Top 10 Tech Companies To Buy Right Now

Biotech companies can make you rich if you buy the right ones at the right time. They can also make you poor; but let's not dwell on the negative.

If you'd owned these three biotech companies at the beginning of the year, you're sitting on around a triple compared to a relatively smaller-but-still-impressive 34% increase in the Nasdaq Biotechnology Index.

AEGR data by YCharts.

Let's take a look at what's driven the biotech companies to increase in price and whether they're still a buy at the new price.

This isn't crazy
ACADIA Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: ACAD  ) spiked in April after the Food and Drug Administration threw the biotech company a bone and said ACADIA wouldn't have to run a second phase 3 trial for pimavanserin in patients with Parkinson's disease psychosis.

The move was a double bonus because it reduced the time it'll take to get pimavanserin on the market and eliminated the chance of a failure in the second phase 3 trial. While the drug passed its most recent phase 3 trial just fine, the symptoms of Parkinson's disease psychosis are somewhat subjective. Knowing that the drug worked in a phase 3 trial already could increase the placebo effect, making it hard to repeat the results. Now ACADIA doesn't have to.

Hot Mid Cap Stocks To Buy For 2015: Stemline Therapeutics Inc (STML)

Stemline Therapeutics, Inc. (Stemline), incorporated on August 8, 2003, is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, acquiring, developing and commercializing therapeutics that target both cancer stem cells (CSCs) and tumor bulk. The Company is developing two clinical-stage product candidates, SL-401 and SL-701, for which it holds global marketing rights. The indication for SL-401, a biologic-drug conjugate, is acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The indications for SL-701, a synthetic peptide vaccine, are pediatric and adult brain cancer. It has a platform, StemScreen, for the discovery of CSC-targeted compounds, from which it has discovered or validated several of its clinical and preclinical product candidates. Stemline�� StemScreen consists of StemScreen-1 and StemScreen-2 for the identification of CSC-directed compounds.

SL-301 is a small molecule gamma-secretase inhibitor that inhibits Notch, a pathway expressed by CSCs and tumor bulk of multiple cancer types. SL-101 is a monoclonal antibody-based (mAb -based) compound that targets CD123 and has shown in vitro activity against certain hematologic cancers. SL-201 is a small molecule active against certain hematologic and solid tumor types. SL-601 is a mAb-based compound that targets a cell surface marker on bladder CSCs, which is also expressed on a variety of other solid tumor types. It has also in-licensed certain intellectual property directed to mAb-based therapeutics to validated oncology targets, including Glypican-3, Tie-1, CD133, Frizzled, Smoothened and Patched.

SL-401 - An IL-3R-Directed Compound Targeting Cancer Stem Cells and Tumor Bulk

SL-401 is a clinically active biologic-drug conjugate consisting of human interleukin-3 (IL-3) genetically linked to a truncated version of diphtheria toxin. SL-401 targets the IL-3 receptor (IL-3R), which is overexpressed on both the CSCs and tumor bulk of multiple hematologic cancers, including AML. SL-401 has demonstrated preclinical in vit! ro and in vivo activity against both leukemia blasts (which includes tumor bulk) and CSCs of a range of human leukemia cell lines and primary leukemia cells from patients.

SL-701

SL-701 is a clinically active synthetic peptide vaccine that targets several epitopes on CSCs and tumor bulk of brain cancer. In two completed Phase 1/2 clinical trials, SL-701 demonstrated single agent anti-tumor activity in pediatric patients with newly diagnosed brainstem glioma (BSG) and other high-grade gliomas (HGGs) and in adult patients with refractory or recurrent GBM, and other HGGs.

StemScreen-1

StemScreen-1 is a drug discovery platform designed to identify CSC-targeted compounds based on the isolation of CSCs and evaluation of CSC gene expression profiles. CSCs are isolated from primary tumor tissue or cell lines, and then subjected to gene expression analysis using a variety of technologies, including microarray. A control tissue, such as normal bone marrow is analyzed as a comparator against the gene expression profile of the isolated CSCs. These data are then interfaced with an information base of compounds and their mechanisms of action (that is which gene products and pathways they impact). It has utilized StemScreen-1 to discover a number of its preclinical drug candidates. These include SL-201, SL-301, and SL-601. In addition, SL-401 demonstrated activity against CSCs as determined by both an in vitro colony formation and in vivo animal implantation assay, thereby validating certain StemScreen-1 anti-CSC assays.

