AUS
NZ
UK
CA
USA
FRA
GER
ESP
ITA
NLD
PRT
SWE
GRC
IND
POL
BRA
ZAF
RUS
CHN
UAE
Summary
- The outbreak of the pandemic has led to a change in consumer preferences and priorities as the focus has shifted towards the use of technology and contact-less healthcare services
- The current reporting season has been challenging for many sectors with the Covid-19 pandemic weighing down businesses
- The pharmaceutical companies are working hard to find a cure for this deadly disease
- Some of the LSE-listed healthcare companies have reported remarkable returns during the previous 6 months
The demand for healthcare services has been consistently soaring in the UK, with every class of the society demanding better quality and standards of healthcare. This trend has resulted in a continuous growth of the British healthcare industry. In fact, a strong primary health care system has always been the foundation of the society at large, whether these have been based on general practitioners or community care clinics, or both.
The outbreak of the pandemic has led to a change in consumer preferences and priorities as the focus has now shifted towards the use of technology and contact-less healthcare services. In fact, these services have taken prominence as consumer responsiveness towards out-of-hospital, at-home services across the care continuity- consultation, diagnostics, and in-patient care. Social distancing and a fear-filled mindset have led to consumers preferring online consultations over face-to-face interactions. On the other hand, the pharmaceutical companies are working hard to find a cure for this deadly disease. Some of them have even progressed into the second and third stage of trials.
The current reporting season has been challenging for many sectors with the Covid-19 pandemic weighing down businesses. However, the ongoing market condition has created an opportunity for the healthcare sector. Some of the LSE-listed healthcare companies have reported remarkable returns during the previous 6 months. The strong financial and operational performance during the above-mentioned period also reflected on the equity markets with some healthcare players witnessing a decent rise in their respective share prices.
Today, we will discuss 5 LSE-listed healthcare companies- Synairgen PLC, Novacyt SA, Avacta Group PLC, Okyo Pharma Limited and E-Therapeutics PLC.
Avacta Group plc
Avacta Group plc is a United Kingdom-based biotechnology company dealing in diagnostics, therapeutics and general research and development, with special focus on its proprietary Affimer technology, an engineered alternative to antibodies that has application in life sciences.
Avacta Group plc (LON:AVCT) stock was trading at GBX 175.50 on 14 September 2020, at 12:48 PM, down by 3.60 per cent from its previous close of GBX 180.00. The 52-week low/high price range was GBX 14.00/202.00. The stock had a market capitalisation (Mcap) of £451.17 million, along with the volume trading at the time of reporting of 1,403,538. The stock generated a positive price return of 872.97 per cent on a YTD (Year to Date) basis.
Synairgen plc
Synairgen plc is a holding company which was incorporated in 2004. The company is engaged in the drug discovery and development of therapies for respiratory diseases, focusing on areas such as severe asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), etc.
Synairgen plc (LON:SNG) stock was trading at GBX 199.00 on 14 September 2020, at 12:58 PM, up by 6.99 per cent from its previous close of GBX 186.00. The 52-week low/high price was GBX 5.88/249.00. The stock was having a market capitalisation (Mcap) of £277.95 million, with the volume trading at the time of reporting of 770,666. The stock generated a positive price return of 3,065.96 per cent on a YTD (Year to Date) basis.
Novacyt SA
Novacyt SA is a France-based company. It is involved in activities such as developing, and marketing solutions dedicated to the field of liquid-based cytology and molecular biology.
Noavcyt PLC (LON:NCYT) stock was trading at GBX 335.00 on 14 September 2020, at 1:03 PM, up by 0.75 per cent from its previous close of GBX 332.50. The 52-week low/high price was GBX 6.50/491.00. The stock was having a market capitalisation (Mcap) of £234.83 million, with the volume trading at the time of reporting of 449,822. The stock generated a positive price return of 2,275.00 per cent on a YTD (Year to Date) basis.
Okyo Pharma Limited
Okyo Pharma Limited is a biopharmaceutical company, which operates in research and development of biotechnological and pharmaceutical products.
Okyo Pharma Limited (LON:OKYO) stock was last trading at GBX 11.00 on 11 September 2020. The 52-week low/high price was GBX 1.25/18.00. The stock was having a market capitalisation (Mcap) of £73.98 million, with the volume trading at the time of reporting of 120,296. The stock generated a positive price return of 547.06 per cent on a YTD (Year to Date) basis.
E-Therapeutics plc
E-Therapeutics plc is a biotechnology and pharmaceutical company listed on the AIM index. The company has a unique computer-based platform, and a revolutionary network driven drug discovery (NDD) system which enables it to discover novel and better drugs faster.
E-Therapeutics plc (LON:ETX) stock was trading at GBX 15.25 on 14 September 2020, at 1:12 PM, down by 0.84 per cent from its previous close of GBX 15.38. The 52-week low/high price was GBX 2.45/21.75. The stock was having a market capitalisation (Mcap) of £64.43 million, with the volume trading at the time of reporting of 168,312. The stock generated a positive price return of 395.97 per cent on a YTD (Year to Date) basis.
Conclusion
The ongoing pandemic has forced the healthcare stocks to invest in technology so that they can contribute towards the well-being of the nation. Companies that have accepted these changes and worked upon themselves, thinking of them as opportunities to evolve have benefitted While those that have resisted themselves from changing and are waiting for the pre-Covid world to return, will find the going increasingly tough over time.
