Stock Market Today, Jan. 15: ImmunityBio Surges After Anktiva Revenue Jumps 700%

ImmunityBio (NASDAQ:IBRX), a cancer and infectious-disease drug developer, closed Thursday at $3.95, up 30.79% for the session. The stock jumped after preliminary 2025 results highlighted roughly 700% growth in Anktiva revenue and a quarterly sales beat. Investors are watching ongoing demand trends and potential label expansions for the therapy.
Trading volume reached 70.4 million shares, about 442% above its three-month average of 13 million shares. ImmunityBio IPO'd in 2015 and has fallen 89% since going public.

How the markets moved today

The S&P 500 added 0.27% to finish Thursday at 6,945, while the Nasdaq Composite gained 0.25% to close at 23,530. Within biotechnology, industry peers Incyte closed at $105.24 (-0.67%), and Vertex Pharmaceuticals ended at $438.92 (-2.36%), lagging ImmunityBio’s sharp rally.

What this means for investors

ImmunityBio's fantastic week continued on Thursday, after management released preliminary full-year earnings that exceeded Wall Street's expectations. The company's bladder cancer therapy, Anktiva, helped ImmunityBio's sales jump from $15 million in 2024 to $113 million, according to management's projections. This revenue represented a 20% increase quarter over quarter.

These positive results come one day after the Saudi Food and Drug Authority approved Anktiva in the country, which also prompted a share price spike. Better yet, two days ago, ImmunityBio released positive data on Anktiva for non-small cell lung cancer, which would expand its growth potential. Potentially expanding into new geographic markets and indications, ImmunityBio is a promising healthcare stock to watch, but it will likely be a volatile holding.

Josh Kohn-Lindquist has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Incyte and Vertex Pharmaceuticals. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.