StemScreen-2

StemScreen-2 is a high throughput drug discovery platform it is developing to discover anti-CSC compounds. StemScreen-2 utilizes a cell-based assay that can track and follow CSCs in their natural state during high throughput screening. In particular, StemScreen-2 utilizes a CSC-specific promoter linked to a reporter as a method for identifying and following CSCs in their native environment of surrounding tumor b! ulk. In t! his way, StemScreen-2 enables the identification of compound hits, in a high throughput manner, with anti-CSC activity.

The Company competes with Boston Biomedical, Inc., Eclipse Therapeutics, Inc., OncoMed Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Verastem, Inc., Astellas Pharma US, Inc., Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, Dainippon Sumitomo Pharma Co. Ltd., Geron Corp., GlaxoSmithKline plc, ImmunoCellular Therapeutics, Ltd, Macrogenics Inc., Amgen, Inc., Pfizer Inc., Roche Holding AG, Sanofi U.S. LLC., Cyclacel Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Sunesis Pharmaceuticals Inc., Clavis Pharma ASA, Ambit Biosciences Corporation, Celgene Corporation, Eisai Co. Ltd., Celator Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Merck & Co., Inc., Eisai Co., Inc., Roche Holding AG, Novartis AG and Celldex Therapeutics, Inc.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By David Zeiler]

  3. Stemline Therapeutics Inc. (Nasdaq: STML): This biotech develops drugs that target cancer stem cells and tumors. Stemline went public January 29 at $10 a share and rose just 11.78% on its first day. But STML has climbed steadily since, and currently trades at $37.46, up 274.6% from its IPO price.

• [By Jay Silverman]

  Some of the biggest leaders in that field, and there have been dozens in fields, if not more this year, such as Bluebird (BLUE) and Stemline Therapeutics (STML) and have all pulled back to significantly lower levels; even below, in Bluebird's case, the price that had actually opened up as an IPO, even though it's above its IPO price.

Top 10 Tech Companies To Buy Right Now: Apple Inc.(AAPL)

Apple Inc., together with subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, and markets personal computers, mobile communication and media devices, and portable digital music players, as well as sells related software, services, peripherals, networking solutions, and third-party digital content and applications worldwide. The company sells its products worldwide through its online stores, retail stores, direct sales force, third-party wholesalers, resellers, and value-added resellers. In addition, it sells third-party Mac, iPhone, iPad, and iPod compatible products, including application software, printers, storage devices, speakers, headphones, and other accessories and peripherals through its online and retail stores; and digital content and applications through the iTunes Store. The company sells its products to consumer, small and mid-sized business, education, enterprise, government, and creative markets. As of September 25, 2010, it had 317 retail stores, including 233 stores in the United States and 84 stores internationally. The company, formerly known as Apple Computer, Inc., was founded in 1976 and is headquartered in Cupertino, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Douglas A. McIntyre]

  China, with more than 600 million people who have wireless connections and 750 million people online, has been the Holy Grail for consumer electronics and enterprise telecom companies for years. Hammering that home, IDC has forecast that there will be 450 million smartphones sold in China next year. The People’s Republic rapidly has�turned from a market for dumb handsets to one in which smartphones obviously have�begun to replace PCs at an accelerated�rate, following a pattern already in place in developed nations. The stakes for smartphone companies have risen. Because the market is so new, global leaders Samsung and Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL) do not necessarily have the advantages they do elsewhere.

• [By DailyFinance Staff]

  There's a new king in a closely watched brand marketing survey, and the Gulf oil spill is back in the spotlight. These stories and more are in Monday's Market Minute. The Dow Industrials (^DJI) and the S&P 500 (^GPSC) both fell by more than one percent last week, but the Nasdaq (^IXIC) edged slightly higher. The major averages are set to sell-off this morning as the market braces for a government shutdown. AP Photo/Kin Cheung Apple (AAPL) has toppled Coca-Cola (KO) as the world's most valuable brand. This is the first time in the Interbrand survey's 13-year history that Coke has not been number one. It fell to third, with Google (GOOG) sliding into the second spot. BP is back in court today for the start of the second phase of a three-part trial to determine responsibility for the gigantic Gulf of Mexico oil spill three years ago. The company is trying to limit the amount of damages it might have to pay. Fines could total as much as 18-billion dollars. BP has already paid out more than 42-billion in clean-up, compensation and fines. Meanwhile, Royal Dutch Shell plans to sell its stake in a major oil project in Texas. It says the Texas project has not live up to expectations. IBM (IBM) agreed late Friday to settle federal charges that it discriminated against Americans in some of its hiring practices. The company's online job listings expressed a preference for software developers who had student visas or H-1B visas. IBM will pay a small fine and revise its hiring process. We continue to watch shares of J.C. Penney (JCP), which plunged 30 percent last week. The retailer issued 84-million shares, diluting the value of its current stock, and analysts warned that sales growth remains sluggish. And King.com, the online entertainment company best known for its Candy Crush game, has filed to go public in the U.S. The British company says it has 30-billion games played globally each month. The filing reportedly values King at about 5-billion dollars.

