Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Aeterna Zentaris (AEZS) Stock Moves -1.16%: What You Should Know

Read MoreHide Full Article

In the latest trading session, Aeterna Zentaris closed at $2.56, marking a -1.16% move from the previous day. This change was narrower than the S&P 500's daily loss of 2.71%. Meanwhile, the Dow lost 2.91%, and the Nasdaq, a tech-heavy index, lost 2.21%.

Prior to today's trading, shares of the drug developer had lost 14.24% over the past month. This has lagged the Medical sector's loss of 8.61% and the S&P 500's loss of 8.68% in that time.

AEZS will be looking to display strength as it nears its next earnings release, which is expected to be March 27, 2019. The company is expected to report EPS of -$0.13, up 45.83% from the prior-year quarter. Our most recent consensus estimate is calling for quarterly revenue of $1.21 million, up 572.22% from the year-ago period.

For the full year, our Zacks Consensus Estimates are projecting earnings of $0.44 per share and revenue of $26.70 million, which would represent changes of +132.59% and +2792.77%, respectively, from the prior year.

It is also important to note the recent changes to analyst estimates for AEZS. These revisions typically reflect the latest short-term business trends, which can change frequently. As a result, we can interpret positive estimate revisions as a good sign for the company's business outlook.

Based on our research, we believe these estimate revisions are directly related to near-team stock moves. To benefit from this, we have developed the Zacks Rank, a proprietary model which takes these estimate changes into account and provides an actionable rating system.

The Zacks Rank system, which ranges from #1 (Strong Buy) to #5 (Strong Sell), has an impressive outside-audited track record of outperformance, with #1 stocks generating an average annual return of +25% since 1988. Over the past month, the Zacks Consensus EPS estimate remained stagnant. AEZS is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy).

Looking at its valuation, AEZS is holding a Forward P/E ratio of 5.89. Its industry sports an average Forward P/E of 21.73, so we one might conclude that AEZS is trading at a discount comparatively.

The Medical - Biomedical and Genetics industry is part of the Medical sector. This industry currently has a Zacks Industry Rank of 66, which puts it in the top 26% of all 250+ industries.

The Zacks Industry Rank includes is listed in order from best to worst in terms of the average Zacks Rank of the individual companies within each of these sectors. Our research shows that the top 50% rated industries outperform the bottom half by a factor of 2 to 1.

To follow AEZS in the coming trading sessions, be sure to utilize Zacks.com.

Published in