The groundbreaking research being done in this industry has the potential to change the world. But strict government regulations may put a damper on company profits and impact investor returns.
Biotechnology is the research and application of biomolecular processes. These processes are used to create products and technologies designed to help improve our quality of life and support the planet. How? By helping us combat disease, improve the environment, harness clean energy, enhance food production and devise more efficient manufacturing processes.
Each time you take an antibiotic, drink a glass of wine or admire the newest designer dog breed on social media, you’re encountering biotechnology at work.
Biotechnology stocks are stocks from companies that research and produce biotech products, like pharmaceutical drugs, vaccines, biofuels, genetically modified plants, biocatalysts and more.
Why invest in biotech stocks?
Many biotech products — like pharmaceuticals — are a necessity. And staples like these have proven their capacity to weather down markets.
For example, in the first three months of 2020, the S&P 500 dropped by a sizable 26.7%, while the iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology Index ETF — a fund that tracks US biotech and pharmaceutical companies — only lost 15.6%. And in the past year, the same fund has outperformed the S&P 500’s 10.5% return with a 31.6% return of its own.
The COVID-19 pandemic caused many markets to tank. But stocks in companies looking for effective COVID-19 treatments and vaccines have received increased interest — at least for now. This is just one example of the down market resilience of the biotech industry.
Biotech stocks can help balance your portfolio during an economic downturn while providing the opportunity for investors to back groundbreaking technology — technology with the potential to alter and improve our way of life drastically. Biotechnology can and has changed the world — and investors can lend a hand in the process.
Risks of investing in biotech
The primary risk factor for biotech investors is the long, arduous and costly process of bringing a concept through research and development to a consumer-ready product.
Many companies in this industry rely on approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the process can take years. There’s no guarantee that a drug in development will reach pharmacy shelves or that a new industrial pesticide will be cleared for public use. Some biotech companies funnel funds into projects that span years with nothing to show for it.
The recent scramble for a COVID-19 cure demonstrates the potential instability of a biotech investment. As dozens of companies rush to develop a viable vaccine, stocks in this sector are seeing a volatility surge as investors queue to back the right racehorse. But only one can win — and once a vaccine is approved, the other companies fighting to be first may see a drop in share prices.
Investors must be willing to wait months or years for biotech stock investments to pan out. And even then, there’s no guarantee of return.
Biotech market projections
By 2025, the global biotech market is expected to reach $775 billion, according to Global Market Insights — an impressive figure considering the market was worth just $399 billion in 2017. Biopharmacy is by far the largest segment of the market, but bioinformatics, bioagriculture and bioservices are also on the rise.
Key market drivers include regenerative medical therapy, genetics in diagnostics and the advancement of artificial intelligence. Analysts forecast that the biotech industry is projected to attain a compound annual growth rate of 7.4% to 8.3% through 2025.
Biotech stocks
From startups with high hopes to well-established international corporations, there are numerous options for investors interested in purchasing biotech stocks.
Select a company to learn more about what they do and how their stock performs, including market capitalization, the price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio, price/earnings-to-growth (PEG) ratio and dividend yield. While this list includes a selection of the most well-known and popular stocks, it doesn't include every stock available.
Company summary
Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. develops and commercializes various therapeutic products. The company offers ULTOMIRIS (ALXN1210/ravulizumab-cwvz), a C5 inhibitor for the treatment of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) and atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS); and SOLIRIS (eculizumab), a monoclonal antibody for the treatment of PNH, aHUS, generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG), and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD). It also provides Strensiq (asfotase alfa), a targeted enzyme replacement therapy for patients with hypophosphatasia; and Kanuma (sebelipase alfa) for the treatment of patients with lysosomal acid lipase deficiency. In addition, the company is developing ALXN1210 (Intravenous) that is in Phase III clinical trials for the treatment of gMG and NMOSD; ALXN1210 (Subcutaneous), which is in Phase III clinical trials for PNH and aHUS; ALXN1810 (Subcutaneous) that is in Phase I clinical trial for renal diseases; and ALXN1720 (Subcutaneous), which is in Phase I clinical trial for the treatment of disease states involving dysregulated terminal complement activity. Further, it is developing ALXN1840 (WTX101) that is in Phase III clinical trials for the treatment of Wilson disease; and ALXN1830 and ABY-039, which are in Phase I clinical trials for neonatal Fc receptor. The company serves distributors, pharmacies, hospitals, hospital buying groups, and other healthcare providers in the United States and internationally. Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has collaboration and license agreement with Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc.; collaborations with Caelum Biosciences, Inc., Dicerna Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Zealand Pharma A/S; strategic agreement with Caelum Biosciences, Inc.; agreement with Stealth BioTherapeutics Corp.; and a partnership with Affibody AB. The company was founded in 1992 and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts.
