Biotech Breakthroughs: Must-Watch Stocks & $10 Gems

The S&P 500 turned positive in a volatile session, shaking off President Donald Trump’s announcement that tariffs on Canada and Mexico would proceed as planned, along with a negative reversal in Nvidia following its earnings report. Banks and defensive stocks led the gains, providing support to the broader market.

As of 11:34 AM ET, the Dow was up 378.33 points, or 0.87106%, at $43811.46. The Nasdaq Composite lost -95.537 points, or -0.45208%, at $21037.383. The S&P 500 rose 4.87 points, or 0.08176546%, at $5960.93. Among the 11 major S&P 500 sectors, 6 showed negative movement, with Utilities leading the way with a 3.76% decrease.

This comes after a series of economic reports, including a softer-than-expected consumer confidence reading, disappointing retail sales numbers, and a weak consumer sentiment index, which have raised concerns about the health of the U.S. economy.

Traders are now focusing on Friday's release of the personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index, the Federal Reserve's preferred inflation gauge, to gain further insights into inflation trends.

Top Movers: Under $10

Urgent.ly Inc (ULY) is up 53.05% today to trade at the current level of $0.64. This comes after the company announced capital structure improvements and secured up to $20 million in new financing.

Red Robin Gourmet Burgers Inc (RRGB) zoomed 31.19% in today’s trade to $5.93 after reporting financial results for the fiscal fourth quarter and year ended December 29, 2024.

In current trading, Stoneridge Inc (SRI) stock is at $5.32 following the release of its fourth quarter and full-year 2024 results.

Marqeta Inc (MQ) rose 22.36% in the early hours of today's trading to move at $4.30 after announcing an agreement with TransactPay under which Marqeta will acquire TransactPay.

In the current trading session, Heron Therapeutics Inc (HRTX) jumped 20.47% to $2.06 over a previous close of $1.71 after announcing financial results for the three and twelve months ended December 31, 2024.

Ex-Dividends Stocks

CSX Corp (CSX) is about to trade ex-dividend tomorrow, meaning that investors who buy the stock after tomorrow will not be eligible for the next dividend payment. The company's next dividend payment will be $0.13 per share. It has fixed February 28 as the record date for the same and will pay the actual dividend on March 14. Last year, the company distributed a total of $0.48 to its shareholders. Based on the last year's worth of payments, CSX has a trailing yield of 1.49% on the current stock price of $32.11.

Shares of Barclays plc ADR (BCS) will be the talk of the stock market on Friday as the stock will turn ex-dividend. The company's next dividend payment will be $0.27 per share, and in the last 12 months, it paid a total of $0.42 per share. Last year's total dividend payments show that BCS has a trailing yield of 2.68% on the current share price of $15.72.

Chemours Company (CC) is also set to go ex-dividend tomorrow. The next dividend payment from CC will amount to $0.25 per share. February 28 has been designated as the record date for this dividend, with the actual payout scheduled for March 14. In the previous year, CC distributed a total of $0.75 to its valued shareholders. Considering the cumulative dividend payments from last year, the trailing yield for CC stands at 4.71% based on the current stock price of $15.93.

Honeywell International Inc (HON) will be paying out a dividend of $1.13 per share to shareholders holding their shares as of the close of the business hours on the record date of February 28. Over the past 12 months, HON has paid out a total of $4.37 per share in dividends. Based on the total dividends paid out last year, HON boasts an impressive trailing yield of 2.04% on the current share price of $213.95.

Crypto Market Highlights

• Global investment firm Sixth Street has invested $200 million in Figure Technology Solutions, a US-based lender utilizing blockchain technology to enhance efficiency and reduce costs in lending.

• Onchain cybersecurity platform Cyvers detected suspicious outflows on February 27 from an address linked to Mask Network founder Suji Yan.

• Japanese Bitcoin treasury firm Metaplanet issued 2 billion Japanese yen in bonds to continue expanding its BTC reserves, following a series of purchases that began in May 2024.

• Troubled cryptocurrency exchange Bybit is preparing for a full operational license in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) after a $1.4 billion hack. 

• Ripple Labs has entered a strategic partnership with BDACS, a South Korean digital asset custody provider, to enhance institutional custody for XRP and Ripple USD.

Most Shorted Stocks

Sharps Technology Inc (STSS) was one of the most shorted stocks as of latest short interest figures, with 70.25% short interest. The days to cover ratio, a measure of how long it would take for all the short positions to be covered based on average trading volume, is 0.3. This represents a change of 471100 shares, which corresponds to a +110.04% increase in short interest. The total value of the shares held short is estimated to be around $0.29 million. The average daily volume stands at 3.40M shares, and the market capitalization of the company is $3.53M.

The B. Riley Financial Inc with the symbol RILY currently has a short interest of 56.41%. The short interest has changed by 280000 shares. The days to cover ratio stands at 6.1. The estimated value of the shares held short is approximately $59.65 million. On an average day, 1.48M shares are traded, with the company's market capitalization totaling $204.63M.

For the stock Moleculin Biotech Inc (MBRX), the current short interest is at 54.59%. This represents a significant short interest change of 2026700 shares, corresponding to a short interest percentage increase of +1,169.47%. The days needed to cover the short positions amount to 0.4. The approximate worth of the shares held short is $2.9 million.

With the symbol LAES, the stock currently has a short interest of 53.62%. The short interest change is 1800000 shares, compared with a short interest percentage change of +14.67%. It would take approximately 0.3 days to cover all the short positions. The shares short value is estimated to be around $6.97 million. The company boasts an average daily volume of 51.40M shares, contributing to a market capitalization of $309.63M.

The stock HEPA has a current short interest of 44.94%. The short interest percentage has experienced an increase of +75.28% while there was a change of 2040000 shares in short interest. The ratio indicating the time required to cover short positions is 0.3. The calculated worth of the shorted shares amounts to around $2.11 million. Trading activity averages at 20.36M shares per day, while the company's market capitalization stands at $1.55M.

Biotech Stocks to Watch

According to our ST Score evaluation, Pulmatrix Inc (PULM) emerges as a high-quality stock in the Biotech industry, attaining an impressive score of 60. The stock's performance, and financial strength are strong. Additionally, it is neutral in terms of profitability, growth, stock sentiment, Piotroski Score, and forecast.

Our ST Score also classifies Precision Biosciences Inc (DTIL) as a high-quality Biotech stock today, presenting a Score of 59. The stock has strong fundamentals in terms of profitability, and financial strength. The performance, growth, stock sentiment, Piotroski Score, and forecast are neutral.

Another stock in the category, Connect Biopharma Holdings Ltd ADR (CNTB) has the ST Score of 58, which means that the stock carries the potential for higher returns. The stock is strong in profitability, and financial strength but weak in performance. Growth, stock sentiment, Piotrowski score, and forecast suggest a neutral outlook.

Genfit ADR (GNFT) stock has the ST Score of 58 which implies that the Biotech company has a high probability of beating the market. The stock's strengths lie in its profitability and performance, but its weaknesses are in its financial strength. However, it shows a neutral outlook in growth, stock sentiment, Piotroski Score, and forecast.

Entrada Therapeutics Inc (TRDA) currently has the ST Score of 58, which signifies a huge upward potential. The Biotech stock's strong point is its profitability, while its weak point is its performance. The stock's growth, financial strength, stock sentiment, Piotroski Score, and forecast indicate a neutral outlook.

That's it for today. Thanks for reading. Good luck out there!

Best Regards,

Stocks Telegraph Team

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