On Tuesday, Incyte (NASDAQ:INCY) stock experienced a downgrade in its rating from BMO Capital, moving from Market Perform to Underperform. The firm also lowered the price target for Incyte's shares from $52.00 to $48.00.
The adjustment follows Incyte's recent $2 billion Dutch auction, which the analyst believes has reduced the company's ability to make acquisitions and has not significantly increased value for shareholders.
The analyst from BMO Capital pointed out that with a reduced cash position, Incyte's focus may shift more towards research and development. However, concerns were raised regarding the efficiency of the company's R&D spending, which is already high at approximately 47% of its 2023 sales. According to the analyst, Incyte has a history of significant R&D missteps, including issues with rux-XR, parsaclisib, and adenosine.
Despite acknowledging some recent successes in Incyte's pipeline, the analyst expressed skepticism about their impact. The new developments are either in smaller indications or are expected to arrive too late to significantly address the looming loss of exclusivity (LOE) issues related to Incyte's drug Jakafi.
The downgrade reflects the analyst's view that Incyte's recent financial strategy and R&D track record may not be sufficient to overcome the challenges it faces, particularly as the company approaches the expiration of key patents. The revised price target of $48.00 suggests a more cautious outlook on the company's stock performance in the near future.
In other recent news, Incyte Corporation has completed a share repurchase program, buying back approximately 33.3 million shares, totaling around $2.0 billion, which represents about 14.8 percent of the company's total outstanding shares.
This includes a $1.672 billion tender offer and a separate agreement with Baker Entities. Additionally, Incyte's acquisition of Escient Pharmaceuticals has added two clinical-stage molecules to its portfolio, with Phase 2 trials underway.
The company's PDUFA date for axatilimab in chronic graft-versus-host disease is set for late August 2024, with high expectations for FDA approval. Deutsche Bank initiated coverage on Incyte with a Hold rating and a price target of $55.00 per share, while RBC Capital reduced its price target from $65.00 to $60.00.
Furthermore, Incyte has acquired two new buildings in downtown Wilmington, Delaware, to consolidate U.S.-based teams and support future growth. These are the recent developments for Incyte Corporation.
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