In this article, we discuss the 5 best immunology stocks to invest in. If you want to read about some more immunology stocks, go directly to 10 Best Immunology Stocks to Invest In.
5. Xencor, Inc. (NASDAQ:XNCR)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 16
Xencor, Inc. (NASDAQ:XNCR) is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the discovery and development of engineered monoclonal antibodies and cytokine therapeutics to treat patients with cancer and autoimmune diseases. On November 10, Xencor announced its presentation of data from the first patients in the Phase 2 combination study of vudalimab, a selective PD-1 x CTLA-4 XmAb bispecific antibody, in patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer at the 37th Annual Meeting of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) in Boston.
On December 6, Cowen analyst Boris Peaker initiated coverage of Xencor, Inc. (NASDAQ:XNCR) stock with an Outperform rating without a price target, noting that the company’s partnered programs have the potential to generate revenue of up to $3 billion over the next decade based on milestone and royalty payments.
Among the hedge funds being tracked by Insider Monkey, San Francisco-based investment firm EcoR1 Capital is a leading shareholder in Xencor, Inc. (NASDAQ:XNCR) with 5.3 million shares worth more than $137 million.
4. Celldex Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:CLDX)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 30
Celldex Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:CLDX) is a biopharmaceutical company that engages in developing therapeutic monoclonal and bispecific antibodies for the treatment of various diseases. On December 6, Celldex Therapeutics, Inc announced new data from the company’s open-label Phase 1b clinical trial of barzolvolimab in patients with antihistamine refractory chronic inducible urticaria. Barzolvolimab is a humanized monoclonal antibody.
Among the hedge funds being tracked by Insider Monkey, Boston-based investment firm RA Capital Management is a leading shareholder in Celldex Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:CLDX) with 2 million shares worth more than $58.3 million.
3. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:REGN)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 43
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:REGN) discovers, invents, develops, manufactures, and commercializes medicines for treating various diseases worldwide. On December 1, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals announced new and updated data across its oncology pipeline will be presented at the European Society for Medical Oncology Immuno-Oncology Congress 2022 to be held in early December.
On November 9, Truist analyst Robyn Karnauskas maintained a Buy rating on Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:REGN) stock and raised the price target to $856 from $790, highlighting that greater confidence in the stock reflects expectations that high-dose Eylea and its potential approval/launch in August 2023 may offer a longer tail.
At the end of the third quarter of 2022, 43 hedge funds in the database of Insider Monkey held stakes worth $1.3 billion in Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:REGN), compared to 44 in the preceding quarter worth $1.6 billion.
In its Q3 2022 investor letter, Bronte Capital, an asset management firm, highlighted a few stocks and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:REGN) was one of them. Here is what the fund said:
“There have been some bright spots in our long book. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:REGN), a major position and a stock we wrote up in our June 2021 letter, has been one of the best-performing stocks in the S&P 500 this year. Alas, it has not been enough to offset some of our weaker stocks, let alone our overweight exposure to the UK (and Europe) which have suffered from both stock and currency weakness. We do not think we are bad at picking stocks on the long side and hope – reasonably we think – for better relative results in the future. Before COVID, our longs were markedly better than the index. Unfortunately, if you look at our long book this quarter and since the onset of the COVID pandemic, there is scant evidence that we have added any value by picking stocks to go long.”
2. Biogen Inc. (NASDAQ:BIIB)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 70
Biogen Inc. (NASDAQ:BIIB) discovers, develops, manufactures, and delivers therapies for treating neurological and neurodegenerative diseases. On October 10, Biogen revealed that the first patient has been dosed in the global clinical study, AMETHYST. The Phase 2/3 study will evaluate the clinical efficacy and assess the safety of litifilimab (also known as BIIB059), a first-in-class, humanized IgG1 monoclonal antibody (mAb) targeting blood dendritic cell antigen 2.
On December 1, Atlantic Equities analyst Steve Chesney maintained a Neutral rating on Biogen Inc. (NASDAQ:BIIB) stock and raised the price target to $295 from $220, noting that lecanemab full data presentation, given the consistency of the efficacy and lack of statistical wrinkles in the reported results, has potential.
Among the hedge funds being tracked by Insider Monkey, Stamford-based investment firm Point72 Asset Management is a leading shareholder in Biogen Inc. (NASDAQ:BIIB) with 1.7 million shares worth more than $448 million.
In its Q3 2022 investor letter, ClearBridge Investments, an asset management firm, highlighted a few stocks and Biogen Inc. (NASDAQ:BIIB) was one of them. Here is what the fund said:
“Biogen Inc. (NASDAQ:BIIB) was the leading contributor among several biopharma names, boosted by positive, pivotal clinical data for its next-generation Alzheimer’s treatment Lecanemab. In a pivotal trial, the drug proved safe and efficacious in slowing the progression of Alzheimer’s disease.”
1. Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ)
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 85
Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) researches and develops, manufactures, and sells various products in the healthcare field. On December 5, Johnson & Johnson revealed that it is no longer in the running to acquire Horizon Therapeutics, a rare disease player and immunology disease controller. The firm remains one of the leading immunology firms in the world with revenue from products such as Erleada, Darzalex, Imbruvica, Stelara, Tremfya, Opsumit and Uptravi growing double-digits in the third quarter.
On December 1, Morgan Stanley analyst Terence Flynn maintained an Equal Weight rating on Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) stock and raised the price target to $178 from $170, highlighting that the company is separating its Consumer Health segment into an independent company, to be called Kenvue, in the second half of 2023.
Among the hedge funds being tracked by Insider Monkey, Camas, Washington-based firm Fisher Asset Management is a leading shareholder in Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) with 5.9 million shares worth more than $967.3 million.
In its Q2 2022 investor letter, Mayar Capital, an asset management firm, highlighted a few stocks and Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) was one of them. Here is what the fund said:
“Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:JNJ) is currently our largest position and a long-standing holding. The majority of the group’s sales come from its collection of pharmaceutical franchises, but a large majority (~45%) comes from its collection of medical device businesses and its consumer brands.
Here’s how JNJ make and spends a dollar of revenues: As of 2021, about 55 cents of that dollar comes from its pharmaceutical sales – sales of drugs to pharmacies and distributors – while 30 cents come from the sale of medical devices, such as surgery equipment and orthopaedics. The rest of that dollar in sales comes from sales of JNJ’s consumer brands such as Listerine mouthwash, Nicorette nicotine tablets and Neutrogena cosmetics (…read more)
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