• [By Andrew Tonner]

  In case you hadn't noticed, the PC market is in absolute shambles these days. With�Microsoft's (NASDAQ: MSFT  ) Windows 8 having failed to drive the refresh cycle many had hoped, we're now seeing names like Microsoft and�Intel (NASDAQ: INTC  ) shift their strategy. In the coming months, investors and consumers will see a new spate of devices enter the market that will take aim at the tablet market. And while these are two of the most formidable names in all of technology, the challenge they both face is maybe equally immense as both�Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) and�Google (NASDAQ: GOOG  ) continue to click on all cylinders in the mobile space as well. This tension should be one of the defining storylines in big tech today.

• [By Evan Niu, CFA]

  Amazon.com (NASDAQ: AMZN  ) and Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL  ) are increasingly at odds these days. Once upon a time, one was merely an e-tailer and the other just a Mac maker. These days, the two are butting heads on more fronts. Amazon is now going all out on its assault on Apple.

Top 10 Tech Companies To Buy Right Now: Authentidate Holding Corp.(ADAT)

Authentidate Holding Corp. provides secure Web-based software applications and telehealth products and services in the United States. It offers Inscrybe Healthcare, a Web-based health information exchange and workflow automation solution that enables healthcare industry participants to exchange and track a range of documents, certificates, authorizations, and other information over various modes of communication, including electronic and fax delivery; Inscrybe Office, a Web-based service to sign, seal, and confirm receipt of important documents; and AuthentiProof, a content integrity and time-and-date stamp application. The company also provides the in-home ExpressMD solution, which integrates Electronic House Call in-home patient vital signs monitoring system with a software interface based on the Inscrybe Healthcare platform. It serves integrated delivery networks, physician groups and networks, managed care organizations, hospitals, medical centers, home health agencies , pharmacies, governments, and public health organizations through direct sales and reseller arrangements. The company was formerly known as Bitwise Designs, Inc. and changed its name to Authentidate Holding Corp. in March 2001. Authentidate Holding Corp. was founded in 1985 and is based in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By James E. Brumley]

  In a perfect world, a stock's price is merely a reflection of a predictable combination of a company's history and forward-looking prospects. We don't live - or trade - in a perfect world though. In the real world, a chart not only tells a story, but illustrates traders' changing opinion of a stock. The good news is, traders move, thing, buy, and sell in fairly predictable patterns, and when you see certain hints fall in place, you can make a very good trade. Enter Authentidate Holding Corp. (NASDAQ:ADAT) and Greenhunter Resources Inc. (NYSEMKT:GRH). Both GRH as well as ADAT have taken on a bullish shape as of today, and both are apt to be at much higher levels in the foreseeable future.

Top 10 Tech Companies To Buy Right Now: Axcelis Technologies Inc.(ACLS)

Axcelis Technologies, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, and services ion implantation, dry strip, and other processing equipment used in the fabrication of semiconductor chips in the United States, Europe, and the Asia Pacific. It offers a line of high energy, high current, and medium current ion implanters for various applications, such as line of single wafer implanters, known as the Optima platform, comprising the Optima XE, the Optima HD, and the Optima MD. The company also offers dry strip tools, including the Integra RS, which comprises paired-chamber process modules. In addition, it provides aftermarket services and support, such as spare parts, equipment upgrades, maintenance services, and customer training. The company sells its equipment and services through direct sales force, distributors, and manufacturing representatives. Axcelis Technologies was founded in 1995 and is headquartered in Beverly, Massachusetts.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Stephen Simpson, CFA]

  The major dry strip product today is Suprema - Mattson's most advanced tool, and one that uses inductively coupled plasma (ICP) technology and vacuum transfer. Two of the company's primary competitors use one but not the other, while the third uses both but charges about 20% more for its tools. According to Gartner, Mattson holds about 22% market share in this roughly $180 million/year market, with Lam Research (which acquired Novellus and dry strip IP from Axcelis (ACLS)) and PSK as the primary competitors.

