Those that believe that COVID-19 is yesterday's news should look at the Biotron Limited (ASX: BIT) share price today.

Shares in the small cap biotech jumped 37.5% to 9.9 cents each after reporting positive COVID-19 animal trial results today.

The company said that its lead clinical drug BIT225 protected mice that have SARS-CoV-2 from severe disease.

Bitotron share price jumps on more challenging test results

This test was trickier than an earlier one the company conducted. In the latest test, the mice were infected by SARS-CoV-2 up to 48 hours before being treated with BIT225.

In the earlier study, the mice were given BIT225 12 hours before being infected by SARS-CoV-2.

The second trial was more challenging as it had a higher hurdle to demonstrate the efficacy of the drug, according to Bitotron.

Why this animal trial matters

"The results are important as they provide key information that will assist in determining the dosing regimen for BIT225 in planned human clinical studies," said the company in its ASX statement.

"The results further extend the robust in vivo data package that shows statistically and clinically significant efficacy of BIT225 in both treatment and prevention in murine models of COVID-19."

Biotron's management believes the effectiveness of BIT225 to treat and prevent severe cases of the highly contagious disease sets it apart from other treatments.

In fact, Biotron claims that this characteristic is a requirement for successful product development in this therapeutic area.

Details of Biotron's latest mice trial

In all studies, BIT225 was tested in a human-adapted COVID-19 mouse model (K18-hACE2) that is routinely used to assess the ability of drugs to target SARS-CoV-2 and treat COVID-19 disease.

There were five mice in each of the pre-dose and post-dose groups. There was also a control group with the same number of mice.

In the groups that were treated with BIT225, all but one remained healthy and continued to gain weight as per age expectations through to Day 12 when the study was terminated. One of the five mice in the post-dose group died on Day 11 of the trial.

In the control group made up of untreated mice, all lost weight and died by day eight of the study. The company noted that there was less weight gain if BIT225 treatment was delayed. But the trend lines are statistically similar regardless of when the drug was used.

Next catalyst for the Biotron share price

BIT225 was tested in a human-adapted COVID-19 mouse model (K18-hACE2) that is routinely used to assess the ability of drugs to target SARS-CoV-2 and treat COVID-19 disease.

Bitotron has submitted a proposal to the US Food and Drug Administration to conduct a human clinical trial to assess the efficacy of BIT225 for the treatment of COVID-19.

The application was made under the Coronavirus Treatment Acceleration Program and Biotron's management is expecting a response soon.

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The Biotron Limited (ASX: BIT) share price is rocketing upwards today after the company announced its lead clinical asset successfully treated COVID-19 symptoms in mice as part of a study.

In the study, the drug, BIT225, was found to reduce viral load in the lungs when administered orally. BIT225 has also undergone a successful cell-based study, exhibiting its effectiveness against the virus.

At the time of writing, the Biotron share price is 8.7 cents, 70.6% higher than its previous close. However, earlier this morning it reached 9.5 cents – representing an 86% gain.

Let's take a look at today's news from the biotechnology company.

Biotron share price leaps on positive COVID studies

The Biotron share price is surging higher on news its drug – which is at mid-stage development for the treatment of HIV-1 and Hepatitis C virus – has demonstrated the ability to battle COVID-19 in animal and cell-based studies.

As part of the studies, mice infected with COVID-19 were given BIT225 orally.

The mice treated with BIT225 were found to have a significantly reduced virus load in the lungs and blood compared to the study's controls.

The drug was also shown to reduce the 'cytokine storm' associated with COVID-19. Generally, pro-inflammatory cytokines are linked to severe illness and death in people infected with COVID-19.

Finally, treating COVID-19-infected mice with BIT225 was found to stop weight loss generally associated with COVID-19 infections in mice. In fact, the animals treated with BIT225 gained weight in line with growth expectations through the course of the study.

Additionally, BIT225 has been tested in cell cultures to determine its effectiveness against COVID-19's Delta strain.

The data from the in-vitro study found BIT225 reduced the Delta virus in cell cultures by more than 99.99%.

Biotron is now talking with its United States-based advisors and consultants to expedite BIT225's progression into human trials for the treatment of COVID-19.

BIT225 is an oral drug, suitable for once-a-day dosing, and has a well characterised safety profile. Formal pre-clinical studies have assessed safety over 24 weeks of dosing.

Right now, the Biotron share price is around 8% higher than it was at the start of 2021.

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In afternoon trade the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is on course to snap its losing streak with a solid gain. At the time of writing the benchmark index is up 0.4% to 5,949.2 points.

Four shares that are climbing more than most today are listed below. Here's why they are storming higher:

The Biotron Limited (ASX: BIT) share price has rocketed 21% higher to 11.5 cents. This morning the clinical stage biotechnology company provided an update on the screening of select compounds against SARS-CoV-2. This is the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. According to the release, the company has concluded the first stage of its screenings and found that several compounds have been shown in laboratory cell-culture studies to have antiviral activity against SARSCoV-2.

