2019-03-21 16:32:18 | Stifel starts Amarin with Buy rating, sees 'robust' growth for VascepaStifel analyst Derek Archila initiated coverage of Amarin with a Buy rating and $27 price target. The shares closed the trading day down 25c to $18.76 but are trading up $1.08 to $19.84 in the after-hours market. Vascepa's Reduce-IT study results are "impressive" and a physician survey shows they will "most certainly lead to robust growth," likely above management's 2019 guidance, Archila tells investors in a research note. The analyst adds, though, that his call "runs counter to the prevailing sentiment" that Amarin will be acquired in the near term. He believes the outcome of an FDA advisory committee discussing the Reduce-IT results and controversies around them will be needed before a takeout can occur. Nonetheless, his due diligence with regulatory experts get him comfortable with an FDA approval for a Vascepa label expansion to include reduction in cardiovascular risk based on the Reduce-IT results in early 2020. This should effectively increase the drug's addressable market size by a factor of 20, says Archila. The analyst used a "blended methodology given the takeout premium in the stock" to arrive at a $27 target price. | |
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