5 Stocks To Watch: August 11, 2020

August 11, 2020: Here’s a quick recap on our stocks to watch from Monday:

• Marriott International, Inc. (MAR): From $93.78 to $97.13.
• Occidental Petroleum Corporation (OXY): From $15.45 to $16.45.
• Roper Technologies, Inc. (ROP): From $440.33 to $441.20.
• Twitter, Inc. (TWTR): From $37.14 to $37.45.
• Duke Energy Corporation (DUK): From $86.57 to $84.76.

As you can see, there wasn’t much movement in our picks. So here are yesterday’s biggest gainers:

• Seres Therapeutics, Inc. (MCRB): On Monday the company announced positive results from a phase 3 study and the market reacted spectacularly. MCRB sky-rocketed 389.2-percent, from $4.66 to $22.70.
• Omeros Corporation (OMER): The company which is working on the treatment of COVID-19, reported on Monday that all test patients in a study recovered and survived. This positive news moved OMER from $14.13 to $21.32 during trading. That’s a 50.9-percent increase.
• BiomX, Inc. (PHGE): Another pharmaceutical company that surged on Monday was BiomX, Inc. With second-quarter reports scheduled for August 13, the market looks to be reacting early. Shares jumped 42.1-percent, climbing from $5.63 to $8.00.

On the flip-side, one of the biggest losers over the last few weeks has been Eastman Kodak Company (KODK), whose shares have spiked and dropped sharply since July 31.

On Monday, KODK dipped again, losing 27.9-percent. Falling from $14.89 to $10.68. On July 28, KODK was at $33.20. Worse still, the shares will likely continue to fall until the company is cleared of insider trading allegations, and its proposed federal loan of $765-million happens.

CHECK OUT: World stocks rise as markets bet on U.S. Congress stimulus deal.

Here’s our top-five stocks to watch during this Tuesday’s trading.

Today’s #1 Stocks To Watch: Super Micro Computer, Inc. (SMCI) – $30.21

Super Micro Computer, Inc. (SMCI) will be reporting their fourth-quarter earnings after the closing bell today. Analysts estimate Q4 revenue to be $788.37-million, with earnings per share at $0.54 each.

The three reasons SMCI tops our stocks to watch today are:

1. SMCI gained 1.3-percent during after-hours trading. Climbing from $30.21 to $30.60.
2. News sentiment towards SMCI is 75.36-percent positive. Less than 5-percent off being Bullish.
3. Since the lockdown mid-March dip, SMCI has been mostly on the upward trend. From $16.88 in March to present value.

SMCI has plateaued over the last two months but a positive Q4 report could be a catalyst to kick start the upward trend again. Additionally, SMCI is already close to peak 2015 values, making it definitely one to watch today.

Ligand Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (LGND) – $118.66

Ligand Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (LGND) announced on Monday that it planned to pay $12 per share to acquire Pfenex, Inc. (PFNX). This news obviously drove PFNX up from $7.60 to $12.29 in after-hours trading. That’s a jump of 60.4-percent.

With this news, LGND could have easily been our top-pick today. Especially when shares jumped 0.9-percent during Monday’s trading and news sentiment is 77.65-percent positive. Which is less than 3-percent off Bullish. Even the share price trend has been continuously on the rise, climbing from $67.00 on March 15 to its present value.

Despite being #2 on our list, it’s definitely one of the top stocks to watch out for during today’s trading.

CHECK OUT: U.S. Governors question cost of President Trump’s COVID-19 plans and urge talks to continue.

Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (INO) – $18.99

Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (INO) reported its second-quarter results on Monday and its revenue was massively below estimate. Q2 revenue reported at $267-thousand, which was $2.34-million below the estimate. Q2 earnings per share reported at a loss of $0.20 each. Which was $0.03 worse than the estimate.

Along with the downbeat results, the company reported that its COVID-19 vaccine would enter human trials in September. This news saw INO fall by 6.8-percent during after-hours trading. From $18.99 to $17.70.

INO makes our stocks to watch list today because it seems in free fall, despite almost Bullish news sentiment. The trend line shows shares going gradually one way. On June 21, INO was $15.30 and by June 28 it was $31.69. Then it dropped to $19.73 by June 30. Again climbing to $27.05 by July 30, but has since dropped gradually to the current value.

The big question is, will the steps downward continue?

Nio, Inc. (NIO) – $14.21

Nio, Inc. (NIO) reported before the opening bell today with better-than-expected second-quarter results. Q2 revenue was reported at $526.38-million, $22.8-million above the estimates. Q2 earnings per share were reported at a loss of $0.15 each. Which was $0.11 better than the estimate.

During after-hours trading NIO jumped 1.8-percent. From $14.21 to $14.46. With a positive report, trends, and news sentiment (78.6-percent), NIO could have easily been our top stock to watch today.

CHECK OUT: S&P 500 ends up slightly, while tech-related shares under perform.

SYSCO Corporation (SYY) – $60.10

SYSCO Corporation (SYY) will report its fourth-quarter results before the opening bell today. Analyst estimates put Q4 revenue at $9.52-billion, with earnings per share at a loss of $0.30 each. To put that into comparison, Q3 revenue was $13.70-billion, with earnings per share of $0.45 each.

During after-hours trading SYY shares jumped 1.2-percent. From $60.10 to $60.80. Since August 3, SYY has climbed from $52.13 to present value.

The big difference between SYY and NIO is news sentiment. SYY is only 58.42-percent positive. And by tomorrow’s stocks to watch list we’ll learn just how much of a difference that can, or can’t make.