The Fortescue Metals Group Limited (ASX: FMG) share price is up 3% to $18.06. This may have been driven by a positive broker note out of Macquarie this morning. According to the note, the broker believes the sky high iron ore price could drive strong earnings growth in FY 2021. It has retained its outperform rating and $20.00 price target on the iron ore producer's shares.

The Ramelius Resources Limited (ASX: RMS) share price is up 6.5% to $2.26. This also appears to have been driven by a broker note. This morning Morgans retained its add rating and lifted its price target to $2.49. The broker made the move in response to the gold miner's quarterly production forecast and the current spot gold price. Morgans also likes the company due to its promising exploration activities.

The Temple & Webster Group Ltd (ASX: TPW) share price has stormed 6% higher to $9.78. On Friday, S&P/Dow Jones announced that it would be adding the online homewares and furniture retailer to the S&P/ASX 300 Index at the next quarterly rebalance. Temple & Webster will join the index effective at the open on 21 September.

The post Why Biotron, Fortescue, Ramelius, & Temple & Webster are storming higher appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

The Biotron Limited (ASX: BIT) share price has rocketed higher on Monday after the release of an update.

In early trade the clinical stage biotechnology company's shares were up as much as 47% to 14 cents.

They have since given back much of these gains but are still up 18% to 11.3 cents at the time of writing.

What did Biotron announce?

This morning Biotron provided the market with an update on the screening of select compounds against SARS-CoV-2 – the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

According to the release, the company has concluded the first stage of its screenings and found that several compounds have been shown in laboratory cell-culture studies to have antiviral activity against SARSCoV-2.

These assays were run in Melbourne under contract by an Australian NATA accredited clinical trial speciality laboratory, 360biolabs.

A total of 47 Biotron compounds were screened in an industry standard cytopathic effect (CPE) cell-culture assay. The compounds which demonstrated promising activity in the first assay then underwent confirmatory testing in a second anti-SARS-CoV-2 assay.

This led to a subset of 15 compounds that had activity against SARS-CoV-2 being successfully identified.

Biotron's Managing Director, Michelle Miller, commented: "The results to date are encouraging. There is a need for new ways to treat this disease, and Biotron believes that these results open up a promising new therapeutic pathway. The results underscore the versatility of Biotron's approach to designing and developing drugs to target serious virus infections."

What now?

The company advised that its focus will now be on building on this preliminary stage screening program to include a new series of recently designed and synthesised compounds.

Screening of these additional new compounds is expected to conclude before the end of 2020.

Management hopes that within these new compounds there will be potent, druggable compound that can be progressed to testing in animal models of COVID-19 disease and ultimately clinical trials.

Also pushing higher this morning following a COVID-19 related update is the CSL Limited (ASX: CSL) share price. It has signed an agreement to supply Australia with vaccines next year.

The post Biotron share price rockets 47% higher on COVID-19 compound testing update appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

The Biotron Limited (ASX: BIT) share price soared by 30% today, after the biotechnology company released new data regarding the effectiveness of its lead antiviral drug BIT225, used for fighting HIV-1 infections.

The Biotron share price is on a tear this year, up more than 140% since January to 13 cents.

What did Biotron announce?

This morning, Biotron released data on its HIV-1 drug, BIT225. The data demonstrates how BIT225 enhances the immune response to HIV. Biotron commented that the drug is unique in that it not only inhibits the virus but also augments the immune responses against it. 

"The latest results provide key information on how BIT225 directly modifies immune responses to HIV-1 infection. It helps explain the immune changes that we saw in the Phase 2 clinical trial and gives us even more confidence in our product," said Dr Michelle Miller, Biotron's managing director. 

According to the report, specific cell markers that usually don't signal the immune system to attack the virus are instead returned to normal. Furthermore, the drug also increases functionality of the immune response by enabling T cells to more around the body and restore immune function.

These results, coupled with those from the Phase 2 clinical trial, further support the continued clinical study of the potential anti-viral and immunological benefits of BIT225 therapy in combination with standard anti-HIV drugs.

How Biotron is helping to combat COVID-19

It has been an exciting year for Biotron, which announced in March that its HIV-1 drug was able to restore immune function in HIV-1 infections. Furthermore, on 6 February Biotron announced plans to test its compounds against coronavirus, observing at the time it had over 30 compounds with good activity against a range of coronaviruses. Some of these compounds were stated to reduce the levels of coronavirus by 90–100% in infected cell cultures.

Biotron's expertise lies in the design and development of drugs that target virus-encoded proteins known as viroporins. The company's scientists were the first to identify and publish data showing that the E protein of the coronavirus is viroporin and a good target for antiviral drugs.

The Biotron share price is down on its 52-week high of almost 19 cents (reached in early February), but at its current price of 13 cents a share is up by 73.33% on this time last year.

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The Biotron Limited (ASX: BIT) share price is soaring higher this morning after the small-cap ASX healthcare share released more data in relation to the effectiveness of its antiviral drug, BIT225.

After rocketing as much as 21.7% higher in early trade to $0.14, Biotron shares are now up 13.04% at the time of writing at $0.13.

What did Biotron announce today?

This morning, Biotron released to the market new data regarding the effectiveness of its lead antiviral drug BIT225 used for fighting HIV-1 infections.

