5 Drug/Biotech Stocks Likely to Outperform Q1 Earnings Estimates

Core Insights - The Medical sector is experiencing a robust first-quarter earnings season, with several drugmakers reporting results, and large caps like J&J, Merck, and Amgen exceeding earnings and sales estimates [1][2] - Overall, first-quarter earnings for the Medical sector are projected to rise by 40%, with revenues expected to increase by 8.3% [3] Earnings Performance - As of April 30, 45% of Medical sector companies, representing approximately 57.9% of the sector's market capitalization, have reported earnings, with 66.7% beating both earnings and revenue estimates [2] - Year-over-year earnings growth for the sector is reported at 60.5%, while revenues have increased by 7.8% [2] Company Highlights - Novo Nordisk: Expected to report earnings of 92 cents per share and revenues of $11.33 billion, with strong sales anticipated from diabetes and obesity care products [6][7] - **Pacira BioSciences**: Projected earnings of 57 cents per share and revenues of$174.96 million, driven by sales of its pain-management product Exparel [8][9] - Ultragenyx Pharmaceuticals: Expected to report a loss of $1.54 per share and revenues of$141.99 million, with growth driven by its lead drug Crysvita [10][11] - Acadia Pharmaceuticals: Anticipated earnings of 6 cents per share and revenues of $241.74 million, primarily from sales of Nuplazid for Parkinson's disease psychosis [12][13] - **Denali Therapeutics**: Expected loss of 71 cents per share and revenues of$8.3 million, with updates on pipeline programs anticipated during the earnings report [17][18] Earnings Surprise Potential - The Earnings ESP methodology indicates that stocks with a positive Earnings ESP and a Zacks Rank of 1, 2, or 3 have a high chance of delivering earnings surprises, with a success rate of up to 70% [4][5]