Why Summit Therapeutics Stock Slipped Today

Source The Motley Fool

Summit Therapeutics (NASDAQ: SMMT) stock did better than a lot of other equities during an otherwise forgettable trading session on Wednesday. In contrast to other titles that fell notably, Summit more or less kept pace with the S&P 500 (SNPINDEX: ^GSPC), managing to dip by a relatively modest 2.25% in price. Some investors, at least, were cheered by an analyst's recommendation upgrade on the stock.

The high potential of a licensed drug

Well before market open, Citigroup pundit Yigal Nochomovitz changed his recommendation on Summit's shares to buy from neutral. Accompanying this was a generous price target increase; the analyst's fair value assessment is now $35 per share, where formerly it stood at $23.

Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Learn More »

According to reports, Nochomovitz wrote that his move was based on a concentrated analysis of the prospects for ivonescimab. This is a rather promising cancer drug Summit has licensed from Chinese peer Akeso. The pundit feels that the coming readout of the medication's Harmoni-2 late-stage clinical trial has a 70% chance of indicating a favorable result with overall survival rates.

Ivonescimab has already attracted much notice after Akeso divulged the results of a clinical trial pitting it against 2024's top-selling drug, Merck's blockbuster Keytruda, for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Uncertainty reigns

The recommendation upgrade is certainly heartening, but there are two factors mitigating this just now. First, as ever in the biotech world, a company's success depends on it bringing medications to market; ivonescimab's promise is only that at the moment, and much work still needs to be done before it can win potentially win approval from top regulators (let alone succeed as a commercialized product).

Second, there is still much uncertainty swirling around the tariffs President Trump aims to impose on certain trade partners next week. He has specifically mentioned the pharmaceutical sector as a target for such levies; however, his administration hasn't yet proffered many details of the extra costs importers will have to pay.

Don’t miss this second chance at a potentially lucrative opportunity

Ever feel like you missed the boat in buying the most successful stocks? Then you’ll want to hear this.

On rare occasions, our expert team of analysts issues a “Double Down” stock recommendation for companies that they think are about to pop. If you’re worried you’ve already missed your chance to invest, now is the best time to buy before it’s too late. And the numbers speak for themselves:

  • Nvidia: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2009, you’d have $312,980!*
  • Apple: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2008, you’d have $42,421!*
  • Netflix: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2004, you’d have $537,825!*

Right now, we’re issuing “Double Down” alerts for three incredible companies, and there may not be another chance like this anytime soon.

Continue »

*Stock Advisor returns as of March 24, 2025

Citigroup is an advertising partner of Motley Fool Money. Eric Volkman has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Merck and Summit Therapeutics. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Disclaimer: For information purposes only. Past performance is not indicative of future results.
placeholder
Dollar index tops 100 for the first time since July as the Fed's hawkish dot plot sinks inThe U.S. dollar index broke back above 100 for the first time since 31 July after the Fed delivered its first rate hike since 2023, with the dot plot showing 16 of 18 officials expect at least one more increase this year. Here are the levels that matter for DXY, the currencies feeling it most, and what to watch next.
Author  Irene Q.
Sep 17, Thu
The U.S. dollar index broke back above 100 for the first time since 31 July after the Fed delivered its first rate hike since 2023, with the dot plot showing 16 of 18 officials expect at least one more increase this year. Here are the levels that matter for DXY, the currencies feeling it most, and what to watch next.
placeholder
Gold ends three-week slide at the $4,400 line — eight straight days of ETF inflows vs a 5% 10-year and a 100 dollarSpot gold closed Friday at $4,378.39, up 0.84% on the day and about 0.8% for the week — its first weekly gain in four weeks — with the intraday high of $4,399.67 leaving it 33 cents shy of the $4,400 line. Gold ETFs have now logged eight straight sessions of inflows, but with the 10-year back above 5% and the dollar index near 100, here is what decides whether this is a reversal or a bounce.
Author  Suzie
Sep 20, Sun
Spot gold closed Friday at $4,378.39, up 0.84% on the day and about 0.8% for the week — its first weekly gain in four weeks — with the intraday high of $4,399.67 leaving it 33 cents shy of the $4,400 line. Gold ETFs have now logged eight straight sessions of inflows, but with the 10-year back above 5% and the dollar index near 100, here is what decides whether this is a reversal or a bounce.
placeholder
Dollar holds above 100 near a 3-month high — three Fed speakers and a $69 billion auction land tonightThe dollar index closed at 100.43 on Monday, its highest close since late July, after a weekly gain of about 1% — the best in more than three months — and is holding above the 100.00 handle in Asia. Three Fed officials speak tonight alongside a $69 billion two-year note auction, the first leg of $183 billion of Treasury supply this week.
Author  Suzie
Yesterday 06: 34
The dollar index closed at 100.43 on Monday, its highest close since late July, after a weekly gain of about 1% — the best in more than three months — and is holding above the 100.00 handle in Asia. Three Fed officials speak tonight alongside a $69 billion two-year note auction, the first leg of $183 billion of Treasury supply this week.
placeholder
October hike odds climb toward 60% as Goldman and BofA both flip — what Warsh's "dose of accommodation" really changedRate futures now price roughly 55% to 62% for a 25bp hike at the October 27-28 FOMC, up from about 30% before Chair Warsh's post-meeting framing that the Fed is merely "removing some accommodation." Goldman Sachs has added an October hike to its forecast and Bank of America now sees moves in both October and December. Here is the repricing, the language behind it, and the two data points that decide it.
Author  Irene Q.
6 hours ago
Rate futures now price roughly 55% to 62% for a 25bp hike at the October 27-28 FOMC, up from about 30% before Chair Warsh's post-meeting framing that the Fed is merely "removing some accommodation." Goldman Sachs has added an October hike to its forecast and Bank of America now sees moves in both October and December. Here is the repricing, the language behind it, and the two data points that decide it.
placeholder
Memory chips surge, Nasdaq notches a second straight record close — why the Dow fell 185 points anywayMicron gained 5%, SanDisk 6.8%, Seagate 4% and Western Digital 3% as the memory complex led the Nasdaq Composite to a second consecutive record close of 27,244.28. But the Dow fell 185 points as JPMorgan, Wells Fargo and Schwab slid more than 3% each — a split tape that says more about positioning than about the economy.
Author  Irene Q.
6 hours ago
Micron gained 5%, SanDisk 6.8%, Seagate 4% and Western Digital 3% as the memory complex led the Nasdaq Composite to a second consecutive record close of 27,244.28. But the Dow fell 185 points as JPMorgan, Wells Fargo and Schwab slid more than 3% each — a split tape that says more about positioning than about the economy.
goTop
quote