Biotron commented that the results from its new findings are encouraging and may have profound implications for the future treatment and cure of HIV-1 infection. The latest data further characterise the previously reported immune-modulating effects of antiviral drug BIT225.

In its release today, Biotron explained the new data shows that BIT225 "unmasks" HIV-infected cells that have remained in the body of patients who have already undergone treatment with other approved anti-HIV-1 drugs.

Biotron further commented that these infected reservoir cells are usually masked from the body's immune system. According to the company, this is the key reason why life-long drugs are essential in order to keep the infections of HIV-1 under control.

Biotron noted that when added to a mix of anti-HIV-1 drugs, BIT225 has the positive effect of stimulating the body's immune system so that its cells can actually "see" the HIV-infected reservoir cells.

Back in late 2018, Biotron completed clinical trials and released positive results on this antiviral drug, BIT225. During the time since, the medical company has continued clinical work in order to characterise the unique mechanism of action of BIT225. This included the company's previous BIT225-009 Phase 2 HIV-1 clinical trial which had displayed encouraging results.

Previous coronavirus announcement

Back on 6 February 2020, Biotron announced plans to test for activity against coronavirus. At the time, Biotron noted that it had several early-stage programs in place for designing drugs that target a class of virus protein known as viroporins.

Viroporins play a key role in the virus life cycle of a range of viruses, many of which have caused worldwide health issues, including the coronavirus. Biotron has not provided any further announcements with regards to this since then. In response to the announcement, the Biotron share price rocketed 70% higher in the space of two days.

The post Why the Biotron share price has soared 22% higher today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

The S&P/ASX 200 index (ASX: XJO) has followed the lead of U.S. markets and is tumbling lower on Thursday. In morning trade the benchmark index is down 2.4% to 5,588.2 points.

Four shares that have not let that hold them back are listed below. Here's why they are pushing higher today:

The Biotron Limited (ASX: BIT) share price has surged 13% higher to 13 cents. This morning the biotech company provided further data from a trial which previously revealed immune modulating effects of BIT225 with HIV-1. According to the release, the new data shows that BIT225 unmasks HIV-infected cells that remain in the body despite treatment with approved anti-HIV-1 drugs. The data indicates that the addition of BIT225 to existing anti-HIV-1 drugs stimulates the innate immune system.

The Karoon Energy Ltd (ASX: KAR) share price is up over 5% to 40 cents. Prior to today, the energy company's shares were down by a massive 64% in just three weeks. I suspect that some investors believe its shares have been oversold and have been topping up today. Last week L1 Capital became a substantial shareholder, revealing a stake of 5.65%.

The Pro Medicus Limited (ASX: PME) share price has jumped 5.5% to $17.57. Investors may believe that Pro Medicus' imaging software will experience increasing usage given the coronavirus outbreak. This would be a positive given that the majority of its North American revenue is generated on a transaction or "pay per view" basis. The first U.S. patient with lab-confirmed coronavirus was diagnosed, in part, via a chest radiography.

The WiseTech Global Ltd (ASX: WTC) share price is up 3.5% to $13.92. Reports that China is getting back to business may be behind this gain. The disruption to the Chinese supply chain has weighed heavily on this logistics solutions platform provider's performance in the second half. The sooner things return to normal in China, the better for WiseTech Global.

The post Why Biotron, Karoon Energy, Pro Medicus, & WiseTech Global are pushing higher appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

The spread of coronavirus has infected global share markets with the contagion of fear. The S&P/ASX 200 Index (INDEXASX: XJO) has fallen more than 10% in the last fortnight as investors flee to safe havens.

This week, the Reserve Bank of Australia cut the cash rate to an all-time low of 0.5% in an effort to stimulate the slowing economy. 

But it's not all doom and gloom. Some ASX shares are fighting coronavirus with demand for their products accelerating along with the spread of the virus. So, let's take a look at the ASX shares that are racing ahead of the tragic epidemic. 

Zoono Group Ltd (ASX: ZNO)

The Zoono share price has risen more than 230% this year at the time of writing as demand for its sanitiser products has increased. The company has advised that it is extremely well-positioned to be part of the solution to coronavirus. Late last week, Zoono reported that test results showed the technology used in its hand sanitiser is 99.99% effective against coronavirus. 

In early January, Zoono ramped up production of key active ingredients in its sanitisers. This was a prescient decision as demand for products has been strong. Product orders in excess of NZ$1 million were received in the last two weeks of January, predominantly from China and Hong Kong. Online sales have increased significantly and forward orders and product enquiries are increasingly strong. 

Zoono entered into a distribution agreement with Eagle Health Holdings Ltd (ASX: EHH) in late February for the distribution of co-branded products and offline retail sales in China. Eagle will import Zoono's products in bulk to its facility in Xiamen, China, where they will be packaged and labelled, and then distributed. 

Eagle has more than 300 stores throughout China plus 271 distribution partners which place Eagle's products into more than 30,000 outlets across the country. An initial order for Zoono product valued at NZ$400,000 has been placed. Minimum purchase volumes under the agreement are NZ$1.5 million in the first 12 months, NZ$2.3 million in year two, and NZ$3.1 million in year three. 

