We recently published a list of 8 Best Small-Cap Growth Stocks to Buy According to Analysts. In this article, we are going to take a look at where Arvinas, Inc. (NASDAQ:ARVN) stands against other best small-cap stocks to buy according to analysts.
How Did The Small Cap Stocks Perform During the Third Quarter of 2024?
During the third quarter of 2024, small-cap stocks represented by the Russell 2000 Index made a strong comeback after a somewhat disappointing second quarter. The Russell 2000 Index improved by 9.3%, surpassing the 6.1% growth of the large-cap Russell 1000 index and the 4.2% growth of the mega-cap Russell Top 50 index.
This rebound indicates that smaller companies are performing well relative to their larger counterparts. Additionally, other indexes within the Russell Index also showed positive results, for instance, the Russell Microcap Index went up by 8.3%, and the Russell Midcap Index increased by 9.2%. The graph for the third quarter represented a caret shape suggesting consistent upward movement across various market segments.
Read Also: 7 Best Nano Cap Stocks To Invest In and 10 High Growth Non-Tech Stocks That Are Profitable in 2024.
Francis Gannon, Co-Chief Investment Officer, and Managing Director of Royce Investment Partners shared his insights on small-cap stocks in an article published on October 1. He pointed out that the quarter was filled with great news for the market with the 50 basis point cut along with an indication of at least one more cut before year-end being the biggest news from an investment point of view. He further mentioned that inflation and unemployment data were also favorable with GDP inching upwards. However, regardless of the potential in the market, small-cap stocks are faced with a long road ahead as large-cap stocks held a market-leading position for almost the first nine months of the year.
Gannon thinks various factors could potentially support small-cap stocks to gain and sustain market leading position. While discussing the performance of various sectors within the small-cap (Russell 2000 Index), he mentioned that during the third quarter, undervalued value stocks performed well, with the Russell 2000 Value Index rising by 10.2%. This strong performance in value stocks was largely driven by the Financials sector, particularly banks, which make up a significant portion of the index. Gannon mentioned that many sectors other than Financials contributed to the growth, with Energy being the only one that did not perform well.
Moreover, while talking about how growth and value stocks have performed during the first 9 months of the year, Gannon pointed out value stocks still lag behind growth stocks, with the Russell 2000 Value Index up 9.2% compared to 13.2% for growth stocks. However, the gap between the two narrowed by the end of September, and Gannon believes that a growing economy will continue to support value stocks in the upcoming months.
The Bull Case For Small Cap Stocks
Francis Gannon also presented his bullish sentiment for small-cap stocks by analyzing historic trends. He believes that with the United States economy still growing and interest rates becoming more normal could be beneficial for small-cap companies. Gannon bases his bullish thesis on three historical pieces of evidence. He mentioned that it is not common for the Russell 2000 to have a monthly return of over 10%. This has only happened 22 times since the index started in 1978. However, when returns have been above 10%, small-cap stocks tend to perform very well in the following months. Secondly, historically speaking when the Fed lowered interest rates small-cap stocks tended to outperform large-cap stocks in the months following the rate cut. Gannon pointed out that this trend has been observed since at least 1957.
Thirdly, small-cap stocks have underperformed for a while, however, after periods of low returns, particularly when annual returns go lower than 3% small-cap stocks usually bounce back with better-than-average returns.
In addition to Francis Gannon’s analysis regarding small-cap stocks, we have also covered Brent Schutte’s analysis in 8 High Growth Penny Stocks That Are Profitable in 2024. Brent Schutte is the Chief Investment Officer of Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company. Here is a piece from the article:
“Brent Schutte, Chief Investment Officer of Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company joined CNBC to discuss how small caps offer more value. Schutte mentioned the 1999 and 2000 markets which were very similar to the current market. During that time the market became very narrow, he thinks that the current market is barely holding up. To explain his point he mentioned the manufacturing market and the lower and middle income consumers have been harmed by the interest rate hike over the past years. Schutte does not see the Fed being able to alleviate the suffering market and what consumers have been through and believes that how the economy will perform in the future remains an unanswered question.
