Volatility is the word of the day in the stock market, and drugmakers with strong growth prospects and proven long-term stability, such as IBD 50 member Valeant Pharmaceuticals (VRX), may be good stock watch list candidates. The IBD 50 spotlights the top performers among all U.S.-listed stocks, based on a combination of factors including sales and profit growth. Today’s roster includes four large, high-rated drugmakers: Valeant, Regeneron
Canadian specialty-drug giant Valeant Pharmaceuticals International agreed to pay $1 billion for Sprout Pharmaceuticals Thursday, two days after Sprout’s much-debated female aphrodisiac Addyi received FDA approval. The market seemed unimpressed by the move, as Valeant (VRX) stock fell 6.5% Thursday, to a six-week low of 229.06. A top-performing stock in recent years, Valeant shares touched a record high near 264 on Aug. 6. Valeant agreed to pay
Large-cap drugmakers Valeant Pharmaceuticals, Eli Lilly and Bristol-Myers Squibb all beat analysts’ Q2 estimates, but their stocks went in different directions, as their guidance was more mixed. Valeant (VRX) rose more than 6% after it said total revenue rose 34% to $2.73 billion, easily topping consensus views for $2.54 billion. The company’s organic growth, not including acquisitions, was 19% during the quarter. U.S. growth owed to Valeant’s