Food Revolution Group Ltd (ASX: FOD)

Shares in Food Revolution Group are up more than 50% since mid-February following the announcement the company would be entering the hand sanitiser business. The coronavirus outbreak has created a shortage of hand-sanitiser in the Asia Pacific region with Food Revolution Group looking to meet unmet demand. 

Food Revolution Group's hand sanitiser has been formulated under the newly-formed 'Sanicare' brand and will be produced at the company's Mill Park facility in Melbourne. The facility underwent an upgrade in December including the construction of a self-contained clean room and laboratory.

Food Revolution Group has formulated and sourced the ingredients for its alcohol-based hand sanitiser and commenced production in February. 

The company received its first order for the hand sanitiser, valued at $2 million, in late February. The order is expected to be fulfilled and cash received in 4 weeks. 

Uscom Ltd (ASX: UCM)

Uscom shares are up more than 200% since the end of January following a material increase in orders for its USCOM 1A haemodynamic monitor from China. The National Health Commission of the People's Republic of China Coronavirus Protocol advocates haemodynamic monitoring for severe coronavirus cases. 

The first Chinese hospital to be equipped with an USCOM 1A specifically for the management of coronavirus was commissioned in late January. Uscom is planning to increase manufacturing output by approximately 121% on 10-year average outputs to meet anticipated demand in the second half. Unit orders for the first five weeks of 2020 were up 124% compared to the first full two months of 2019. 

Executive Chairman Rob Phillips said, "the USCOM 1A is a specialised technology developed to simplify diagnosis and management of infectious diseases and is now being implemented widely in China to save the lives of the most seriously ill patients. This epidemic is forcing our technology from the hands of a small number of infectious disease experts into the hands of physicians dealing day to day with tens of thousands of patients with deadly infections."

Aeris Environmental Ltd (ASX: AEI)

Aeris Environmental shares are up nearly 90% since early February with its disinfectant listed by the Singapore National Environment Agency on the list of general disinfectants effective against the coronavirus. The company's proprietary hospital-grade disinfectant, Aeris Active, provides broad-spectrum viricidal, bactericidal, and fungicidal efficacy, and affords long-term protection of at-risk surfaces. 

Aeris is currently scaling up production and redirecting its near term manufacturing capacity to multiple Australian manufacturing sites. This will support the needs of customers and growing demand in China and the Asia Pacific region. 

Holista Colltech Limited (ASX: HCT)

Shares in Holista Colltech have increased over 70% since the end of January as demand for its sanitisers increases. In February, Holista announced it would ship a further 90,000 NatShield sanitisers just days after the first 60,000 units sold out. Fresh orders were received from Malaysia, Australia, and other parts of Asia amidst rising concerns over the spread of coronavirus. 

NatShield sanitisers contain Path-Away, a plant-based active ingredient approved for use by Malaysia's Ministry of Health and Food and Safety Authority and Environmental Protection Authority of New Zealand.

Holista has also accelerated development of a nasal balm version of its sanitiser featuring Path-Away. It intends to file a global patent for the product in March and make the product available to the market by July. 

Biotron Limited (ASX: BIT)

Biotron shares are up more than 60% since the end of January as the company tests its compounds against the current strain of coronavirus, COVID-19. The company develops anti-viral drugs and has compounds that have shown good activity against several strains of coronavirus. Testing is focused on assessing whether Biotron's compounds can inhibit growth in COVID-19. 

Biotron scientists have identified and characterised a protein found in all coronaviruses and have shown that by targeting this protein, the virus could be inactivated. Given Biotron's expertise in antiviral drug development, an assessment of the activity of the company's compounds against COVID-19 is progressing as quickly as possible. 

The post These ASX shares are fighting the spread of coronavirus appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

With the market returning to form and charging higher on Tuesday, it will come as no surprise to learn that a good number of shares pushed higher.

Some that pushed so hard they ended up reaching 52-week highs or better are listed below. Here's why they are on a high right now:

Biotron Limited (ASX: BIT)

The Biotron share price raced to a 52-week high of 18.5 cents on Tuesday before tumbling lower. Investors have been scrambling to buy the clinical stage biotechnology company's shares after it announced that it is testing several promising compounds for activity against coronavirus. This includes the new novel strain known as 2019-nCoV. Biotron has over 30 compounds which already have good activity against a range of coronaviruses. These includes human coronaviruses that cause mild, cold-like symptoms, as well as the SARS coronavirus that was responsible for an outbreak in 2003.

CSL Limited (ASX: CSL)

The CSL share price climbed to an all-time high of $326.30 on Tuesday. Investors were buying the biotherapeutics company's shares in anticipation of a stellar half year result later this morning. Thanks partly to favourable conditions in the immunoglobulins market and a strong start to the Northern Hemisphere flu season, CSL has been tipped as a company that could outperform in FY 2020.

