Brainstorm Cell Therapeutics Ltd. (Bulletin Board:BCLI), controlled by president Chaim Lebovits, has a received a ringing "Buy" recommendation from US analyst Ray Dirks Research. The analyst sees the share rising 500% in the next six months to $1.40, by 1,000% over the next year and 2,000% over the next two years.
This is the first time that the senior US analyst has conducted research into the company which is developing adult stem cell products.
Dirks compares Brainstorm to other leading stem cell therapy developers such as Australia's Mesoblast Ltd., Aastrom Biosciences, Cephalon, which was recently acquired by Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (Nasdaq: TEVA; TASE: TEVA), and Israel's Pluristem Therapeutics Ltd. (Nasdaq:PSTI; DAX: PJT: PLTR).
Dirks said, "We believe that Brainstorm compares reasonably to the current market price of Pluristem, which Ray Dirks continues to strongly recommend as a common stock, and Brainstorm Cell Therapeutics common stock is very undervalued in price relative to the prices at which Mesoblast and Aastrom Biosciences are selling."
Dirks added, "Brainstorm's core technology, NurOwn is based on the scientific achievements of Prof. Elad Melamed, former Head of Neurology, Rabin Medical Center, and at Tel Aviv University, and Prof. Daniel Offen, Head of the Neuroscience Laboratory, Felsenstein Medical Research Center at Tel Aviv University."
Dirks continued, "The NurOwn research team is among the first to have successfully achieved the In Vitro Differentiation of Adult Bone Marrow Cells (animal and human) into cells capable of releasing neurotrophic factors, including glial-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) by means of a specific differentiation-inducing culture medium."
"For all the reasons cited previously," Dirks concluded, "Ray Dirks Research strongly recommends the common stock of Brainstorm for substantial capital appreciation - 5 times on your money in the short term (6 months, 10 times on your money in the intermediate term (1 year), and 20 times on your money in the long term (2 years)."
Brainstorm's share price closed at $0.29 on Wall Street yesterday, giving a market cap of $34.93 million.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on June 23, 2011
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