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Every stock investor wants a strong return; that’s axiomatic, it’s why people get into the stock market to begin with. But the markets are inherently risky, and finding the sweet spot – the right combination of risk and reward – seems as much an art as a science. You can use science, however, to minimize the risk. We’re talking about statistical science, the study of numbers, their patterns, and the relationships between them. This can give investors an objective view of the broader market or specific stocks, and can even be used to measure the success of those artists of the stock market, the professional traders and analysts. We’ve used the tools on the TipRanks platform to sort through the publicly traded stocks and find three that are showing a solid combination of risk and reward. Specifically, we’ve looked for Strong Buy stocks that have recently received a thumbs up from an analyst – along with a price target suggesting 100% or better upside potential. Doubling your money sounds like a good return, so let’s find out what else these stocks have going for them. Rezolute (RZLT) We’ll start in the biopharmaceutical industry, where Rezolute specializes in developing drug therapies – new medications – for patients with difficult-to-treat metabolic conditions. These are frequently considered orphan diseases, illnesses that have very few patients and therefore a limited market. Rezolute is currently working on two pipeline projects, both for conditions similar to or related to diabetes. The company’s leading drug candidate, RZ358, in currently undergoing a Phase 2b open-label study as a treatment for congenital hyperinsulinism (CHI), a rare pediatric disorder in which the pancreas produces too much insulin, causing extremely low blood sugar, with cascading effects on the whole body. RZ402, the second drug candidate, is in Phase 1 clinical trials. It is an orally dosed treatment for diabetic macular edema, one of the causes of diabetic-related blindness. In its recent financial report for fiscal Q3 2021, Rezolute included development updates on both leading drug candidates. For RZ358, the company noted that the Phase 2b RIZE study is still enrolling patients and that top line data is expected to become available in 2H21. For the Phase 1 study of RZ402, Resolute announced that the trial is complete and that the initial results demonstrated that once-daily oral dosing is feasible. The company will initiate a Phase 1b trial in 3Q21, as a step toward Phase 2 studies. In financial results, Rezolute reported having on hand $32 million available in cash and equivalents, enough to fund operations into the third calendar quarter of 2022. H.C. Wainwright’s five-star analyst Douglas Tsao initiated his coverage of RZLT with an upbeat outlook, writing, “Rezolute is ready to enter the spotlight with two assets featuring novel mechanisms… Despite assets with promising data and differentiated mechanisms, Rezolute has largely been overlooked by the investment community, which we largely attribute to its entry into the public markets via a reverse merger and an OTC listing. However, with key catalysts upcoming and a recent up listing on the NASDAQ, we think it’s time for investors to pay attention to this story.” Tsao gives the stock a Buy rating and $21 price target that implies an upside of 103% for the coming year. (To watch Tsao’s track record, click here.) The Strong Buy consensus rating on RZLT shares is based on 3 recent reviews – and they are all positive, making the consensus unanimous. The shares are priced at $10.33, with a $25.33 average price target, making the one-year upside potential a robust 145%. (See Rezolute’s stock analysis at TipRanks.) Westport Fuel Systems, Inc. (WPRT) Next up we have Westport Fuel Systems, a company which operates in the green sector of the energy and transportation industry, producing natural gas engines and associated fuel system components, for both personal and commercial vehicles. Westport is a leader in high-pressure direct-injection technology, and also produces engines designed for propane or hydrogen fuels. Westport holds 1,400 patents or patent applications related to alternative fuel systems. Last year, the company made sales in 70 countries, for total revenue of $252 million. In the first quarter report for the current year, Westport posted revenues of $76.4 million, beating the estimates by $3.81 million and up 14% from 1Q20, putting the company on track to beat last year’s total. The company ran a net loss in Q1; however, despite missing the Street’s forecast by $0.01, the loss of 2 cents per share was far lower than the 12-cent loss posted in the year-ago quarter. Westport has a stated goal of reaching $1 billion in annual business by the middle part of this decade. Amit Dayal, 5-star analyst with H.C. Wainwright, covers this stock, and he was impressed by the Q1 results. Dayal wrote, “The YoY strength in revenues is attributed to 25.0% increase in OEM sales supported by demand for light-duty vehicles. Gross margins for the quarter improved to 17.0% compared to 15.5% in 4Q20 supported by product mix.” Turning to the company's outlook, the analyst added, “An important takeaway from the call was management's increasing focus on driving growth in North America. We believe regulatory drivers in this geography are now pressuring fleet owners to seek out cleaner emission trucks. This, in our opinion, plays into the company's available solutions that are already addressing this need.” In-line with those comments, Dayal rated WPRT shares as a Buy. His price target, at $16, indicates confidence in a 155% upside for the nest 12 months. (To watch Dayal’s track record, click here.) Like RZLT above, Westport has received 3 positive stock reviews for a unanimous Strong Buy consensus rating. WPRT shares have an average price target of $13.33, implying a one-year upside of 112% from the current trading price of $6.26. (See Westport’s stock analysis at TipRanks.) Ayr Wellness (AYRWF) For the last stock on our list, we’ll turn to the fast-growing cannabis industry. Ayr Wellness is a US-based cannabis company, an MSO (multistate operator) with operations stretching from the cultivation of the plants to the distribution of the product. Ayr has dispensaries in Arizona, Florida, Massachusetts, Nevada, and Pennsylvania, and offers a range of products for both medicinal and recreational users. The legal cannabis market is young, and still growing quickly. In Ayr’s 1Q21 report, the company showed a 74% year-over-year gain in revenue, to $58.4 million. Ayr has been focusing on expanding its footprint. During the quarter, it closed on the acquisition of Liberty Health Sciences in Florida. This move added 42 dispensaries to Ayr’s Florida operation, giving the company the fourth-largest ‘cannabis footprint’ in the third-largest state. Ayr also closed on acquisitions in Arizona and Ohio, with the Ohio ops slated to begin next quarter. The company expects to enter the New Jersey market by the end of the summer. Echelon analyst Andrew Semple sees the company’s expansion as the driving force here, and he writes of Ayr, “We forecast steep growth ahead, with our forecast calling for sales to surpass $120M by Q420, more than double Q121 levels. In the quarters ahead, Ayr will benefit from first full quarter of contribution from its acquired Arizona and Florida businesses, closing of the Garden State Dispensary acquisition in New Jersey (expected Q321), significant capacity expansions across Arizona, Pennsylvania, Florida, New Jersey, and Nevada (as well as MA/OH to turn online in 2022), and 14 new dispensaries in operation by YE 2021 relative to QE Q121.” Semple, a 5-star analyst rated among the top 100 analysts on Wall Street, gives the shares a Buy rating and bumps his price target up from $C70 ($58) to C$74 ($61) suggesting a 100% upside for the year ahead. (To watch Semple’s track record, click here.) There are 5 recent reviews on this stock, with a breakdown of 4 to 1 in favor of Buy versus Hold, all coalescing to a Strong Buy consensus rating. The average price target stands at $45.58, implying an upside of 49% in the year ahead. (See Ayr Wellness’s stock analysis at TipRanks To find good ideas for stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks’ Best Stocks to Buy, a newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks’ equity insights. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analysts. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment.
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