Citi analyst Yigal Nochomovitz started shares of Keryx Biopharmaceuticals (KERX) with a Sell rating and $1.50 price target. The stock closed yesterday up 18c to $6.03. Nochomovitz expects the Auryxia launch and long-term sales trends to "materially underperform" consensus expectations. Auryxia is a phosphate binder used for the control of serum phosphorus levels in patients with chronic kidney disease on dialysis. Nochomovitz estimates Auryxia has peak U.S. sales potential of $57M, well below the consensus estimate of $485M. He named Chimerix (CMRX) his top pick in the small- and mid-cap biotech space. The analyst initiated the name this morning with a Buy rating and $80 price target.