For investors who are more interested in returns over a 3 to 5-year period, small-cap stocks regardless of a soft landing or not, offer value as these stocks are priced for recessions. On days when interest rates rise, large-cap stocks, particularly those in the S&P 500, tend to perform better while small-cap stocks often decline. However, Schutte argued that there is a debate about how much of the current economic situation is already reflected in stock prices. He thinks optimism is a contrarian indicator, meaning when many believe stocks will rise, it could signal a downturn. He suggests that as investors the strategy of investment should be towards undervalued stocks where optimism is low, suggesting that this approach may yield better returns as conditions change and currently small caps are undervalued indicating better returns.”
Our Methodology
To compile the list of 8 best small-cap growth stocks to buy according to analysts we used the Finviz stock screener and CNN. Using the screener we shortlisted growth stocks with a market capitalization between $500 million and $2 billion. Once we had the list of small cap growth stocks we then checked the analyst upside potential for each stock sourced from CNN and ranked them in ascending order of the upside potential. Please note that the data was recorded on October 19, 2024. Moreover, we have also mentioned the number of hedge funds holding each stock sourced from Insider Monkey’s Q2 2024 database.
Why do we care about what hedge funds do? The reason is simple: our research has shown that we can outperform the market by imitating the top stock picks of the best hedge funds. Our quarterly newsletter’s strategy selects 14 small-cap and large-cap stocks every quarter and has returned 275% since May 2014, beating its benchmark by 150 percentage points (see more details here).
A biopharma executive in a meeting room discussing the clinical-stage of a new therapy.
Arvinas, Inc. (NASDAQ:ARVN)
Market Capitalization: $1.86 Billion
Number of Hedge Fund Holders: 33
Analyst Upside Potential: 126.35%
Arvinas, Inc. (NASDAQ:ARVN) is another clinical-stage biotechnology company that ranks 2nd on our list of 8 best small-cap growth stocks to buy according to analysts. The stock was held by 33 hedge funds in Q2 2024, with total positions worth $542.04 million, as per Insider Monkey’s database. Moreover, analysts’ 12-month median price target is pointing towards a 126.35% upside from the current levels indicating significant growth.
Arvinas, Inc. (NASDAQ:ARVN) is developing treatments for patients with life-threatening diseases including cancer and neurodegenerative disorders. It uses a specialized platform called, which is designed to utilize the body’s natural system for breaking down proteins. A few treatments currently under treatment include Vepdegestrant, aimed at curing certain types of breast cancer, ARV-766 for prostate cancer, and ARV-102 aimed at treating neurodegenerative disorders.
During the second quarter of fiscal 2024, the company revealed that Vepdegestrant has completed enrollment in the lead-in portion of the VERITAC-3 Phase 3 Trial. Moreover, global enrollment is ongoing in several trials including the VERITAC-2 Phase 3 for which top-line results are expected in Q4 of fiscal 2024.
The company also received $150 million from a licensing agreement with Novartis for ARV-766 and the sale of its preclinical AR-V7 program. Management believes this deal could yield up to an additional $1.01 billion based on future milestones and royalties.
CEO John Houston believes that the upcoming readout of the VERITAC-2 trial is a pivotal moment for the company as it can potentially support its first new drug application filing if results are positive. Management aims to transition towards its commercial stage in the years to come. Cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash, and marketable securities were $1.23 billion as of June 30, which should be enough to cover the operational requirements till 2027, management noted.
Overall, ARVN ranks 2nd on our list of best small-cap stocks to buy according to analysts. While we acknowledge the potential of ARVN to grow, our conviction lies in the belief that AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter timeframe. If you are looking for a promising AI stock that trades at less than 5 times its earnings, check out our report about the cheapest AI stock.
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Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.