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Is a Beat in Store for BioNTech (BNTX) This Earnings Season?

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We expect BioNTech SE (BNTX - Free Report) to surpass expectations when it reports first-quarter 2021 results.

The company’s surprise record has been mixed so far as its bottom line beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate in two of the trailing four quarters and lagged the same on the other two occasions, the average beat being 68.17%. In the last-reported quarter, BioNTech delivered an earnings surprise of 428.07%.

Shares of BioNTech have skyrocketed 131% so far this year against the industry’s decrease of 2%.

price chart for BNTX


Let’s see how things are shaping up for the quarter to be reported.

Factors at Play

BioNTech and partner Pfizer’s (PFE - Free Report) two-shot COVID-19 vaccine, BNT162b2, is now approved for emergency/temporary use in several countries. Vaccine rollouts are in full swing as millions of doses have already been supplied to various countries across the globe. A key contributor to BioNTech’s sales in the first quarter of 2021 should be BNT162b2.

BioNTech, along with its collaboration partners, has supplied more than 200 million doses of BNT162b2 worldwide, as of March 23, 2021. The company and Pfizer have signed orders to provide 1.4 billion doses of BNT162b2 for delivery in 2021.

In April 2021, BioNTech/Pfizer agreed to supply an additional 100 million doses of their COVID-19 vaccine, Comirnaty, to the 27 European Union member states, bringing the total tally to 600 million doses, all of which are expected to be delivered by the end of 2021.

Meanwhile, BioNTech/Pfizer have requested amendments to the Emergency Use Authorization for BNT162b2 to expand its use in adolescents of 12 to 15 years of age. Investors will be keen to get an update on the same at the upcoming earnings call.

Also, BioNTech has a collaboration with Fosun Pharma for BNT162b2 in China. Collaboration revenues are expected to have increased in the to-be-reported quarter from the prior-year period’s reported number following the above-mentioned partnerships.

This apart, BioNTech’s pipeline boasts of several candidates, such as BNT111, the company’s mRNA-based FixVac cancer vaccine program, and BNT113, BNT122 and BNT311, to name a few which are in early- to mid-stage studies for addressing various oncological indications. An update on the above-mentioned programs is expected during the upcoming earnings call.

The study and developmental activities related to the company’s pipeline candidates are likely to have escalated its operating expenses in the to-be-reported quarter.

Why a Likely Positive Surprise?

Our proven model predicts an earnings beat for BioNTech this season. The combination of a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy), 2 (Buy) or 3 (Hold) increases the odds of an earnings beat. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before they're reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

Earnings ESP: BioNTech has an Earnings ESP of +22.76% as the Zacks Consensus Estimate stands at $3.44 per share while the Most Accurate Estimate is pegged at $4.22 per share.

Zacks Rank: BioNTech has a Zacks Rank #3.

Other Stocks to Consider

Here are some other drug/biotech stocks that have the right combination of elements to beat on earnings this time around:

Axsome Therapeutics, Inc. (AXSM - Free Report) with an Earnings ESP of +23.83% and a Zacks Rank #3. The company is scheduled to report earnings on May 10.

Milestone Pharmaceuticals Inc. (MIST - Free Report) has an Earnings ESP of +19.21% and a Zacks Rank #2. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

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