Tyro Payments Ltd (ASX: TYR)

The Tyro Payments share price continued its positive run and hit a record high of $4.50 yesterday. This means the payments company's shares are now up almost 64% since hitting the ASX boards in December at $2.75 per share. Investors appear confident that Tyro is well-positioned to disrupt Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) and the rest of the big four banks in the payment terminals market. In FY 2019 Tyro became Australia's fifth largest merchant acquiring bank after processing more than $17.5 billion in transaction value through the 29,000 Australian merchants that have partnered with it

The post Why CSL and these ASX shares just hit 52-week highs appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

The Biotron Limited (ASX: BIT) share price has been a standout performer on the Australian share market this week.

On Friday afternoon the clinical stage biotechnology company's shares have rocketed higher for a second day in a row.

At the time of writing the Biotron share price is up 40% to a 52-week high of 14 cents. This means that its shares are now up over 70% in the space of just two days.

Why is the Biotron share price rocketing higher this week?

Investors have been fighting to get hold of Biotron's shares this week after it announced plans to test its compounds for activity against coronavirus.

At the last count the coronavirus novel strain 2019-nCoV had infected around 32,000 people in mainland China and many more across the world.

What is Biotron doing?

Biotron has several early stage programs designing drugs that target a class of virus protein known as viroporins.

Viroporins play a key role in the virus life cycle of a very broad range of viruses, many of which have caused worldwide health issues. These include the likes of Dengue, Ebola, Middle East Respiratory virus, Influenza, Zika, and Coronavirus.

On Thursday Biotron announced that it is in the process of evaluating several promising compounds for activity against coronavirus, including the 2019-nCoV strain.

Within its proprietary small molecule compound library, the company has over 30 compounds which have good activity against a range of other coronaviruses.

These includes human coronaviruses that cause mild, cold-like symptoms, as well as the SARS coronavirus that was responsible for the outbreak of that virus in 2003.

These compounds have previously been able to reduce the levels of coronavirus by 90% to 100% in infected cell cultures. With some even having broad-spectrum activity against multiple strains of coronaviruses.

This has sparked hopes that Biotron may have a compound that is effective against the 2019-nCoV strain.

What now?

Biotron is focusing its efforts on testing a select set of its compounds against the new 2019-nCoV strain.

This work is being conducted under contract in specialist laboratories that have gained access to the new virus in recent days.

No timeframe has been given for the testing, but investors might want to keep an eye on developments in the coming weeks or months.

The post Biotron share price jumps 70% in two days on coronavirus hopes appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

The S&P/ASX 200 index is on course to end the week deep in the red. In afternoon trade the benchmark index is down 0.6% to 7,007.2 points.

Four shares that have not let that hold them back today are listed below. Here's why they are storming higher:

The Biotron Limited (ASX: BIT) share price has rocketed a further 35% higher to 13.5 cents. The clinical stage biotechnology company's shares have been on fire since it announced that it is testing several promising compounds for activity against coronavirus. This work will be done under contract in specialist laboratories that have access to this new virus, which has recently been isolated and made available for studies.

The De Grey Mining Limited (ASX: DEG) share price is charging higher again and is up 42% to 13.5 cents. Investors have been fighting to get hold of the gold-focused mineral exploration company's shares after it revealed a potential major discovery at its Hemi prospect. Aircore drilling at the newly discovered Hemi prospect has delivered outstanding initial results.

The Kathmandu Holdings Ltd (ASX: KMD) share price has jumped 9.5% to $3.30. This morning Kathmandu provided an update on its expectations for the first half of FY 2020. For the six months ended January 31, the retailer expects its underlying earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) to be up ~40%. This result includes the benefits of the Rip Curl acquisition, which has performed very positively since its completion on October 31.

The Nick Scali Limited (ASX: NCK) share price has continued its positive run and is up a further 4% to $8.31. Investors have been buying the furniture retailer's shares this week following the release of its half year results. Although Nick Scali reported a 15% decline in net profit to $21.6 million, this was better than its guidance for a first half profit in the range of $17 million to $19 million. Also boosting its shares was a broker note out of Citi. This morning the broker retained its buy rating and lifted its price target up to $9.05.

The post Why Biotron, De Grey Mining, Kathmandu, & Nick Scali are storming higher appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

Australia's S&P/ASX 200 (Index: ^AXJO)(ASX: XJO) and ALL ORDINARIES (Index: ^AXAO) (ASX: XAO) indices finished higher on Thursday.

Here's a short recap of the Australian market:

• S&P/ASX 200 (Index: ^AXJO) (ASX: XJO) higher 1.05% to 7,049.20
• ALL ORDINARIES (Index: ^AXAO) (ASX: XAO) higher 0.96% to 7,148.70
• AUD/USD at US 68 cents
• Gold at US$1,554.49 an ounce
• Brent Oil at US$56.35 a barrel

One of the best-performing ASX 200 shares today was Pinnacle Investment Management Group Ltd (ASX: PNI), its share price rose almost 11% after reporting.

However, infrastructure business Service Stream Limited (ASX: SSM) was another to report, but its share price fell 9.5%.

Supermarket giant Coles Group Limited (ASX: COL) gave a positive trading update this morning, sending the share price higher in the morning, but it finished down 0.4%.

