Update-1 8/20…11:15A. Market market is moving into a defensive mode with large cap biopharma showing gains with 1% plus movers: ABBV, AZN,GILD, NVS,REGN, VRTX. .LLY a laggard.SMID caps are weak as you might expect in a risk-off mode with ARKG down over 2% and XBI flattish. QQQ down 1%, and XLK down 1.22%.
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Healthcare Stocks Gain Momentum from Sector Rotation
- United Health “bottom fishers” brings investors to more defensive healthcare stocks.
- Large cap biopharmas show gains as TRUMP’s rhetoric wanes.
- SMID biotechs have good momentum and are the focus for Q4 at venture capital valuations.
As we approach the weakest seasonality for the market, we saw a sector shift last week to large cap healthcare stocks sparked by United Health (UNH) up 21.17% and other providers IHF up 7.6%. The XLV was up 7.65% for the week but is still down 4.44% YTD. So one week does not make a trend but over the past month the leaders with SPDR ETFs are Utilities up 4.93%,14,83% YTD, Industrials are up 3%, 16%YTD, Energy up 2.8% 3.45% YTD, Technology up 3.63% 13.28% YTD. Biotech stocks also rallied last week turning positive for the year with the IBB up 5.09% ,up 4.95% YTD; and the XBI up 6.15% but barely positive up 0.69% YTD. However the XBI is at 6 month highs at $91+ level. The ARKG is currently lagging so if that ETF gets traction momentum should pick up.
Large cap “defensive type” healthcare stocks were also up in early trading: CVS,ELV,JNJ, as well as large cap drugs. TMO is holding gains at $492 after gap up from recent earnings. MEDtech is flattish with the IHI at $62 same as JUNE levels.
Our large cap biopharma picks are doing well despite tariff threats and potential price controls from the TRUMP Administration. Here is the performance of selected large caps: ABBV up 10.89% MTD ,16.31% YTD; GILD up 8.545 MTD, 28.14% YTD, LLY down 9.14% MTD down 9.17% YTD; and VRTX down 15.365 MTD and down 2.46% YTD. We hold all of these stocks and investor shown more exposure should look at Astra Zeneca (AZN ) and Biogen (BIIB).
Updated SMID BIOTECH Trading LIST
Since early 2024 we’ve been trading SMID cap biotech and have developed a model that can be enhanced with an algorithm or AI tools.Here is the latest update on this ‘trading list.” Most of these Small and Mid Cap SMID stocks have been pre-screened for::analyst coverage, cash position and technology the latter being the hardest to assess. Keep in mind that these stocks have a higher risk than large caps because many are without revenue and have a high technology risk at the clinical development stage.
We will offer comments on selected stocks on news or big moves such as GH up 25% MTD and SUPN up 34% MTD Our portfolio is always changing but we currently have good trends or gains from following stocks: : ADPT, CRMD, RNA, COGT, CYRX, GH, RYTM, SUPN. We do not report sales like VIGL which was a huge gain, as well as many other profitable trades.
| COMPANY | TICKER | ||||||||||||||||
| P | P | % | Price | % | % | MCAP | RSI | Trend | P/cash | ||||||||
| P 1/20/23 | Initial | 2/4/23 | 12/24/23 | YTD % | 4/8/24 | % | 8/15/25 | i mo. | YTD | $B | |||||||
| new | |||||||||||||||||
| Absci Corp | ABSI | 1/24 | 2.93 | 0.36 | 0.31 | 0.438 | 49.38 | d | 3.28 | ||||||||
| Adaptive BiioTech | ADPT | 4.11 | 5 | 2.6 | -46.94 | 13.04 | 1.98 | 7.04 | 1.99 | 70.74 | u | 10.04 | |||||
