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Brandy Betz

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  • Watch This HCV Player

    By Brandy Betz - May 20, 2013 | Tickers: ABBV, GILD, JNJ

    Johnson and Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) hepatitis C drug simeprevir recently received Priority Review status from the FDA. It was a surprising validation for Johnson's mid-stage project. But there are stronger candidates from Gilead (NASDAQ: GILD) and Abbvie (NYSE: ABBV) further ahead in the pipes.

    Simeprevir does have a trick up its sleeve. The drug could offer near perfect efficacy when used in combo therapies -- if the right company agrees more »

  • Will Obesity Drugs Gain Soon?

    By Brandy Betz - May 14, 2013 | Tickers: ARNA, NVO, OREX, VVUS

    Things are beginning to look slightly up for obesity drugmaker Vivus (NASDAQ: VVUS) -- mere weeks before a competing drug from Arena (NASDAQ: ARNA) hits the market.

    Vivus shares soared nearly 10% last Wednesday despite lackluster first quarter results. That’s because CEO Leland Wilson expressed an interest in finding a big pharma partner for the faltering Qsymia, which had a meager sales of $4.1 million in the quarter and more »

  • Why Did This Biotech Soar?

    By Brandy Betz - May 13, 2013 | Tickers: ELN, GSK, THRX

    Theravance (NASDAQ: THRX) shares soared over 14% early Monday upon news that Elan (NYSE: ELN) will pay $1 billion for a  quartet of development stage respiratory drugs. The payment will give Elan a cut of potential future royalties to the drugs -- most of which Theravance developed with GlaxoSmithKline (NYSE: GSK).

    What does this deal mean for the companies involved -- and is Elan getting its money’s worth?

    COPD breathes easier more »

  • 3 Drug Catalysts to Watch in 2013

    By Brandy Betz - May 9, 2013 | Tickers: MNKD, MRK, PFE, RIGL, SNY

    Pharmaceutical investors: start your engines! We’re into the second quarter of 2013 and some major catalysts lurk right around the corner.

    Merck (NYSE: MRK) has a Food and Drug Administration meeting for a potential first-in-class insomnia treatment. The drug offers a better safety profile than the currently available treatments. MannKind (NASDAQ: MNKD)  returns with additional trial data that has delayed its anticipated diabetes inhalant. And Rigel Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: RIGLmore »)

  • 1 Number Airline Investors Need to Watch

    By Brandy Betz - May 9, 2013 | Tickers: ALGT, DAL, SAVE, UAL

    Informed investing requires in-depth research, but a single metric can often get you started. If you’re considering the high-flying world of airline stocks, there’s a metric that can provide quick comparison between the profitability and efficiency of different airlines.

    Revenue per available seat miles, or RASM, is a valuable tool -- assuming you know how to use it.  Here’s a quick-start guide to the basics -- and the tricks more »

  • 1 Problem This Retailer Can't Shake

    By Brandy Betz - May 7, 2013 | Tickers: JCP, M, MSO, TGT

    J.C. Penney (NYSE: JCP) is riding a rare wave of good news. Shares soared over 11% upon news that George Soros purchased a minority stake. Then came a $1.75 billion loan from Goldman Sachs. And an appeals court ruled in J.C. Penney’s favor regarding a product injunction.

    But will the good wash away the bad? Last month, CEO Ron Johnson was pushed out after 17 months more »

  • Zynga's Most Important Metric

    By Brandy Betz - April 23, 2013 | Tickers: FB, ZNGA

    Beleaguered social gaming giant Zynga (NASDAQ: ZNGA) will report earnings this Wednesday. The company’s filings offer an alphabet soup of metrics that include DAU, MAU, and ABPU. But here’s the low-down on Zynga’s most important metric -- and how it also impacts Facebook (NASDAQ: FB) 

    A quick guide to ABPU

    ABPU stands for average bookings per daily user.

    Bookings are Zynga’s accounting category for in-game purchases. Zynga more »

  • A Retail CEO Deals "Drugs"

    By Brandy Betz - October 19, 2012 | Tickers: AAPL, JCP, KSS

    J.C. Penney (NYSE: JCP) CEO Ron Johnson is dealing "drugs."

    Let me back up a bit. In January, new-CEO Johnson described his turnaround strategy for the musty retail chain. His plans included “stores-in-stores” concepts for brands and a new pricing strategy that focused on everyday values rather than promotional events and coupons. JCP used to hand out coupons like Costco hands out food samples, so the new strategy didn more »

  • Kiddie Tech Stocks to Wrap Before Christmas

    By Brandy Betz - October 16, 2012 | Tickers: ATVI, AMZN, LF

    Furby is back. The talking robotic creature, which terrified a generation of children by speaking in a demonic voice when the battery got low, is back in stores and expected to be a hot seller this holiday season. But the retro owl-hamster-demon thing isn’t the only tech toy aimed at the youngsters this holiday season.  