Property business Mirvac Group (ASX: MGR) was another to report today, the rising property market wasn't enough top stop the share price falling 3.2%.

DEXUS Property Group (ASX: DXS) also reported, the property giant's share price was flat in response.

The share price of Biotron Limited (ASX: BIT) jumped 24.4% after the company said it would test its compounds against the coronavirus.

The Cimic Group Ltd (ASX: CIM) share price fell 3% today despite announcing more contract wins.

Finally, the share price of A2 Milk Company Ltd (ASX: A2M) rose by 4.8%, making it one of the top performers within the ASX 200.

Here are some of today's top stories:    

• Is this ASX 200 stock a buy for its defensive revenue?
• Where to invest $5,000 into ASX shares right now
• Here's the problem with BHP shares
• Why the CSL share price just hit a record high

The post ALL ORDINARIES finishes higher Thursday: 8 ASX shares you missed appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

The S&P/ASX 200 index has followed the lead of U.S. markets and is pushing higher again. In afternoon trade the benchmark index is up 0.8% to 7,030.9 points.

Four shares that are climbing more than most today are listed below. Here's why they are surging higher:

The Biotron Limited (ASX: BIT) share price has rocketed 16% higher to 9.5 cents. Investors have been buying the clinical stage biotechnology company's shares after it announced that it is testing several promising compounds for activity against coronavirus. This work will be done under contract in specialist laboratories that have access to this new virus, which has been isolated and made available for studies in recent days.

The Magellan Financial Group Ltd (ASX: MFG) share price is up 4.5% to $70.67. This may be a delayed reaction to the investment company's latest funds under management update on Wednesday afternoon. Magellan reported an impressive 7% month on month increase in its funds under management to $104,311 million. This was driven by favourable market movements and net inflows of $414 million. The latter included net retail inflows of $156 million and net institutional inflows of $258 million.

The Nick Scali Limited (ASX: NCK) share price has surged 12% higher to $8.10. Investors have been buying the furniture retailer's shares after the release of its half year results. Although Nick Scali reported a 15% decline in net profit to $21.6 million, this was better than expected. Management had previously guided to a first half profit in the range of $17 million to $19 million. And while its bottom line result benefited from the sale of a property, even if you strip this out, its underlying net profit was still ahead of guidance at $20.1 million.

The Pinnacle Investment Management Group Ltd (ASX: PNI) share price has stormed 5% higher to $5.27. The catalyst for this was the release of the investment management company's half year result this morning. For the six months ended December 31, Pinnacle reported a first half profit of $13.8 million. This was a 36.6% increase on the prior corresponding period.

The post Why Biotron, Magellan, Nick Scali, & Pinnacle shares are surging higher appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

One of the best performers on the ASX on Thursday has been the Biotron Limited (ASX: BIT) share price.

In morning trade the clinical stage biotechnology company's shares rocketed 28% higher to 10.5 cents.

They have since pulled back a touch, but are still up 17% to 9.6 cents at the time of writing.

Why is the Biotron share price rocketing higher?

Biotron is engaged in the research, development, and commercialisation of drugs targeting significant viral diseases with unmet medical need.

It has several early stage programs designing drugs that target a class of virus protein known as viroporins. These play a key role in the virus life cycle of a very broad range of viruses, many of which have caused worldwide health issues such as Dengue, Ebola, Middle East Respiratory virus, Influenza, Zika, and Coronavirus.

It is the latter that is getting investors excited today.

This morning Biotron announced that it is in the process of evaluating several promising compounds for activity against coronavirus. This includes the new novel strain known as 2019-nCoV.

Within its proprietary small molecule compound library, Biotron has over 30 compounds with good activity against a range of coronaviruses. These includes human coronaviruses that cause mild, cold-like symptoms, as well as the SARS coronavirus that was responsible for the outbreak of that virus in 2003.

These compounds can reduce the levels of coronavirus by 90 – 100% in infected cell cultures. Importantly, several compounds have broad-spectrum activity against multiple strains of coronaviruses.

What now?

In response to the recent coronavirus outbreak in China, Biotron is now focused on testing a select set of these compounds against the new 2019-nCoV strain.

This work will be done under contract in specialist laboratories that have access to this new virus, which has been isolated and made available for studies in recent days.

Biotron's focus will be testing its compounds that have shown broad-spectrum activity against different coronaviruses.

All eyes will be on the results of these tests in the coming weeks or months.

The post Biotron share price rockets higher on coronavirus testing news appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

The micro or small-cap end of the share market is full of shares that will regularly move rapidly higher or lower in the space of just a few days as sentiment swings around the businesses and a lack of liquidity adds to the volatility. 

It's also only suitable for experienced investors due to the high risks as many of the companies at this end of the market don't even have any revenue let alone profits. So you can lose your shirt quickly, but the rewards are huge if you do find tomorrow's winner.

Let's take a look at what Commsec classifies as the 10 best performing micro or small-cap shares over the past year. 

Source: Commsec, Aug 8, 2019.

Spectrum Metals Limited (ASX: SPX) is up an impressive 980%, but only to 0.81 cents. It's mainly a gold prospector that is exploring some tenements in WA among other regions. 