Amgen Inc. discovers, develops, manufactures, and delivers human therapeutics worldwide. It focuses on inflammation, oncology/hematology, bone health, cardiovascular disease, nephrology and neuroscience areas. The company's products include Enbrel to treat plaque psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, and psoriatic arthritis; Neulasta, a pegylated protein to treat cancer patients; Prolia to treat postmenopausal women with osteoporosis; Xgeva for skeletal-related events prevention; Aranesp to treat a lower-than-normal number of red blood cells and anemia; KYPROLIS to treat patients with relapsed or refractory multiple myeloma; Sensipar/Mimpara to treat secondary hyperparathyroidism; and EPOGEN to treat anemia caused by chronic kidney disease. It also markets other products in various markets, including Nplate, Vectibix, Repatha, Parsabiv, BLINCYTO, Aimovig, NEUPOGEN, Otezla, AMGEVITA, KANJINTI, EVENITY, IMLYGIC, MVASI, and Corlanor. Amgen Inc. serves healthcare providers, including physicians or their clinics, dialysis centers, hospitals, and pharmacies. It distributes its products through pharmaceutical wholesale distributors, as well as direct-to-consumer channels. The company has collaboration agreements with Novartis; UCB; Bayer HealthCare LLC; BeiGene, Ltd.; QIAGEN N.V.; Adaptive Biotechnologies; and Eli Lilly and Company, as well as has a strategic agreement with McKesson Corporation to help improve cancer care in community oncology settings. Amgen Inc. was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in Thousand Oaks, California.
BeiGene, Ltd., a commercial-stage biotechnology company, develops and commercializes molecularly-targeted and immuno-oncology cancer therapeutics in the People's Republic of China, the United States, and internationally. Its commercial products include BRUKINSA to treat R/R mantle cell lymphoma; Tislelizumab to treat R/R classical Hodgkin's lymphoma; ABRAXANE to treat breast cancer; REVLIMID to treat multiple myeloma; VIDAZA to treat myelodysplastic syndromes, chronic myelomonocyte leukemia, and acute myeloid leukemia; XGEVA to treat giant cell tumor of bone; KYPROLIS to treat multiple myeloma; BLINCYTO to treat acute lymphocytic leukemia; SYLVANT to treat idiopathic multicentric castleman disease; and QARZIBA to treat neuroblastoma. The company's clinical stage drug candidates comprise Zanubrutinib, a BTK inhibitor to treat various lymphomas; Tislelizumab, an anti-PD-1 antibody to treat various solid and hematological cancers; Pamiparib, an inhibitor of PARP1 and PARP2 to treat various solid tumors; Lifirafenib and BGB-3245 to treat various malignancies, such as melanoma, NSCLC, and endometrial cancer; and Sitravatinib, a multi-kinase inhibitor to treat NSCLC, melanoma, and other solid tumor. In addition, its clinical stage drug candidates include BGB-A333, a PD-L1 inhibitor to treat various solid tumors; BGB-A1217, a TIGIT inhibitor to treat various solid tumors; BGB-11417, a small molecule Bcl-2 inhibitor to treat mature B-cell malignancies; and BGB-A445, an OX40 agonist antibody to treat solid tumors. The company has collaborations with Celgene Corporation; Merck KGaA; Mirati Therapeutics, Inc.; BioAtla, LLC; Zymeworks, Inc.; Ambrx, Inc.; Atreca Inc.; IGM Biosciences, Inc.; and Hutchison China MediTech Limited. BeiGene, Ltd. was founded in 2010 and is based in Beijing, the People's Republic of China.