    Consider these two tech stocks for gift wrapping. The products listed below are less more »

  • Big Boxes Battle for Holiday Shoppers

    By Brandy Betz - October 12, 2012 | Tickers: AAPL, BBY, SHLD, TGT, WMT

    The National Retail Federation is predicting holiday sales growth of 4.1% to $586.1 billion, higher than the 3.5% 10-year average but lower than last year’s 5.6% growth. Big box retailers didn’t have a booming year last holiday season, with a lack of consumer confidence leading to weaker sales. This year, the big boxes are trying to get customers in early….and the plan is more »

  • PC Innovation Won't Pay Off

    By Brandy Betz - October 5, 2012 | Tickers: AMD, MSFT

    Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) is poised to launch its new OS across PCs, tablets and smartphones. The company is hoping that the new products will establish the Microsoft name in the mobile realm, putting it into closer competition with Apple.

    Despite the hoopla, I believe that Windows 8 won’t achieve continued success, like Windows XP or 7, and is bound for the dark, dusty closet where Vista resides. As happened more »

  • Throw the Phones out the Windows

    By Brandy Betz - October 5, 2012 | Tickers: AAPL, MSFT, NOK

    I’ve previously taken Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) to task for breaking what was just fixed in the PC realm. Now it’s on to the Windows Phone 8 project…which is also going to fail, but in its own special ways.

    There will be a wide range of Windows Phone 8 devices coming out from manufacturers including Samsung and Nokia (NYSE: NOK). Many of these devices will be extremely attractive more »

  • Brewing Battle? A Hill of Beans.

    By Brandy Betz - September 29, 2012 | Tickers: GMCR, SBUX, KR | Editor's Choice

    If you’ve paid attention to any business section in the past week, you may have noticed that Starbucks (NASDAQ: SBUX) released its single-cup home espresso system, Verismo. Pun-filled headlines (see above) rolled out, mostly declaring that Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (NASDAQ: GMCR) is doomed thanks to this increased competition. Shares of GMCR, which were trading in the $100 range at this time last year, have fallen over 20% in more »

  • This Dog Won't Hunt

    By Brandy Betz - September 20, 2012 | Tickers: EA, FB, ZNGA

    “That dog won’t hunt.”

    I first learned this phrase from my Kentucky-born grandmother, who used the response when told details for a plan that was clearly not meant to work out. The phrase seemed appropriate when talking about Zynga (NASDAQ: ZNGA), both due to the company’s canine logo and the fact that the past year has raised numerous questions about whether Zynga can succeed.

    At the Zynga Unleashed more »

  • A Pharma Stock That's Good for the Heart

    By Brandy Betz - September 18, 2012 | Tickers: AMRN, AZN, GSK

    Amarin (NASDAQ: AMRN) shares dropped last week on news that its drug Vascepa, a treatment for severely high triglycerides, likely won’t receive an FDA decision on its new chemical entity (NCE) status this month. NCE status, if granted, would give Amarin exclusive marketing rights for five years. This particular approval isn’t vital to Vascepa’s success. It will still have protections from competitors when it hits the market more »

  • Humira and the Dawn of AbbVie

    By Brandy Betz - September 17, 2012 | Tickers: ABT, JNJ, PFE

    An FDA advisory panel met late last month and recommended, with a 15-2 vote, approving Abbott Laboratories' (NYSE: ABT) bid to expand prescription indications for its rheumatoid arthritis drug Humira. The expansion would allow Humira to be prescribed for the treatment of ulcerative colitis, a type of irritable bowel disease that affects the colon and rectum. The FDA, which isn’t required to follow the panel’s advice, will give more »

  • FDA Approval Makes the Price Right for This Pharma Stock

    By Brandy Betz - September 11, 2012 | Tickers: FRX, IRWD, SCMP

    Ironwood Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: IRWD) has scored its first FDA approved drug. The official stamp was recently granted to Linzess (linaclotide), a treatment for specific types of irritable bowel syndrome and chronic constipation. The PDUFA wasn’t expected until September 8 but came in early. Investors ran up IRWD share prices to a peak of nearly $16 in the past few months while waiting for an approval, many of whom got more »

  • 3 Facebook Myths Debunked

    By Brandy Betz - September 10, 2012 | Tickers: FB, GOOG

    Andrew Ross Sorkin, New York Times journalist and author of Too Big to Fail, published a new column last Tuesday pointing the Facebook (NASDAQ: FB) IPO blame at the company’s CFO, David Ebersman. As FB shares continue to hit new lows, investors (and journalists) seem on the hunt for retribution by way of blood sacrifice.   

    It’s widely agreed that Facebook was overvalued at the time of its listing more »

  • What is Pandora's Problem?

    By Brandy Betz - September 7, 2012 | Tickers: NFLX, P

    Pandora (NYSE: P) rose over 20% last week thanks to a second quarter report with a revenue growth of 51%, year-over year, to $101.3 million. Advertising accounted for $89.4 million of that revenue with mobile ads at $59.2 million, an 86% year-over-year growth in an area many web companies are finding difficult to monetize. Yet for all its triumphs, Pandora still put up a net loss of more »

  • Why So Low, Groupon?

    By Brandy Betz - August 21, 2012 | Tickers: FB, GRPN, ZNGA

    Groupon (NASDAQ: GRPN), Facebook (NASDAQ: FB), and Zynga ​(NASDAQ: ZNGA) have been setting, and resetting, new 52-week lows in recent weeks. That mutual plummet has led to the three companies being discussed as a “failing tech stocks” bundle, but one of these things is not like the other.

    GigaOm’s Om Malik argues that Groupon isn’t a tech stock and shouldn’t be treated like one. He has a more »

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