Advance Nanotek Ltd (ASX: ANO) is up 571% and a 'small cap darling" thanks to its growing revenues and profits as a manufacturer of an innovative sun screen ingredient. Sales are reportedly climbing among US sunscreen manufacturers. 

PPK Group Limited (ASX: PPK) is up 490% to $2.24. It's a mining services and related asset management business. It made a $1.56 million loss in FY 2018 on revenue of $35.1 million. 

Netlinkz Ltd (ASX: NET) is up 441% and reports that it's a technology provider to secure data networks. It made a $4.7 million operating loss on cash receipts of $188,000 for the year to June 30, 2019.

Iodm Ltd (ASX: IOD) is up 400% and is a digital accounts receivable management platform that took in cash receipts of $427,000 over FY 2019. It reportedly invoiced a record $83,000 in June 2019.

Liontown Resources Limited (ASX: LTR) is up 367% and owns the Kathleen Valley lithium prospect, where it recently reported estimated resources jumped 353%.

Avita Medical Ltd (ASX: AVH) is up 364% to 39 cents. It's a "regenerative medicine company with a technology platform positioned to address unmet medical needs in burns, chronic wounds, and aesthetics indication." It grew revenue 50% to $17 million in FY 2019.

Andromeda Metals Ltd (ASX: ADN) is up 353% but only to 0.034 cents. It's a copper and gold explorer with tenements in SA, WA and Queensland.

iSignthis Ltd (ASX: ISX) is up 342% to 84 cents. According to its website it "delivers remote identity verification and payment authentication coupled with emoney deposit taking, transactional banking and payment processing capability."

Biotron Limited (ASX: BIT) is working on a drug for the treatment of the HIV virus, which is a claim likely to excite the imagination of the speculative end of the market. The stock is 8 cents today, but got as high as 14 cents back in January 2019.

Foolish takeaway

On any given day there are around 2,300 listed companies on the ASX and there'll be some huge winners out there somewhere for certain. However, companies that go from micro-cap or penny stock status to the S&P/ ASX200 are extremely rare. Two recent success stories include Afterpay Touch Group Ltd (ASX: APT) and Nearmap Ltd (ASX: NEA), but remember these are rare examples from over 2,000 companies. 

The post These are the 10 best micro-cap shares over the past year appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

One of the best performers at the small end of the market on Friday has been the Biotron Limited (ASX: BIT) share price.

The drug development company's shares were up as much as 30% to 8.6 cents on Friday.

Why did the Biotron share price surge higher?

Today's gain appears to be in relation to the release of a presentation being presented at the 2019 BIO International Convention held in Philadelphia, United States.

The annual BIO conference provides companies like Biotron a unique opportunity to showcase their product pipeline to the international biopharmaceutical industry and have discussions with potential partners.

The latter is especially important for Biotron as it is currently seeking a collaboration or licensing deal with an international pharmaceutical company for late stage clinical development of its HIV-1 eradication program.

What was in the presentation?

The presentation gives a breakdown on the positive developments the company has made over the last 12 months.

This includes details of the completed Phase 2 HIV-1 clinical trial which revealed that Biotron's lead compound, BIT225, demonstrated significant, potentially beneficial immunological changes, not seen in patients only receiving current antiretroviral treatment.

Management believes these results point to a potential role for BIT225 in improving patient health outcomes, as well as in future HIV-1 eradication strategies.

Finally, the presentation revealed that the company's Hepatitis B virus (HBV) program is progressing well, with compounds reducing levels of HBV cccDNA. This is believed to be critical for eradication of this virus. Current treatments only suppress virus replication and do not offer a cure.

Elsewhere in the pharmaceutical industry on Friday, the CSL Limited (ASX: CSL) share price is up 1% to $202.84 and the Mayne Pharma Group Ltd (ASX: MYX) share price has rebounded 3% higher after hitting a multi year low on Thursday.

The post Why the Biotron share price surged 30% higher today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

According to the company's management team its drug BIT225 is a leading 'best-in-class' orally ingested drug that could help treat patients with HIV and the Hepatitis C virus.

The company's report that its Phase II clinical trials for the drug showed positive data in treating HIV patients sent the share price to as high as 44 cents in October 2018, although the share price now sits back at just 12 cents as the speculative excitement fades in the business.

Today it reported a $1.07 million government research tax incentive refund helped it deliver an operating cash gain of $380,000 for the quarter ending December 31 2018, but it has no revenues and some expensive trials coming up if it's serious about trying to commercialise its BIT225 drug.

The company has a market cap of $71 million today and falls into the speculative, high-risk bucket.

The post HIV treatment hopeful Biotron reveals quarterly results appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

The Bingo Industries Ltd (ASX: BIN) share price is down 6.2% to $2.13 today after the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) released a preliminary view that its acquisition of rival "Dial-a-Dump" would reduce competition in the waste disposal sector, particularly in Sydney. Bingo wants to buy "Dial-a-Dump" for $577.5 million, but the deal might be on hold for now.