BioNTech SE, a biotechnology company, develops and commercializes immunotherapies for cancer and other infectious diseases. The company is involved in developing FixVac product candidates, including BNT111, which is in Phase I clinical trial for advance melanoma; BNT112 that is in Phase I/II trial for prostate cancer; BNT113, which is in Phase I trial to treat HPV+ head and neck cancers; BNT114 that is in Phase I clinical trial for triple negative breast cancer; BNT115 in a Phase I trial in ovarian cancer; and BNT116, which is in preclinical trail for non-small cell lung cancer. It also develops neo-antigen specific immunotherapies, such as RO7198457, which is in Phase II clinical trial for first-line melanoma, as well as in Phase I clinical trial to treat multiple solid tumors; mRNA intratumoral immunotherapy comprising SAR441000 that is in Phase I clinical trial for solid tumors; and BNT141 and BNT142 to treat multiple solid tumors. In addition, the company develops RiboCytokines, which include BNT151, BNT152, and BNT152 for multiple solid tumors; chimeric antigen receptor T cell immunotherapies, such as BNT211 to treat multiple solid tumors, and BNT212 for pancreatic and other cancers; and checkpoint immunomodulators consisting of GEN1046 and GEN1042, which are in Phase I/II a clinical trial to treat multiple solid tumors. Further, it develops MVT-5873, an IgG1 monoclonal antibody, which is in Phase I/II clinical trial for pancreatic cancer; BNT411, small molecule immunomodulator product candidate for solid tumors; and infectious disease immunotherapies and rare disease protein replacement therapies. The company has collaborations with Genentech, Inc.; Sanofi S.A.; Genmab A/S; Genevant Sciences GmbH; Eli Lilly and Company; Bayer AG; Pfizer Inc.; Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical (Group) Co., Ltd.; Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; and InstaDeep Ltd. The company was founded in 2008 and is headquartered in Mainz, Germany.
Bio-Techne Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, develops, manufactures, and sells life science reagents, instruments, and services for the research and clinical diagnostic markets worldwide. The company operates in two segments, Protein Sciences, and Diagnostics and Genomics. The Protein Sciences segment offers proteins and reagent solutions, including cytokines and growth factors, antibodies, immunoassays, biologically active small molecule compounds, tissue culture reagents, and T-Cell activation technologies. This segment also provides manual and automated protein analysis instruments and immunoassays for use in quantifying proteins in various biological fluids. The Diagnostics and Genomics segment develops and manufactures diagnostic products, including Food and Drug Administration -regulated controls, calibrators, blood gas and clinical chemistry controls, and other reagents for original equipment manufacturers and clinical customers, as well as a portfolio of clinical molecular diagnostic oncology assays comprising the ExoDx Prostate test for prostate cancer diagnosis. This segment also manufactures and sells tissue-based in-situ hybridization assays for research and clinical use. The company was formerly known as Techne Corporation and changed its name to Bio-Techne Corporation in November 2014. Bio-Techne Corporation was founded in 1976 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Corcept Therapeutics Incorporated discovers, develops, and commercializes drugs for the treatment of severe metabolic, oncologic, and psychiatric disorders in the United States. The company offers Korlym (mifepristone) tablets as a once-daily oral medication for the treatment of hyperglycemia secondary to hypercortisolism in adult patients with endogenous Cushing's syndrome, who have type 2 diabetes mellitus or glucose intolerance, and have failed surgery or are not candidates for surgery. It is developing relacorilant that is in Phase III clinical trial to treat patients with Cushing's syndrome; and Abraxane in combination with relacorilant, which is in Phase II clinical trial to treat patients with serous ovarian tumors, as well as in Phase I/II clinical trial for the treatment of solid tumors. The company is also developing selective cortisol modulator combined with Xtandi that is in open label dose finding trial to treat patients with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer; selective cortisol modulator that is in Phase II for the treatment of antipsychotic-induced weight gain; and FKBP5 gene expression assays. Corcept Therapeutics Incorporated was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Menlo Park, California.
