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Aeterna Zentaris (AEZS) Gains As Market Dips: What You Should Know

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Aeterna Zentaris closed the most recent trading day at $2.90, moving +1.75% from the previous trading session. The stock outpaced the S&P 500's daily loss of 2.08%. Elsewhere, the Dow lost 2.11%, while the tech-heavy Nasdaq lost 2.27%.

Heading into today, shares of the drug developer had gained 12.2% over the past month, outpacing the Medical sector's loss of 1.48% and the S&P 500's loss of 3.6% in that time.

Investors will be hoping for strength from AEZS as it approaches its next earnings release, which is expected to be March 27, 2019. The company is expected to report EPS of -$0.13, up 45.83% from the prior-year quarter. Meanwhile, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for revenue is projecting net sales of $1.21 million, up 572.22% from the year-ago period.

AEZS's full-year Zacks Consensus Estimates are calling for earnings of $0.44 per share and revenue of $26.70 million. These results would represent year-over-year changes of +132.59% and +2792.77%, respectively.

Investors might also notice recent changes to analyst estimates for AEZS. Recent revisions tend to reflect the latest near-term business trends. As such, positive estimate revisions reflect analyst optimism about the company's business and profitability.

Our research shows that these estimate changes are directly correlated with near-term stock prices. Investors can capitalize on this by using the Zacks Rank. This model considers these estimate changes and provides a simple, actionable rating system.

The Zacks Rank system ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell). It has a remarkable, outside-audited track record of success, with #1 stocks delivering an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the past month, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate has moved 780% higher. AEZS is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

Investors should also note AEZS's current valuation metrics, including its Forward P/E ratio of 6.48. This represents a discount compared to its industry's average Forward P/E of 21.68.

The Medical - Biomedical and Genetics industry is part of the Medical sector. This industry currently has a Zacks Industry Rank of 63, which puts it in the top 25% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank includes is listed in order from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

To follow AEZS in the coming trading sessions, be sure to utilize Zacks.com.

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