The Biotron Limited (ASX: BIT) share price is down another 15.6% or 2.5 cents to 13.5 cents today and has now lost around two thirds of its value since hitting a 45 cents high in October 2018. The biotech has been hyped up on the back of some Phase 2 clinical trial results it reported on a drug it has developed to help treat HIV patients. However, it seems punters are taking a more sceptical approach to its short-term chances of success for now.

The Elders Ltd (ASX: ELD) share price is down 3% to $6.80 despite the famous agribusiness releasing no specific news to the market. Yesterday the company announced a new deal with Rural Bank that it reports would have lifted EBIT 5%-10% if it had been implemented in FY 2018. On November 12 the group reported annual net profit up 9% to $5.3 million, although the stock has given up ground since this time last year.

The Aristocrat Leisure Limited (ASX: ALL) share price is 4.6% lower to $24.91 after the gaming or pokie machine manufacturer reported a net profit of $616.9 million on operating revenue of $3,624 million for the financial year ending September 30, 2018 today.

The profit and revenue are up an impressive 25% and 48% over the prior fiscal year. The group also forecast continued growth in 2019, albeit with growth skewed to the second half. Despite the strong result it seems it was not as strong as expected in an outcome that has triggered share price falls.

The post Why Aristocrat Leisure Limited is among 4 shares tumbling today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

In summary the healthcare researcher presented some of the trial results for its BIT225 drug to an HIV treatment research conference in Miami, Florida.

According to Biotron the data from the trial shows that "Bit225 is having a unique effect in patients, over and above viral suppression seen with current antiretroviral drugs…..The data shows that there are significant immunological benefits in patients receiving antiretroviral drugs with 200 mg BIT225 compared to antiretroviral drugs plus placebo".

This data sounds exciting, which makes the share price fall today curious, although it should be noted that the data was already public knowledge and in the market beforehand.

The data is also only from a Phase 2 trial, with biotechnology companies normally having to complete three different trial phases successfully before they can apply to a healthcare regulator such as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to have their treatment or therapy approved for commercial sale.

A phase 2 trial is generally limited in its scope in terms of patient numbers, researchers involved, etc, to save on costs as clinical trials can be very expensive and often end in failure.

However, it now seems that Biotron Limited may be able to press ahead with a large scale Phase 3 trial for the BIT225 drug.

One major problem is funding, and Biotron is openly seeking a funding partner to "support future clinical trial evaluations to further characterise a clinical impact on viral eradication".

Unfortunately as at September 30, 2018 the company had just $896,000 cash in hand on its balance sheet, no revenues and a cash outflow of $606,000 for the quarter.

However on October 17 it reported it has raised $4.7 million via an options underwriting agreement with CPS Capital Group. It did concede though that it will still need a commercial partner to further fund more clinical trials.

The stock has risen from just 2 cents prior to the original September 28 announcement about the positive data from the Phase 2 trial.

Given its financial position and early stage status it looks a high-risk bet as biotech investing is speculative by nature. Others that have struggled to deliver positive returns for investors include Admedus Ltd (ASX: AHZ) and Mesoblast limited (ASX: MSB).

The post Why the Biotron Limited share price cratered today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.

However, there are a number of well known businesses jumping higher for differing reasons. Let's take a look at what may be behind the price action.

The Appen Ltd (ASX: WPL) share price is up 4.8% to $12.86 as the wild daily price swings suggest investors are struggling to value the business. On November 15 Appen upgraded its profit guidance for investors to expect underlying EBITDA between $62 million to $65 million for FY 2019. Appen currently has a market value around $1.306 billion, which means it trades on 20x its own forecasts for underlying EBITDA. This is  expensive valuation and exciting growth potential contribute to the volatility in the share price.

The Coles Group Limited (ASX: COL) share price is up 2% to $13.09 today perhaps as investors react to a series of new broker ratings on the newly-minted supermarkets and bottle shop business. According to reports in the News Corp (ASX: NWS) press today Morgans Financial has put a hold rating and $12.50 share price target on Coles. Elsewhere, CLSA has taken a more positive view and put a $14.20 share price target on Coles. It may be this rating lending some buyer support to Coles shares  today.

The Biotron Limited (ASX: BIT) share price is up 20% to 23 cents today, despite the speculative biotechnology and healthcare researcher releasing no specific news to the market.

Biotron is researching drugs that could help in the treatment of HIV, and it goes without saying that success in developing drugs to beat HIV could translate into huge profits. However, it remains a very speculative bet as it has no revenue and lost $606,000 for the quarter ending September 30, 2018. As at that time it also had just $896,000 cash in hand according to its 4c update. Around $6.7 million worth of shares have been traded today.

The Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Corp Ltd (ASX: FPH) share price is up 1.5% to $12.49 today after the sleep apnea treatment business posted a net profit up 20% to NZ$97 million for the financial half-year ending September 30, 2018. Revenues climbed 12% to NZ$511.3 million for the period. It guided to expect full year net profit between NZ$205 million to NZ$210 million on expected revenue around NZ$1.07 billion. This is a good result from a solid-looking healthcare business.

The post Why Coles Group Limited (ASX:COL) is among 4 shares rising today appeared first on The Motley Fool Australia.