For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL - February 17, 2012 - Zacks.com announces the list
of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity
Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting
stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the
blog include
Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc.
(
VRX
),
Pfizer, Inc
. (
PFE
),
ISTA Pharmaceuticals
(
ISTA
),
Johnson & Johnson
(
JNJ
) and
Sanofi
(
SNY
).
Get the most recent insight from Zacks Equity Research with the
free Profit from the Pros newsletter:
http://at.zacks.com/?id=5513
Here are highlights from Thursday's Analyst
Blog:
Valeant Pharma to Buy Eyetech
Canadian pharmaceuticals company
Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Inc.
(
VRX
) recently announced that it has entered into a definitive
agreement to acquire private eye care company, Eyetech, Inc.,
signaling management's increasing interest to enter into the
ophthalmic space. The acquisition will add Eyetech's drug Macugen
to Valeant Pharma's ophthalmic portfolio.
Macugen is marketed in the US for the treatment of wet
age-related macular degeneration (
AMD
) by Eyetech. However, Eyetech has a partnership pharma giant
Pfizer, Inc
. (
PFE
) to market the drug outside the US. The acquisition is expected to
boost Valeant Pharma's earnings immediately following closure.
Valeant Pharma did not clearly mention the purchase price of the
transaction. Management, however, mentioned that in addition to an
undisclosed upfront payment, Valeant Pharma will make future
milestone payments which will equal to less than two times sales of
Macugen.
The Eyetech offer comes on the heels of the failure to acquire
another eye-care company, California-based
ISTA Pharmaceuticals
(
ISTA
) in January 2012. Despite some botched deals Valeant Pharma made a
number of acquisitions in 2011. It added PharmaSwiss and Sanitas in
Europe, Ortho, a dermatology unit of pharma giant
Johnson & Johnson
(
JNJ
), Dermik, the dermatology unit of
Sanofi
(
SNY
) in the US, iNova in Australia, and Afexa Life Sciences, Inc. in
Canada.
The acquisitions are expected to help Valeant Pharma achieve its
aim of becoming a top 15 pharmaceutical company by the end of 2013.
In 2012 Valeant Pharma flagged off its acquisition spree with the
purchase of Brazilian sports nutrition and food supplements company
Probiotica Laboratorios Ltd. in February.
Our Recommendation
We currently have a Neutral long-term recommendation on Valeant
Pharma. The stock carries a Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy rating) in
the short run.
Valeant Pharma, as it stands today, was formed following the
merger of Biovail and Valeant in September 2010. We believe
the combined Biovail/Valeant entity is a unique company as it has a
global reach (including exposure to important emerging markets), a
diversified revenue base, a favorable tax structure and limited
patent exposure. Moreover, accretive acquisitions add to the
company's investment thesis.
Want more from Zacks Equity Research? Subscribe to the free
Profit from the Pros newsletter:
http://at.zacks.com/?id=5515
.
About Zacks Equity Research
Zacks Equity Research provides the best of quantitative and
qualitative analysis to help investors know what stocks to buy and
which to sell for the long-term.
Continuous coverage is provided for a universe of 1,150 publicly
traded stocks. Our analysts are organized by industry which gives
them keen insights to developments that affect company profits and
stock performance. Recommendations and target prices are six-month
time horizons.
Zacks "Profit from the Pros" e-mail newsletter provides
highlights of the latest analysis from Zacks Equity Research.
Subscribe to this free newsletter today:
http://at.zacks.com/?id=5517
About Zacks
Zacks.com is a property of Zacks Investment Research, Inc.,
which was formed in 1978 by Leon Zacks. As a PhD from MIT Len knew
he could find patterns in stock market data that would lead to
superior investment results. Amongst his many accomplishments was
the formation of his proprietary stock picking system; the Zacks
Rank, which continues to outperform the market by nearly a 3 to 1
margin. The best way to unlock the profitable stock recommendations
and market insights of Zacks Investment Research is through our
free daily email newsletter; Profit from the Pros. In short, it's
your steady flow of Profitable ideas GUARANTEED to be worth your
time! Register for your free subscription to Profit from the Pros
at
http://at.zacks.com/?id=5518
.
Visit
http://www.zacks.com/performance
for information about the performance numbers displayed in this
press release.
Follow us on Twitter:
http://twitter.com/zacksresearch
Join us on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/pages/Zacks-Investment-Research/57553657748?ref=ts
Disclaimer: Past performance does not guarantee future results.
Investors should always research companies and securities before
making any investments. Nothing herein should be construed as an
offer or solicitation to buy or sell any security.
Media Contact
Zacks Investment Research
800-767-3771 ext. 9339
support@zacks.com
http://www.zacks.com
ISTA PHARMA INC (
ISTA
): Free Stock Analysis Report
JOHNSON & JOHNS (
JNJ
): Free Stock Analysis Report
PFIZER INC (
PFE
): Free Stock Analysis Report
SANOFI-AVENTIS (
SNY
): Free Stock Analysis Report
To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
Zacks Investment
Research