Historical performance
Stock information
Market capitalization: $3158743808
P/E ratio: 30.5506
PEG ratio: 0.61
Dividend yield: 0%
Company summary
Genmab A/S, a biotechnology company, develops antibody therapeutics for the treatment of cancer primarily in Denmark. The company markets DARZALEX, a human IgG1k monoclonal antibody for the treatment of patients with multiple myeloma (MM); and Arzerra, a human IgG1k monoclonal antibody for the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Its products under development include Ofatumumab to treat CLL and multiple sclerosis; Daratumumab to treat MM, natural killer/T-cell lymphoma, and amyloidosis; Tisotumab vedotin for treating cervical, ovarian, and solid cancers; HuMax-AXL-ADC, and HexaBody-DR5/DR5 for treating solid cancers; and DuoBody-CD3xCD20 for the treatment of B-cell malignancies. The company's products under development also comprise Teprotumumab for the treatment of Graves' orbitopathy; Camidanlumab tesirine (ADCT-301) to treat lymphoma, solid tumors, and acute myeloid leukemia (AML); HuMax-IL8 (BMS-986253) for treating advanced cancers; JNJ-61186372 for the treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer; JNJ-63709178 to treat AML; JNJ-64007957 and JNJ-64407564 for MM; and Lu AF82422 for treating Parkinson's disease. In addition, it has approximately 20 active pre-clinical programs, including naked, bispecific, and immune effector function enhanced antibodies. The company has a commercial license and collaboration agreement with Seattle Genetics, Inc. to co-develop tisotumab vedotin, an antibody-drug conjugate; and a strategic collaboration agreement with Tempus to advance various disease targets and biomarkers, as well as Rentschler Biopharma SE. It also has a collaboration agreement with Immatics Biotechnologies GmbH to research and develop next-generation bispecific immunotherapies for treating multiple cancer indications; CureVac AG for the research and development of differentiated mRNA-based antibody products; and Tavotek Biotherapeutics and AbbVie. Genmab A/S was founded in 1999 and is based in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Historical performance
Stock information
Market capitalization: $25598513152
P/E ratio: 26.5876
PEG ratio: 2.1233
Dividend yield: 0%
Company summary
Innoviva, Inc. engages in the development and commercialization of pharmaceuticals. The company has long-acting beta2 agonist (LABA) collaboration agreement with Glaxo Group Limited to develop and commercialize once-daily products for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma. Its products include RELVAR/BREO ELLIPTA, a once-daily combination medicine consisting of a LABA, vilanterol (VI), an inhaled corticosteroid (ICS), and fluticasone furoate; ANORO ELLIPTA, a once-daily medicine combining a long-acting muscarinic antagonist (LAMA), umeclidinium bromide (UMEC), with a LABA, and VI; and TRELEGY ELLIPTA, a once-daily combination medicine consisting of an ICS, LAMA, and LABA. Innoviva, Inc. has a strategic partnership with Sarissa Capital Management LP. The company was formerly known as Theravance, Inc. and changed its name to Innoviva, Inc. in January 2016. Innoviva, Inc. was incorporated in 1996 and is headquartered in Burlingame, California.
Mersana Therapeutics, Inc., a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focusing on the development of antibody drug conjugate (ADC) for cancer patients with unmet need. The company develops Dolaflexin, a platform, which is used to generate a pipeline of proprietary ADC product candidates to address patient populations that are not amenable to treat with traditional ADC-based therapies. Its lead product candidate is XMT-1536, a Dolaflexin ADC targeting NaPi2b that is in Phase I clinical trial for the treatment of patients with ovarian cancer, non small cell lung cancer, and other orphan indications. Mersana Therapeutics, Inc. has a strategic research and development partnerships with Merck KGaA and Asana BioSciences, LLC for the development of ADC product candidates utilizing Fleximer. The company was formerly known as Nanopharma Corp. and changed its name to Mersana Therapeutics, Inc. in November 2005. Mersana Therapeutics, Inc. was incorporated in 2001 and is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Novavax, Inc., together with its subsidiary, Novavax AB, a late-stage biotechnology company, focuses on the discovery, development, and commercialization of vaccines to prevent serious infectious diseases. The company's lead vaccine candidates include ResVax, a respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) fusion (F) protein nanoparticle vaccine candidate that in Phase III clinical trial to protect infants from RSV disease through maternal immunization; and NanoFlu, which is in Phase III clinical trial for treating seasonal influenza in older adults. Its lead adjuvant is Matrix-M that is used to enable a vaccine to enhance the amplitude of the immune response and qualitatively change it, and the immune systems attack against microorganisms, as well as to allow immunization with much lower doses of antigen. The company is also developing RSV F vaccine for older adults (60 years and older) that is in Phase II clinical trial, as well as for healthy children between six months to five years of age that is in Phase I clinical trial. In addition, it develops nanoparticle vaccine candidates for clinic testing against ebola virus that is in Phase I clinical trial; and combination respiratory vaccine to protect against influenza and RSV. Further, the company is developing COVID-19 vaccine for coronavirus that causes pneumonia-like symptoms, which is in preclinical stage. It has a partnership agreement with Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited for the development, manufacturing, and commercialization of NVX-CoV2373, a COVID-19 vaccine candidate. Novavax, Inc. was founded in 1987 and is headquartered in Gaithersburg, Maryland.
