Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc. (ACAD): Healthcare Experts at March Altus Like These and Other Healthcare Stocks’ Prospects

#3. Aratana Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:PETX)

– Shares Owned by March Altus Capital Management (as of September 30): 218,515

– Value of the Holding (as of September 30): $2.04 Million

Moving on, Aratana Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:PETX) was also one of the top equity holdings of March Altus in which the fund kept its stake unchanged during the third quarter. The Kansas-based therapeutics company has seen its market cap increase by almost 40% so far in 2016, despite its stock taking a big hit in the current quarter. On November 3, Aratana Therapeutics Inc (NASDAQ:PETX) reported its third quarter results, declaring a loss of $0.38 per share on revenue of $0.04 million versus analysts’ expectations of a loss of $0.48 per share on revenue of $0.08 million.

#2. ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:ACAD)

– Shares Owned by March Altus Capital Management (as of September 30): 72,723

– Value of the Holding (as of September 30): $2.31 Million

ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:ACAD) was the only stock among March Altus’ top-5 stock picks in which the fund reduced its stake during the third quarter, by 12%. Like the other stocks discussed previously, ACADIA Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:ACAD)’s stock also took a huge beating initially in the current quarter. However, it has changed its course since Donald Trump was elected as the incoming POTUS and is currently trading down by 20% year-to-date. On Tuesday, the company announced the initiation of ADVANCE, a Phase II study to evaluate its drug Pimavanserin for adjunctive treatment in patients with negative symptoms of schizophrenia. According to ACADIA, there is currently no drug approved by the FDA that treats these negative symptoms, which are found in almost half of the patients that suffer from schizophrenia. Last week, analysts at Goldman Sachs initiated coverage on ACADIA’s stock with a ‘Neutral’ rating and $28 price target.

#1. Edwards Lifesciences Corp (NYSE:EW)

– Shares Owned by March Altus Capital Management (as of September 30): 34,611

– Value of the Holding (as of September 30): $4.17 Million

A 20% rise in its stock during the third quarter coupled with March Altus increasing its stake in the company by 86% during the same period, pushed Edwards Lifesciences Corp (NYSE:EW) to the top spot in the fund’s portfolio at the end of September, up from the third spot at the end of June. Edwards Lifesciences Corp (NYSE:EW)’s stock has seen a massive rally since the start of 2014, rising from the mid-$30 level to above $120 earlier this year. However, that rally seems to have ended recently after the company reported its third quarter numbers on October 25 and its stock nosedived. Since the earnings release, the stock has declined by more than 20%, but is still trading up by 13.18% year-to-date. Several analysts who track Edwards Lifesciences think that the market has had a knee-jerk reaction to the company’s third quarter earnings and that this is an opportunity to buy the stock. On November 8, analysts at Northland Securities upgraded the stock to ‘Outperform’ from ‘Market Perform’ while keeping their price target on it unchanged at $105, suggesting potential upside of more than 16%.

Disclosure: None