| Apelis Pharma | APLS | NEW | 7/20/25 | 27.75 | 8.4 | -4.16 | 3.5 | 80 | u | 9.43 | |||||||
| Avidity Sciences | RNA | 7/1/24 | 25 | 46.47 | 14.77 | 17.39 | 5.98 | 73.24 | u | 5.05 | |||||||
| Bridge BIO Pharm | BBIO | 11/30/24 | 27 | 51.32 | 4.35 | 23.88 | 9.81 | 68.33 | u | 12.95 | |||||||
| Caris LIFE SCI | CAI | NEW | 8/8/25 | 36.5 | 7.59 | 8.5 | 10.26 | 70.21 | u | 14.23 | |||||||
| CorMedix | CRMD | 3.9 | 5.31 | 41.22 | 12.93 | 1.56 | 4.83 | 0.965 | 60.18 | u | 5.06 | ||||||
| Cognitive Sci | COGT | NEW | 7 | 11.89 | 0.39 | 4.09 | 1.66 | 61.75 | u,f | 6.98 | |||||||
| Crenetics | CRNX | 42.12 | 18.38 | 30.72 | -1.11 | -20.41 | 2.89 | 30.72 | f | 2.42 | |||||||
| Crescent Biopharm | CBIO | NEW | 8/10/25 | 11 | 13.79 | 2.04 | -11.11 | 0.191 | 53.59 | f | 1.26 | ||||||
| CRSPR Therap | CRSP | 49.61 | 55.27 | 63.67 | 56.63 | 53.91 | -13.88 | 59.73 | 7 | 20.37 | 5.43 | 57.22 | d | 3.15 | |||
| Cryoport | CYRX | 21.75 | 25.24 | 16.09 | -7.26 | 16.38 | 5.75 | 8.61 | 1.28 | 0.83 | 0.431 | 58.03 | u | 1.01 | |||
| Cytokinetics | CYTK | 31 | 65.34 | -21.74 | 38.67 | 0.66 | -8.37 | 4.63 | 61.32 | f | 5.38 | ||||||
| Denali | DNLI | 22 | 19.21 | -9 | 14.7 | 0.53 | -5.68 | 2.15 | 55.1 | f | 2.3 | ||||||
| Exelixis | EXEL | 22.25 | 23.75 | -1.21 | 38.31 | -5.75 | 5.01 | 10.31 | 41.08 | f | 13.04 | ||||||
| Eyepoint | EYPT | 7.13 | 3/6 | new | 11.09 | 1.25 | 3.64 | 0.764 | 61.85 | u | 2.99 | ||||||
| Guardent Health | GH | 11/6 | 25 | 58.88 | 10.79 | 28.33 | 7.34 | 70.04 | u | 11.67 | |||||||
| Ilumina | ILMN | 10/4/24 | 143 | 100.11 | 2.96 | -33.52 | 15.39 | 53 | u | 13.32 | |||||||
| Immunovant | IMVT | NEW | 8/13/25 | 15.89 | 15.22 | -2.27 | -9.55 | 2.65 | 41.11 | f,d | 4.43 | ||||||
| Natera | NTRA | 60 | 91.66 | 46.33 | 163.02 | 13.17 | 4.72 | 22.37 | 65.29 | u | 22 | ||||||
| Pacific Biosci | PACB | 11.29 | 55.68 | 11.58 | 8.59 | 5 | 1.1 | -85 | 1.31 | -0.13 | -0.52 | 0.393 | 47 | f,d | 1.25 | ||
| Personalis | PSNL | NEW | 8/10/25 | 4.55 | 4.6 | -1.71 | -1.18 | 0.407 | 35 | d | 2.35 | ||||||
| Protagonist Thera | PTGX | 12/12 | 41 | 56.07 | 0.75 | 17.47 | 3.49 | 57.39 | f | 6.11 | |||||||
| Quidel-Ortho | QDEL | 9/16/24 | 44 | 25.93 | -2.02 | -18.62 | 1.76 | 50 | d | 11.61 | |||||||
| Rhythm Pharma | RYTM | 4/9/25 | 52 | 97.61 | 8.25 | 41.63 | 6.48 | 73.48 | u | 22.38 | |||||||
| Solid Biosci | SLDB | 3/6/25 | 6.11 | 0.72 | 2.11 | 0.475 | 49.25 | d | 1.77 | ||||||||
| Schrodinger | SDGR | NEW | 8/13/25 | 19.38 | -1 | 0.085 | 1.43 | 41.15 | d | 3.09 | |||||||
| Supernus | SUPN | 40.3 | 12.3 | 41.61 | 29.23 | -18.05 | 31 | 3.9 | 42.69 | 9.18 | 6.53 | 2.39 | 76.01 | u | 4.58 | ||
| Tempest AI | TEM | 7/10/24 | 52 | 73.78 | 17.89 | 40.02 | 12.82 | 69.43 | u | 44 | |||||||
| Twist Biosci | TWST | 18 | 3.76 | 34.03 | 31.54 | -14.53 | 28.12 | -8.25 | -18.35 | 1.7 | 37.93 | d | 6.77 | ||||
| Vericel | VCEL | 31 | 34.75 | 31.93 | 46.05 | 29.32 | 36.28 | -0.82 | -18.63 | 1.83 | 44.74 | d,f | 15.66 | ||||
| Veracyte | VCYT | 30.22 | 4.98 | -9.38 | 2.38 | 67.15 | u | 7.41 | |||||||||
| Wave | WVE | 9.76 | 2.05 | -2.61 | 1.55 | 72.03 | u | 7.45 | |||||||||
| Xencor | XNCR | 9 | 7.68 | -0.76 | -15.3 | 0.547 | 41.83 | d | 1.23 | ||||||||
| ArkGenomics | ARKG | 35.28 | 32.81 | 16.22 | 23.18 | -29.35 | 25.24 | 0.91 | 1.69 | n/a | 57.31 | u,f | |||||
| iShares BIO | IBB | 133.77 | -1.89 | 135.21 | -2.48 | 138.76 | 9.71 | 6.55 | 8.83 | 67.05 | u | ||||||
| SPDR Biotech | XBI | 90.39 | 87.62 | 5.57 | 83.49 | -6.51 | 90.68 | 4.77 | 0.62 | 4.12 | 67.28 | u |