• [By Ben Axler]

  An old spin-out of Eaton Corp. (ETN), Axcelis Technologies (ACLS) designs, manufactures and services ion implantation, dry strip and other processing equipment used in the fabrication of semiconductor chips. The semiconductor capital equipment industry is very cyclical, and as a smaller player in the industry, ACLS has not been immune, and gone through protracted periods of losses. In the past few years, the company has taken numerous steps to reposition itself for the next cyclical upswing by listening to its customers and investing heavily in R&D to revamp its product line to expand its addressable market opportunity, right-sizing its cost structure to substantially lower its breakeven level, establishing new collaborative partnerships, and optimizing its balance sheet to unlock value. Now with signs of a cyclical upswing occurring, and being led by memory - Micron (MU) and SanDisk (SNDK), ACLS is poised for accelerating earnings potential beginning in Q4'2013 that could drive its stock price substantially higher. However, with a few nearer-term catalysts on the horizon, investors may not want to wait too long before purchasing shares. As an early indicator, investors should consider that insiders recently purchased the stock in the open market in August at current levels. These stock purchases coincide with the one year anniversary of ACLS's new Purion M product line entering an evaluation period with a major customer. Sell-side analysts are starting to take notice and listening in to the company's recent conference call, which at least opens the door to new broker initiations in the future. The downside risk appears mitigated by ACLS's strengthened balance sheet, and dramatically improved operating financial model that has stemmed further cash burn. As the company hits an inflection point with new customer contracts and proves its earnings cycle is under way, we expect ACLS's valuation discount to peers to narrow and the stock to appreciate substantially

Top 10 Tech Companies To Buy Right Now: Navidea Biopharmaceuticals Inc (NAVB)

Navidea Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. (Navidea), formerly Neoprobe Corporation, incorporated in 1983, is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development and commercialization of precision diagnostic agents. As of December 31, 2011, the Company�� radiopharmaceutical development programs included Lymphoseek (Lymphoseek, Kit for the Preparation of Technetium Tc99m for Injection), a radiopharmaceutical agent for lymph node mapping; AZD4694, an imaging agent, and RIGScan, a tumor antigen-specific targeting agent. In January 2012, the Company executed an option agreement with Alseres Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Alseres) to license [123I]-E-IACFT Injection, also called Altropane, an Iodine-123 radiolabeled imaging agent, being developed as an aid in the diagnosis of Parkinson�� disease, movement disorders and dementia. In August 2011, the Company sold its gamma detection device line of business (the GDS Business) to Devicor Medical Products, Inc.

Lymphoseek

Navidea�� pipeline includes clinical-stage radiopharmaceutical agents used to identify the presence and status of disease. Lymphoseek (Kit for the Preparation of Technetium Tc99m for Injection) is a lymph node targeting agent intended for use in intraoperative lymphatic mapping (ILM) procedures and lymphoscintigraphy employed in the overall diagnostic assessment of certain solid tumor cancers. The lymph system is a component of the body�� immune system. The key components of the lymph system are lymph nodes-small anatomic structures that contain disease-fighting lymphocytes, filter lymph of bacteria and cancer cells, and signal infection in response to heightened levels of pathogens. In Navidea�� Phase III clinical studies of Lymphoseek, it detected over 99% of positive nodes identified by vital blue dye (VBD). As of December 31, 2011, Navidea, in co-operation with UC, San Diego affiliate (UCSD), completed or initiated five Phase I clinical trials, one multi-center Phase II trial and three multi-center Phase II trials inv! olving Lymphoseek. Two Phase III studies were completed in subjects with breast cancer and melanoma. During the year ended December 31, 2011, data from NEO3-09 were released, which indicated that all primary and secondary endpoints for the study were met. As of December 31, 2011, third Phase III clinical trial for Lymphoseek in subjects with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (NEO3-06) was in progress.

AZD4694

AZD4694 is a Fluorine-18 labeled precision radiopharmaceutical candidate for use in the imaging and evaluation of patients with signs or symptoms of cognitive impairment such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). It binds to beta-amyloid deposits in the brain that can then be imaged in positron emission tomography (PET) scans. Amyloid plaque pathology is a required feature of AD and the presence of amyloid pathology is a supportive feature for diagnosis of probable AD. Patients who are negative for amyloid pathology do not have AD. AZD4694 has been studied in several clinical trials. Clinical studies through Phase IIa have included more than 80 patients to date, both suspected AD patients and healthy volunteers. No significant adverse events have been observed. Results suggest that AZD4694 has the ability to image patients quickly and safely with high sensitivity.

RadioImmunoGuided Surgery

As of December 31, 2011, RIGScan had been studied in a number of clinical trials, including Phase III studies. Navidea has conducted two Phase III studies, NEO2-13 and NEO2-14, of RIGScan in patients with primary and metastatic colorectal cancer, respectively. Both studies were multi-institutional involving cancer treatment institutions in the United States, Israel, and the European Union.

