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Inovio Pharmaceuticals (ticker symbol: INO) is a leading American biotechnology company which focuses on the discovery, development, and commercialization of synthetic DNA medicines to treat cancers and infectious diseases
The company was first listed on the American Stock Exchange on Dec. 11, 1998, for $59 under its original name, Genetronics. After Genetronics purchased Norway-based Inovio AS in 2005, the company changed its name to Inovio Pharmaceuticals and is now traded under the ticker symbol: INO.
Headquartered in Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania, United States, Inovio Pharmaceuticals focuses on producing DNA medicines and vaccines to combat infectious diseases, as well as to help treat people with cancer, and conditions associated with human papillomavirus (HPV). The company’s most targeted sectors include healthcare services (50%) and medical products (50%).
As of June 2022, Inovio Pharmaceuticals’ main revenue comes from collaborations and grants. The company has been consistently investing these funds to new DNA research but was slow to produce any results – which in turn led to negative earnings results and a wallowing share price.
As previously noted, Inovio Pharmaceuticals’ resulted after the acquisition of Norwegian gene delivery technology company Inovio AS by Genetronics. Inovio Pharmaceuticals’ largest acquisition to date came in 2009, when it acquired VGX Pharmaceuticals for $15M.
In 1998, Genetronics – a company that focused on developing new drug delivery systems using electroporation – launched its IPO on the NASDAQ Stock Exchange. After acquiring Norwegian gene delivery technology company Inovio AS., Genetronics changed its name to Inovio Pharmaceuticals.
In 2007, Inovio’s stock cratered after the company announced that it would halt enrolment in two late-stage clinical studies for squamous cell head and neck cancer investigational therapy. On June 1st, 2009, Inovio Pharmaceuticals merged with VGX Pharmaceuticals, which had famously rolled out a cervical dysplasia vaccine VGX-3100. However, initial excitement among investors about the VGX merger quickly faded after the FDA halted tests on the VGX vaccine, causing Inovio Pharmaceuticals stock to continue on a downward spiral.
In January 2020, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) announced it would grant of up to $9 million to Inovio Pharmaceuticals for development of a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2. Despite a promising start to its Covid-19 vaccine research, in May 2022, INO stocks tanked after reports that Inovio Pharmaceuticals’ Chief Executive Officer J. Joseph Kim had resigned from his position following the discontinuation of the company’s Phase III COVID-19 vaccine study. As of June 2022, Inovio Pharmaceuticals has yet to issue any INO stock dividends.
While Inovio Pharmaceuticals research is ground-breaking to say the least, the company has thus far failed to launch a commercially approved product on the market. However, it is a highly volatile stock, which, for CFD trading, can present some interesting short and long trading opportunities. Here are some factors to consider when trading Inovio Pharmaceuticals stocks:
Inovio Pharmaceuticals depends heavily on research grants and collaborations to fund its operations. Traders should keep an eye out for research grants as well as FDA announcements regarding Inovio Pharmaceuticals’ research and trials.
New FDA approved vaccines or DNA medicines by Inovio Pharmaceuticals have the potential to push its stock price significantly higher, while the opposite is true for FDA warnings and trial halts.
The main competitors of Inovio Pharmaceuticals include Immunai, Evotec, Hisamitsu Pharmaceutical and KYORIN Pharmaceutical – but that’s only when it comes to DNA treatments. Other competitors in the race to the world’s first Covid-19 vaccine for example, included medical giants Pfizer and Moderna. Traders should be wary of Inovio Pharmaceuticals’ competitors and the strides they make when it comes to medical research and innovation.
Inovio Pharmaceuticals’ quarterly earnings reports can give traders valuable insights into how the company is faring and provide clues on what the future of the company may look line. Inovio Pharmaceuticals releases quarterly reports at the end of every quarter, with INO’ fiscal year running from December 1st to November 30th of the following year.
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