About Us

Laser Focus World is an industry bedrock—first published in 1965 and still going strong. We publish original articles about cutting-edge advances in lasers, optics, photonics, sensors, and quantum technologies, as well as test and measurement, and the shift currently underway to usher in the photonic integrated circuits, optical interconnects, and copackaged electronics and photonics to deliver the speed and efficiency essential for data centers of the future.

Our 80,000 qualified print subscribers—and 130,000 12-month engaged online audience—trust us to dive in and provide original journalism you won’t find elsewhere covering key emerging areas such as laser-driven inertial confinement fusion, lasers in space, integrated photonics, chipscale lasers, LiDAR, metasurfaces, high-energy laser weaponry, photonic crystals, and quantum computing/sensors/communications. We cover the innovations driving these markets.

Laser Focus World is part of Endeavor Business Media, a division of EndeavorB2B.

Laser Focus World Membership

Never miss any articles, videos, podcasts, or webinars by signing up for membership access to Laser Focus World online. You can manage your preferences all in one place—and provide our editorial team with your valued feedback.

Magazine Subscription

Can you subscribe to receive our print issue for free? Yes, you sure can!

SUBSCRIBE TO LASER FOCUS WORLD MAGAZINE

Newsletter Subscription

A Laser Focus World newsletter subscription is free to qualified professionals:

The Daily Beam

Showcases the newest content from Laser Focus World, including photonics- and optics-based applications, components, research, and trends. (Daily)

Product Watch

The latest in products within the photonics industry. (9x per year)

Bio & Life Sciences Product Watch

The latest in products within the biophotonics industry. (4x per year)

Laser Processing Product Watch

The latest in products within the laser processing industry. (3x per year)

SUBSCRIBE TO LASER FOCUS WORLD NEWSLETTERS

Get Published!

If you’d like to write an article for us, reach out with a short pitch to Sally Cole Johnson: [email protected]. We love to hear from you.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES

Photonics Hot List

Laser Focus World produces a video newscast that gives a peek into what’s happening in the world of photonics.

Following the Photons: A Photonics Podcast

Following the Photons: A Photonics Podcast dives deep into the fascinating world of photonics. Our weekly episodes feature interviews and discussions with industry and research experts, providing valuable perspectives on the issues, technologies, and trends shaping the photonics community.

Social Media

Bluesky • Facebook • Instagram • LinkedIn • YouTube

Meet the Laser Focus World Team

Editorial

Sales

Editorial Advisory Board

Professor Andrea M. Armani, University of Southern California
Ruti Ben-Shlomi, Ph.D., LightSolver
James Butler, Ph.D., Hamamatsu
Natalie Fardian-Melamed, Ph.D., Columbia University
Justin Sigley, Ph.D., AmeriCOM
Professor Birgit Stiller, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light, and Leibniz University of Hannover
Professor Stephen Sweeney, University of Glasgow
Mohan Wang, Ph.D., University of Oxford
Professor Xuchen Wang, Harbin Engineering University
Professor Stefan Witte, Delft University of Technology

Indicators

Markets:

News

Pliant Therapeutics Gaps 34% Higher: More Upside To Come?

By: MarketBeat

January 25, 2023 at 04:23 AM EST

Pliant Therapeutics Gaps 34% Higher: More Upside To Come?

Biotech Pliant Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: PLRX) zoomed 34% higher on January 23 and added to that gain in the subsequent session.

The gap-up followed the company’s announcement of results for a treatment for a lung condition known as idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Patients with this condition have difficulty breathing due to a buildup of lung scar tissue. They have difficulty breathing due to built-up scar tissue in their lungs.

The study included a group of patients treated with a 320 mg dose of the company’s bexotegrast drug. The study found that bexotegrast was well tolerated over a 12-week treatment period.

In the second quarter, Pliant expects to release further data from patients treated for at least 24 weeks. It’s also planning to begin a second phase of clinical trials of bexotegrast in mid-year.

With the price action on January 23, Pliant gapped out of a cup-with-handle base that began forming in early November.

The gap-up on January 23 might seem like it puts the stock far out of the buy range, being too extended beyond its cup-with-handle buy point above $24.10. However, a gap higher like that is generally an encouraging sign, indicating that institutions that follow the stock are jumping onboard on optimism about a company-specific development, in this case, the clinical trial results.

It’s not a case of chasing a stock too far beyond a buy point. However, it would also be normal for Pliant to pull back and digest some gains in the not-so-distant future, as investors who bought at lower levels take profits.

Gapped Up 159% In July

This marks the second time within a year that Pliant skyrocketed on the news about bexotegrast clinical trials. On July 11, shares gapped an astonishing 159% higher after the company released the results of phase one the trials, which investors liked.

On January 24, shares advanced another 8.78%, closing at $32.94.While that was a pretty strong second-day rally, its possible results were more muted than they may have been otherwise: Pliant announced an offering of $175 million of its common stock.

The company said it plans to use the net proceeds from the proposed offering, together with its existing cash, cash equivalents and short-term investments, to develop ongoing and future pre-clinical and clinical programs, including bexotegrast and PLN-101095, a treatment for another program. The company cited working capital, operating expenses, and capital expenditures as uses for the new cash influx.

When a company issues new shares, it often has a negative impact on the share price. That’s because it increases the total number of shares outstanding. Existing investors see their capital diluted; in other words, there are more shares to divide the earnings.

In Pliant’s case, the stock didn’t decline, likely because investors were still piling in based on optimism about the bexotegrast clinical trial results.

No Earnings & Meager Revenue

So is this stock buyable? As with any stock, that depends on your risk tolerance and goals. This company is still unprofitable, which is not uncommon in the biotech sector as companies are in the research, development, and clinical trial stages.

Often, these young biotechs can rise higher based on the promise of a bright future, not so much the current revenue and earnings. In the most recent quarter, Pliant reported revenue of $1.482 million, generated from a development partnership with Novartis AG (NYSE: NVS).

Catalyst Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ: CPRX) and Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc (NASDAQ: NBIX) are examples of small- and mid-cap biotech, respectively, that have managed to rally in recent months despite relatively small earnings, at least relative to larger peers.

MarketBeat analyst data for Pliant show a consensus rating of “buy” with a price target of $47.11, a 43.02% upside over where the stock is currently trading. Since the January 23 announcement, five analysts boosted their price targets on Pliant, including heavyweights JPMorgan Chase and Citigroup.

That indicates conviction that the next batches of clinical data will likely result in yet more encouraging results.

Pliant Therapeutics Gaps 34% Higher: More Upside To Come?

Recent Quotes

Symbol	Price	Change (%)
GOOG	247.18	+0.61 (0.25%)

Stock Quote API & Stock News API supplied by www.cloudquote.io
Quotes delayed at least 20 minutes.
By accessing this page, you agree to the following
Privacy Policy and Terms Of Service.