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, discovers, invents, develops, manufactures, and commercializes medicines for treating various medical conditions worldwide. The company's products include EYLEA injection to treat wet age-related macular degeneration and diabetic macular edema (DME); myopic choroidal neovascularization; and diabetic retinopathy in patients with DME, as well as macular edema following retinal vein occlusion, including macular edema following central retinal vein occlusion and macular edema following branch retinal vein occlusion. It also provides Dupixent injection to treat atopic dermatitis in adults, and asthma in adults and adolescents; Praluent injection for heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia or clinical atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease in adults; and Kevzara solution for subcutaneous injection for treating rheumatoid arthritis in adults. In addition, the company offers Libtayo injection to treat metastatic or locally advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma; ARCALYST injection for cryopyrin-associated periodic syndromes, including familial cold auto-inflammatory syndrome and muckle-wells syndrome; and ZALTRAP injection for intravenous infusion to treat metastatic colorectal cancer. Further, it is developing various product candidates for treating patients with eye diseases, allergic and inflammatory diseases, cancer, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, neuromuscular diseases, infectious diseases, and other diseases. The company has collaboration and license agreements with Sanofi; Bayer; Teva; Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma; Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Roche Pharmaceuticals; and Vyriad, Inc., as well as has an agreement with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. It has collaborations with Zai Lab Limited; Intellia Therapeutics, Inc.; and BioNTech. Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. was founded in 1988 and is headquartered in Tarrytown, New York.
Trillium Therapeutics Inc., a clinical stage immuno-oncology company, develops therapies for the treatment of cancer. The company's lead program is TTI-621, a SIRPaFc fusion protein that acts a soluble decoy receptor preventing CD47 from delivering its inhibitory signal, which is in Phase I clinical trial for advanced relapsed or refractory hematologic malignancies, and solid tumors and mycosis fungoides. Its product candidates also include TTI-622 that is in Phase I clinical trial of immunoglobulin G4 SIRPaFc protein; and TTI-10001, a small molecule stimulator of interferon genes agonist that senses cytosolic DNA for promoting tumor immunity, which is in the discovery Phase. The company was formerly known as Stem Cell Therapeutics Corp. and changed its name to Trillium Therapeutics Inc. in June 2014. Trillium Therapeutics Inc. was founded in 2004 is headquartered in Mississauga, Canada.
Historical performance
Stock information
Market capitalization: $1767831936
Dividend yield: 0%
Company summary
Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, focuses on the development and commercialization of therapies to address high unmet medical needs. The company's marketed products include HETLIOZ for the treatment of non-24-hour sleep-wake disorders; and Fanapt for the treatment of schizophrenia. Its products under development include HETLIOZ (tasimelteon) for the treatment of jet lag disorder, smith-magenis syndrome, pediatric Non-24, and delayed sleep phase disorder; Fanapt® (iloperidone) for the treatment of bipolar disorder and a long acting injectable formulation program for the treatment of schizophrenia; and Tradipitant (VLY-686), a small molecule neurokinin-1 receptor (NK-1R) antagonist, for the treatment of atopic dermatitis, gastroparesis, and motion sickness. The company's products under development also comprise VTR-297, a small molecule histone deacetylase inhibitor for the treatment of hematologic malignancies and with potential use as a treatment for various oncology indications; VQW-765, a small molecule nicotinic acetylcholine receptor partial agonist for the treatment of psychiatric disorders; and a portfolio of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator activators and inhibitors for the treatment of dry eye and ocular inflammation, as well as for the treatment of secretory diarrhea disorders, including cholera. It markets its products in the United States, Europe, and Israel. Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc. was incorporated in 2002 and is headquartered in Washington, the District of Columbia.
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated engages in developing and commercializing therapies for treating cystic fibrosis. The company markets SYMDEKO/SYMKEVI, ORKAMBI, and KALYDECO to treat patients with cystic fibrosis who have specific mutations in their cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator gene; and TRIKAFTA for the treatment of patients with CF 12 years of age or older who have at least one F508del mutation in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator, or CFTR, gene. Its pipeline includes Pipeline for Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency that is in Phase 2 clinical trial; VX-864, a second investigational small molecule corrector for the treatment of AAT deficiency, which is in Phase 1 clinical trial; and VX-147 that completed a Phase 1 clinical trial for the treatment of APOL1-mediated focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, or FSGS, and other serious kidney diseases. The company sells its products primarily to specialty pharmacy and specialty distributors in the United States, as well as specialty distributors and retail chains, and hospitals and clinics internationally. Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated has collaborations with CRISPR Therapeutics AG; Arbor Biotechnologies, Inc.; Moderna, Inc.; Genomics plc; Merck KGaA; Darmstadt, Germany; X-Chem, Inc.; Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Merck KGaA; Kymera Therapeutics; Ribometrix, Inc.; Molecular Templates, Inc.; and Affinia Therapeutics. The company was founded in 1989 and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts.
