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What's in the Cards for Merrimack (MACK) in Q4 Earnings?
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Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (MACK - Free Report) is expected to report fourth-quarter 2017 results on Mar 7. Last quarter, Merrimack beat bottom-line expectations by 78.72%.
Merrimack’s shares have tumbled 63.3% over a year compared with the industry’s decline of 2.1%.
Let’s see how things are shaping up for the company this quarter.
Factors to Consider
Merrimack divested its only marketed product, Onivyde, in April 2017, to Ipsen due to a disappointing launch and subsequent unimpressive sales. The company received $575 million in cash from the asset sale.
Merrimack is also entitled to receive up to $450 million in additional regulatory approval-based milestone payments as part of the deal.
The company lowered debt and invested in the development of its oncology pipeline.1
Merrimack is now focused on the development of three pipeline candidates — MM-121/seribantumab, MM-141/istiratumab and MM-310 (solid tumor).
MM-141 is currently being evaluated in a phase II study, CARRIE, for metastatic pancreatic cancer, which completed enrollment in June 2017. The company expects to report data in the first half of 2018. Moreover, MM-121 is currently being evaluated in a phase II study, SHERLOC in advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients who are heregulin positive. Top-line data is expected in the second half of 2018.
Merrimack initiated another phase II study during the quarter, SHERBOC, to evaluate MM-121 in breast cancer.
In October 2017, the FDA granted orphan drug designation to MM-121 for NSCLC study.
The company may issue a preliminary update related to the studies during the fourth-quarter earnings call.
Surprise History
Merrimack’s track record has been dismal so far. The company missed estimates in three of the trailing four quarters while beating in one. Merrimack has a four-quarter average negative earnings surprise of 51.59%.
Earnings Whispers
Our proven model does not conclusively show that Merrimack is likely to beat estimates this quarter. This is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) to be able to beat estimates. But that is not the case here, as you will see below.
Zacks ESP: Earnings ESP, which represents the difference between the Most Accurate estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate, is 0.00%. This is because both the Most Accurate estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate are pegged at a loss of 28 cents. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.
Zacks Rank: Although Merrimack’s Zacks Rank #3 increases the predictive power of ESP, its 0.00% ESP makes surprise prediction difficult.
Note that we caution against stocks with a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) or 5 (Strong Sell) going into an earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions.
Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise
Here are a couple of health care stocks that you may want to consider, as our model shows that it has the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter.
Puma Biotechnology (PBYI - Free Report) is scheduled to release fourth quarter results on Mar 1. The company has an Earnings ESP of +2.02% and a Zacks Rank #3.
Atara Biotherapeutics (ATRA - Free Report) is expected to release fourth quarter results on Mar 8. The company has an Earnings ESP of +7.42% and a Zacks Rank #3.
Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2018
In addition to the stocks discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 finest buy-and-hold tickers for the entirety of 2018?
Last year's 2017 Zacks Top 10 Stocks portfolio produced double-digit winners, including FMC Corp. and VMware which racked up stellar gains of +67.9% and +61%. Now a brand-new portfolio has been handpicked from over 4,000 companies covered by the Zacks Rank. Don’t miss your chance to get in on these long-term buys.
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What's in the Cards for Merrimack (MACK) in Q4 Earnings?
Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (MACK - Free Report) is expected to report fourth-quarter 2017 results on Mar 7. Last quarter, Merrimack beat bottom-line expectations by 78.72%.
Merrimack’s shares have tumbled 63.3% over a year compared with the industry’s decline of 2.1%.
Let’s see how things are shaping up for the company this quarter.
Factors to Consider
Merrimack divested its only marketed product, Onivyde, in April 2017, to Ipsen due to a disappointing launch and subsequent unimpressive sales. The company received $575 million in cash from the asset sale.
Merrimack is also entitled to receive up to $450 million in additional regulatory approval-based milestone payments as part of the deal.
The company lowered debt and invested in the development of its oncology pipeline.1
Merrimack is now focused on the development of three pipeline candidates — MM-121/seribantumab, MM-141/istiratumab and MM-310 (solid tumor).
MM-141 is currently being evaluated in a phase II study, CARRIE, for metastatic pancreatic cancer, which completed enrollment in June 2017. The company expects to report data in the first half of 2018. Moreover, MM-121 is currently being evaluated in a phase II study, SHERLOC in advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients who are heregulin positive. Top-line data is expected in the second half of 2018.
Merrimack initiated another phase II study during the quarter, SHERBOC, to evaluate MM-121 in breast cancer.
In October 2017, the FDA granted orphan drug designation to MM-121 for NSCLC study.
The company may issue a preliminary update related to the studies during the fourth-quarter earnings call.
Surprise History
Merrimack’s track record has been dismal so far. The company missed estimates in three of the trailing four quarters while beating in one. Merrimack has a four-quarter average negative earnings surprise of 51.59%.
Earnings Whispers
Our proven model does not conclusively show that Merrimack is likely to beat estimates this quarter. This is because a stock needs to have both a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) to be able to beat estimates. But that is not the case here, as you will see below.
Zacks ESP: Earnings ESP, which represents the difference between the Most Accurate estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate, is 0.00%. This is because both the Most Accurate estimate and the Zacks Consensus Estimate are pegged at a loss of 28 cents. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they’re reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.
Zacks Rank: Although Merrimack’s Zacks Rank #3 increases the predictive power of ESP, its 0.00% ESP makes surprise prediction difficult.
Note that we caution against stocks with a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) or 5 (Strong Sell) going into an earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions.
Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise
Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise | Merrimack Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Quote
Stocks That Warrant a Look
Here are a couple of health care stocks that you may want to consider, as our model shows that it has the right combination of elements to post an earnings beat this quarter.
Gemphire Therapeutics is expected to release fourth quarter results on Mar 21. The company has an Earnings ESP of +6.62% and a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.
Puma Biotechnology (PBYI - Free Report) is scheduled to release fourth quarter results on Mar 1. The company has an Earnings ESP of +2.02% and a Zacks Rank #3.
Atara Biotherapeutics (ATRA - Free Report) is expected to release fourth quarter results on Mar 8. The company has an Earnings ESP of +7.42% and a Zacks Rank #3.
Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2018
In addition to the stocks discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 finest buy-and-hold tickers for the entirety of 2018?
Last year's 2017 Zacks Top 10 Stocks portfolio produced double-digit winners, including FMC Corp. and VMware which racked up stellar gains of +67.9% and +61%. Now a brand-new portfolio has been handpicked from over 4,000 companies covered by the Zacks Rank. Don’t miss your chance to get in on these long-term buys.
Access Zacks Top 10 Stocks for 2018 today >>