The Company competes with Pharmalucence, Eli Lilly, Bayer Schering, General Electric and GE Healthcare.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Sean Williams]

  Another prime example here would be Navidea Biopharmaceuticals' (NYSEMKT: NAVB  ) Lymphoseek which is an injectable agent used in external lymph-node imaging and intra-operative lymphatic mapping. In English this means it will dramatically improve the staging and treatment options for patients with breast cancer. Being that breast cancer was also listed as a commonly misdiagnosed cancer, this is a big step in the right direction for patient care.

Top 10 Tech Companies To Buy Right Now: Prothena Corporation PLC (PRTA)

Prothena Corporation PLC, incorporated on September 26, 2012, is an Ireland-based, clinical-stage biotechnology company. The Company is engaged in discovering and developing monoclonal antibodies that are directed towards misfolded proteins or improper cell adhesion. Its pipeline includes NEOD001, PRX002 and PRX003. The Company�� work in protein misfolding could result in therapies to treat several neurodegenerative diseases, including AL (primary) and AA (secondary) forms of amyloidosis (NEOD001), Parkinson's disease and related synucleinopathies (PRX002). Its cell adhesion development activities could generate new therapies to treat inflammatory diseases and metastatic cancers (PRX003). The Company�� program, NEOD001, is in Phase 1. In addition to antibodies directed to neo-epitope targets, it is developing antibodies directed to other targets. The Company has generated antibodies against cell adhesion targets expressed on certain pathogenic Th17 immune cells and tumor cells.

The Company�� pipeline also includes several late discovery stage programs for which it is testing antibodies in preclinical models of disease. It is also generating additional antibodies against other targets involved in protein misfolding and cell adhesion for characterization in vivo and in vitro.

NEOD001 for Amyloidosis

NEOD001 is a monoclonal antibody that targets the amyloid that accumulates in both AL and AA forms of amyloidosis. The antibody was designed to not react with normal serum amyloid A and only with the aberrant cleaved form of the protein (amyloid A).

PRX002 for Parkinson�� Disease

The Company has generated antibodies targeting alpha-synuclein that may slow or reduce the neurodegeneration associated with synuclein misfolding and/or transmission. It has tested these antibodies in various cellular and animal models of synuclein-related disease. In a transgenic mouse model of Parkinson�� disease, passive immunization with 9E4, a murine ver! sion of PRX002, reduced the appearance of synuclein pathology, protected synapses and improved performance by the mice in behavioral testing. The humanized antibody product candidate PRX002 has advanced into manufacturing and preclinical testing.

PRX003 for Inflammatory Diseases and Cancers

The Company is developing PRX003, a monoclonal antibody targeting MCAM for the potential treatment of inflammatory diseases and cancers. It has generated monoclonal antibodies that block MCAM-mediated cell adhesion and have been shown to delay relapse and severity of relapse in a mouse model of multiple sclerosis known as experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. The Company�� antibodies are being tested in animal models of inflammatory diseases and cancers. Based on early results from these studies, it has identified a clinical candidate, PRX003. It has advanced this antibody into manufacturing and intends to advance this antibody into preclinical testing.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jake L'Ecuyer]

  Equities Trading UP
  Prothena Corporation plc (NASDAQ: PRTA) shares shot up 21.60 percent to $45.19 after the company reported clinical data to be presented at International Symposium on Amyloidosis. Morgan Stanley raised the price target on the stock from $35.00 to $53.00.

Top 10 Tech Companies To Buy Right Now: Datalink Corporation(DTLK)

Datalink Corporation data center solutions and services to mid and large-size companies in the United States. It engages in assessing, designing, deploying, and supporting infrastructures, such as servers, storage, and networks; and reselling hardware and software from original equipment manufacturers. The company?s portfolio of solutions and services comprise consolidation and virtualization services; data storage and protection services, including local and remote backup, disaster recovery, archive, and compliance services; advanced network infrastructure services that includes assessment, design, and deployment of network infrastructures; and business continuity and disaster recovery solutions. It also offers a suite of practice-specific consulting, analysis, design, implementation, management, and support services. Datalink Corporation was founded in 1958 and is headquartered in Chanhassen, Minnesota.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Lauren Pollock]

  Datalink Corp.(DTLK), a provider of data-center infrastructure and service, boosted its fourth-quarter earnings outlook amid expectations that its revenue will be stronger than previously anticipated. Shares surged 31% to $14.20 premarket.

• [By Tess Stynes var popups = dojo.query(".socialByline .popC"); popups.forEach(fu]

  Data-center infrastructure and services provide Datalink Corp.(DTLK) posted results for the first three months of the year that badly missed expectations and also provided an outlook for the current quarter below consensus. Shares fell 21% to $10 premarket.