XBiotech Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, discovers, develops, and commercializes True Human monoclonal antibodies for treating various diseases. The company focuses on developing a pipeline of antibody therapies for treating oncology, inflammatory conditions, and infectious diseases. Its product candidates include 514G3, an anti-infective antibody that is in Phase II clinical trial for the treatment of Staphylococcus Aureus infections; and other anti-infectious disease antibodies, which are in pre-clinical development to treat Clostridium Difficile, influenza, Ebola, and Herpes Varicella Zoster (Chickenpox). XBiotech Inc. has a collaboration with BioBridge Global for the development of potential COVID 19 treatment based on natural antibodies from recovered patients. The company was founded in 2005 and is headquartered in Austin, Texas.
For a less targeted and more diverse approach to biotech investing, consider any of the following exchange-traded funds.
ARK Genomic Revolution ETF (ARKG)
First Trust Amex Biotechnology Index (FBT)
Invesco Dynamic Biotechnology & Genome ETF (PBE)
iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology ETF (IBB)
SPDR S&P Biotech ETF (XBI)
VanEck Vectors Biotech ETF (BBH)
How to buy biotech stocks
Ready to invest in biotechnology? Here’s what to expect from the investment process.
1. Research stocks
There are plenty of pure-play biotech companies, some with US roots and others headquartered abroad. The right stock for your portfolio is a matter of cost, risk and strategy.
Take a close look at the company’s repertoire of pharmaceuticals and technology. Is it a well-established business with numerous products on the market? Or is the company still waiting to clear its first product for public use?
Do some research to identify which biotech stocks might be a practical fit for your portfolio.
2. Open a brokerage account
The next step in the investment process is to open a brokerage account. There are several online platforms to choose from, and each platform offers a unique blend of features and services for different types of traders.
If you’re new to investing, consider a beginner-friendly platform like Robinhood or SoFi. If you’ve got some experience under your belt and plan on performing your own research, explore a platform with comprehensive research tools, like Interactive Brokers or TD Ameritrade.
3. Purchase stocks
Once you’ve opened and funded your brokerage account, you can begin the process of selecting and purchasing stocks.
Search for your chosen stock by company name or ticker symbol. Once you’ve pinpointed the stock, enter the number of shares you’d like to purchase, select your order type and submit the order.
You can monitor the performance of your stocks by logging into your brokerage account.
Compare trading platforms
To invest in biotech stocks, you need a brokerage account. Compare features and fees of top accounts to find the best fit for your goals and budget.
Disclaimer: The value of any investment can go up or down depending on news, trends and market conditions. We are not investment advisers, so do your own due diligence to understand the risks before you invest.
Bottom line
Biotechnology is rife with potential but is often subject to strict regulations. Investor funds may be tied up for years, and there’s no guarantee of a return.
To invest in biotech stocks, explore your brokerage account options across multiple platforms for the account best suited for your investment goals.
Shannon Terrell is a writer for Finder who studied communications and English literature at the University of Toronto. On any given day, you can find her researching everything from equine financing and business loans to student debt refinancing and how to start a trust. She loves hot coffee, the smell of fresh books and discovering new ways to save her pennies.
Private-equity companies have about $1.6 trillion of uninvested capital to put into merger and acquisition activity. This bodes well for 2021’s IPO market.
How likely would you be to recommend finder to a friend or colleague?
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Very UnlikelyExtremely Likely
Required
Thank you for your feedback.
Our goal is to create the best possible product, and your thoughts, ideas and suggestions play a major role in helping us identify opportunities to improve.
Advertiser Disclosure
finder.com is an independent comparison platform and information service that aims to provide you with the tools you need to make better decisions. While we are independent, the offers that appear on this site are from companies from which finder.com receives compensation. We may receive compensation from our partners for placement of their products or services. We may also receive compensation if you click on certain links posted on our site. While compensation arrangements may affect the order, position or placement of product information, it doesn't influence our assessment of those products. Please don't interpret the order in which products appear on our Site as any endorsement or recommendation from us. finder.com compares a wide range of products, providers and services but we don't provide information on all available products, providers or services. Please appreciate that there may be other options available to you than the products, providers or services covered by our service.
