The bank said investor sentiment toward biotechnology has been weak, with the sector underperforming the S&P 500 since 2016 and funding conditions remaining tight.
But it noted the industry has rebounded from past downturns, including a decade-long slump after the early 2000s tech bubble burst.
Regeneron’s shares have dropped sharply since peaking in August 2024, hurt by slowing Eylea sales due to competition from Roche’s Vabysmo, limited uptake of its high-dose version, and the pending arrival of biosimilars.
Sales and earnings forecasts for 2025 have been cut by 13% and 30% respectively.
The stock also fell 19% in May after mixed data from its chronic obstructive pulmonary disease drug itepekimab. Rothschild called the sell-off overdone, arguing that investors are focusing too heavily on Eylea’s weakness while overlooking the breadth of the company’s development pipeline.
The bank identified 15 experimental drugs it expects could each add at least $500 million in annual sales by 2031, with seven potentially generating $1–2 billion.
It said the market’s tendency to assign no value to unapproved drugs, even on a probability-adjusted basis, understates Regeneron’s prospects.
“Despite recent setbacks, this is about the pipeline more than the marketed portfolio,” Rothschild wrote, echoing comments from Regeneron’s chief executive earlier this year.