Investors looking for growth stocks that can make dramatic moves to the upside will find a couple of interesting options in the healthcare sector.
CRISPR Therapeutics(NASDAQ: CRSP) and Ginkgo Bioworks(NYSE: DNA) have lost some ground in recent weeks, but they could bounce right back according to consensus price targets from investment bank analysts on Wall Street.
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Price targets for these growth stocks imply big gains up ahead but investors should understand that the analysts who set those targets will simply adjust them downward if things don't work out. Here's what you should know about these stocks before you put any of your hard-earned money on the line.
CRISPR Therapeutics
Shares of CRISPR Therapeutics are down about 37% from the peak they set this summer. Investment bank analysts who follow the clinical-stage biotechnology company think it can pop back up, The consensus price target on the stock suggests it can climb 102% over the next 12 months or so.
CRISPR Therapeutics doesn't have a recurring source of revenue yet, but this could change by the end of the year. The stock climbed in June, when the company and its collaboration partner, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, told investors that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) accepted applications for its lead candidate, called exa-cel, to treat two hemoglobin-related disorders.
Exa-cel alters stem cells to promote the production of fetal hemoglobin. On or before Dec. 8, the agency is expected to issue an approval decision regarding sickle cell disease. A decision regarding the treatment of transfusion-dependent beta-thalassemia is scheduled for next March.
While there's a chance that this stock can double, investors should know the risks are high. Positive approval decisions could drive shares of CRISPR Therapeutics to new heights, but sales of this treatment alone probably won't be enough to achieve profitability. Sickle cell disease and beta-thalassemia are rare disorders, and exa-cel is intended to be a one-shot cure.
Price targets on the stock are high because analysts anticipate success from exa-cel plus additional treatments rolling through the company's pipeline. If your tolerance for risk isn't sky-high, it's probably best to avoid this one until its business has a chance to mature.
Ginkgo Bioworks
Shares of Ginkgo Bioworks are down around 36% from the peak they reached this summer. Analysts up and down Wall Street expect a huge comeback. The consensus price target on the stock suggests it can gain 148% in the year ahead.
Ginkgo Bioworks is a synthetic biology company that third-party manufacturers hire to create custom microorganisms. For example, Braskem a chemicals company hired it to engineer a new strain of bacteria that eagerly consumes xylose in the presence of glucose, the sugar it prefers naturally. Now, that string of bacteria is used to produce ethylene glycol from leftover sugar cane pulp.
Ginkgo Bioworks also boasts an active biosecurity segment. In September, Texas A&M University and Ginkgo earned a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to monitor the state's whitetail deer population for the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ginkgo's microorganism foundry added 21 new programs during the three months ended June 30, and cell engineering services revenue rose 72% year over year. Unfortunately, total cell engineering revenue rose just 2% year over year.
While Ginkgo snagged a nice contract to monitor deer in Texas, overall COVID-19-related testing demand is way down. As a result, biosecurity revenue fell off a cliff and total revenue plunged. This is especially troubling because the company is still burning through cash like a business in a high-growth phase. Operations lost $184 million in the second quarter and $400 million in the first half of the year.
Ginkgo Bioworks is one of several synthetic biology companies, and chronic losses are a common theme in this troubled industry. If your risk tolerance level isn't extremely high, it's probably best to keep this stock on a watchlist until its underlying business can make ends meet.
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Cory Renauer has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends CRISPR Therapeutics and Vertex Pharmaceuticals. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
