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Is it a Good Idea to Invest in Beam Therapeutics Stock Now?

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Beam Therapeutics (BEAM - Free Report) is developing its lead pipeline candidate, BEAM-101, a base-editing therapy, in the phase I/II BEACON study for treating sickle cell disease (SCD), an inherited blood disorder.

BEAM’s pipeline of gene editing therapies is based on its proprietary base editing technology.

The company believes that its innovative next-generation technology called base-editing technology can provide a superior way to modify genes and could open up entirely new applications in gene editing, targeting a wide range of severe diseases. It can also make more precise single-base changes at specific locations in genes, resulting in predictable edits in all cells, without needing to damage or make double-stranded breaks in the DNA.

Good Rank & Rising Estimates for BEAM

Beam Therapeutics currently has a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). In the past 60 days, estimates for BEAM’s 2025 loss per share have narrowed from $4.62 to $4.32.

In the past year, shares of Beam Therapeutics have risen 5.5% against the industry’s decline of 12.5%.

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Successful Development of Pipeline Candidates Holds the Key for BEAM

Last month, the company announced new safety and efficacy data from the BEACON study evaluating BEAM-101 in SCD patients with severe vaso-occlusive crises.

Initial data from the BEACON study supported the potential for meaningful clinical differentiation of BEAM-101 as compared to currently available treatments for SCD. The data showed that treatment with BEAM-101 led to a robust and durable increase in fetal hemoglobin of more than 60% and a reduction in sickle hemoglobin to less than 40%.

Treatment with BEAM-101 also demonstrated rapid neutrophil and platelet engraftment and normalized or improved markers of hemolysis in the given patient population.

Besides BEAM-101, BEAM is also expanding its genetic disease pipeline by developing BEAM-301 and BEAM-302 for treating glycogen storage disease type 1a (GSD1a) and alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD), respectively.

Patient dosing in the phase I/II study evaluating BEAM-301 for treating GSD1a is expected to begin shortly.

The company is developing BEAM-302 in a phase I/II dose-escalation study for treating AATD. Initial data from multiple cohorts of the study are expected in the first half of 2025.

Each of these programs is expected to have important catalysts during 2025.

Beam Therapeutics ended 2024 on a high. Positive regulatory updates and the successful development of its hematology and liver genetic disease programs should help the stock gain further in 2025.

Other Stocks to Consider

Some other top-ranked stocks in the biotech sector are Voyager Therapeutics, Inc. (VYGR - Free Report) , Harmony Biosciences Holdings, Inc. (HRMY - Free Report) and Castle Biosciences, Inc. (CSTL - Free Report) , each sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

In the past 60 days, estimates for Voyager Therapeutics’ loss per share have narrowed from $1.72 to $1.58 for 2025. In the past year, shares of VYGR have plunged 27.3%.

VYGR’s earnings beat estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 120.87%.

In the past 60 days, estimates for Harmony Biosciences’ earnings per share have increased from $2.64 to $3.22 for 2025. In the past year, shares of HRMY have rallied 22.5%.

HRMY’s earnings beat estimates in three of the trailing four quarters while missing the same on the remaining occasion, the average surprise being 147.24%.

In the past 60 days, estimates for Castle Biosciences’ loss per share have narrowed from $1.88 to $1.70 for 2025. In the past year, shares of CSTL have surged 28.4%.

CSTL’s earnings beat estimates in each of the trailing four quarters, the average surprise being 172.72%.

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