Archive for September, 2011

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Pharmasset Inc. (VRUS) jumps on drug findings

Tuesday, September 6th, 2011

Pharmasset Inc. (Nasdaq: VRUS) shares rose 5.2% to $67.55 after the drug developer released preliminary findings from a study of its Hepatitis C treatment. Volume for the stock was 658,000 shares, or about half its daily average.

A news release out September 6 noted that the Princeton, New Jersey-based company announced today sustained virologic response (SVR) results from its phase 2b PROTON study with PSI-7977 400 mg dosed once daily in combination with peginterferon alfa 2a and ribavirin (Peg-IFN/RBV) in subjects with hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1 who have not been treated previously.

In all, 95 treatment-naive patients with HCV genotype 1 were enrolled into two open-label arms of the PROTON trial, receiving either PSI-7977 200 mg QD (N=48) or 400 mg QD (N=47) for 12 weeks. Individuals in both arms received Peg-IFN/RBV for 24 weeks and were followed post-treatment to assess SVR12.

What’s more, 26 subjects were enrolled in a placebo control arm and are receiving 48 weeks of Peg-IFN/RBV. Results from this study through the SVR12 endpoint are scheduled to be presented as part of a Presidential Plenary Session at the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) meeting on Tuesday, November 8, 2011.

“I am very pleased with the results of this study which clearly demonstrate the benefit of the 400 mg dose of PSI-7977 with only 24 weeks of interferon for all subjects,” Dr. Eric Lawitz, the study’s principal investigator, was quoted in the release as saying. “HCV therapy is becoming overly complex, and the elimination of 24 weeks of interferon and ribavirin as well as all response guided criteria for patients with HCV genotype 1 would be a welcomed simplification.”

Pharmasset is a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company committed to discovering, developing, and commercializing novel drugs to treat viral infections.

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Ciena Corp. (CIEN) pops on narrower Q3 losses

Thursday, September 1st, 2011

Ciena Corp. (Nasdaq: CIEN) shares climbed 18.9% to $14.55 after the network-equipment maker reported losses narrowed in its fiscal third quarter. Volume for the stock proved to be 24.4 million shares, or nearly four times its normal daily average.

The company put out a news release Sept. 1, saying that, for the fiscal third quarter 2011, Ciena reported revenue of $435.3 million. On the basis of generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), Ciena’s net loss for the fiscal third quarter 2011 was $31.5 million, or $0.33 per common share, which compares to a GAAP net loss of $109.9 million, or $1.18 per common share, for the fiscal third quarter 2010.

Ciena’s adjusted (non-GAAP) net income for the fiscal third quarter 2011 was $8.3 million, or $0.08 per common share, which compares to an adjusted (non-GAAP) net loss of $8.0 million, or $0.09 per common share, for the fiscal third quarter 2010.

Ciena CEO Gary Smith was quoted in the same release as saying, “Our third quarter results, which included a favorable product mix and reduced operating expense to achieve an as-adjusted operating profit, demonstrate our early progress in delivering additional operating leverage from the business.”

Smith continued, “Despite current macroeconomic headwinds that could cause the rate of market growth to be moderated, we believe that we are well-positioned to capitalize on the continued modernization of today’s networks and to grow faster than the market.”

The Maryland-based Ciena offers leading network infrastructure solutions, intelligent software and a comprehensive services practice.

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Movado Group Inc. (MOV) moves on profit picture

Thursday, September 1st, 2011

Movado Group Inc. (NYSE: MOV) shares gained 8.5% to $14.93 after the watch manufacturer reported second-quarter profit that topped Wall Street’s expectations. Share volume for the company totaled more than 142,000, nosing out its all-day average of 121,000 shares before noon ET Thursday.

A news release dated Sept. 1, noted that the company, based out of Paramus, N.J., announced net sales in the second quarter of fiscal 2012 increased 32.6% to $113.2 million, compared to $85.4 million in the second quarter of fiscal 2011, driven by growth in every brand category. On a constant dollar basis, net sales increased 25.5% compared to the prior year period.

Gross profit in the second quarter of fiscal 2012 was $60.9 million, or 53.8% of sales, compared to $44.4 million, or 52.0% of sales, in the second quarter last year. The increase in gross margin percentage is primarily the result of leverage gained on certain fixed costs as well as a favorable shift in channel and product mix.

The same release quoted Movado CEO Efraim Grinberg as saying, “We are very pleased with our second quarter and year-to-date performance. Our strategic initiatives coupled with solid execution have continued to benefit our results as we recorded another period of double-digit sales growth while also increasing our profitability.

Grinberg  continued, “While we experienced broad-based sales growth across all of our brand categories, our results continue to be driven by particularly strong performances in Movado and licensed brands both domestically and internationally.”

Movado Group, Inc. designs, sources, and distributes MOVADO®, EBEL®, CONCORD®, ESQ® by Movado, COACH®, TOMMY HILFIGER®, HUGO BOSS®, JUICY COUTURE® and LACOSTE® watches worldwide, and operates Movado company stores in the United States.

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