Despite the soft economic backdrop, 2022 still provides many large-scale acquisitions. Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard ($68.7 billion – expected to end next year), Broadcom’s VMWare (about $61 billion – also by the end of next year) and Oracle’s of Cerner ($28.3 billion) are all landmark deals that are easily accessible. Mind _ mind.

For businesses, more often than not, larger size is preferred; Small businesses can benefit from the cost savings enjoyed by large organizations, while larger entities gain additional talent enabling them to promote innovative ideas and facilitate further growth. It’s a win-win situation, as long as the acquirer and target match.

So, as we approach 2023, what companies could be our next acquisition targets? Wall Street analysts have identified two names that are likely to be next in some acquisition action. We have opened a file TipRanks database To get a fuller picture of these companies’ prospects. Let’s see what makes these names hot-acquisitions right now.

Viridian treatments (VRDN)

We’ll start with Viridian Therapeutics, a biotechnology company that is developing treatments for patients with TED (thyroid eye disease). The company has three programs in various stages of development, the most advanced of which is VRDN-001, a growth factor-like 1 (IGF-1R) monoclonal antibody.

In the middle of last month, the company announced high-level positive clinical data from the first two cohorts in the ongoing Phase 1/2 clinical study for VRDN-001, which showed that most patients showed significant improvements in clinical activity score, exophthalmos, and complete resolution of diploma after only two batches. From VRDN-001. Preliminary data also points to a lengthening of the maturity period. Group C results should see the light of day in early January 2023.

The company has also begun a global Phase 3 study (THRIVE) of VRDN-001, with the first patient enrollment expected in December, and data readout expected by mid-2024.

Story continues

So where does the acquisition chat come from? Well, there seems to be a lot of interest lately in Horizon Therapeutics, a company whose flagship product Tepezza is already approved for thyroid eye disease (TED) and is on track to generate about $2 billion in sales in 2022.

While like Tepezza, VRDN-001 is given intravenously, Oppenheimer analyzed Leland Gershel He believes the drug has shown potential for “faster clinical improvement, shorter injections, and a rapid course of treatment.”

Gershell also believes that the interest shown in Horizon “indicates attractiveness (and industry conviction) in TED’s market growth prospects, and may bring VRDN closer to a potential acquisition — whether by a suitor in discussions with HZNP (AMGN, SNY) or another company.”

What’s more, the analyst adds, VRDN shares are still trading at “a fraction of HZNP’s valuation.”

Finally, Gershell rates VRDN’s share as an outperformer (i.e. a buy), while its $33 price target lends itself to one-year growth of 23%. (To watch Gershel’s track record, click here)

Viridian gets full Street support; The stock only had Buys — 8, in total, which all coalesce into a Strong Buy consensus rating. The middle target is more bullish than Gershel will allow; At $40.88, the figure indicates that shares will rise nearly 52% in the next year. (See the VRDN stock forecast on TipRanks)

Dennison Mines (DNN)

The next M&A candidate we’ll be looking at is Denison Mines, a uranium exploration and development company. Its interests are located mainly in the Athabasca Basin region of the Canadian Prairie Province in northern Saskatchewan.

In addition to owning a post-closure mine maintenance business and an interest in the Lake McLean Uranium Mill, one of the largest uranium processing facilities in the world, the company also owns a large portfolio of real estate, most of which is still in the early stages of exploration.

However, most of the company’s value is primarily derived from just two assets. One of them is millions of pounds of U3O8 Denison bought for much less money than what is currently being sourced from uranium. The second is the Wheeler River project, which Denison is actively developing and where it intends to apply in situ recovery (“ISR”) technologies to extract uranium at very affordable prices.

The Wheeler River Uranium Project, the largest undeveloped uranium project in the highly developed Eastern Athabasca Basin region of northern Saskatchewan, is owned by Denison with an effective 95% stake. This is a project made by Cantor Analyst Mike Cusack We think Dennison is an attractive takeover proposition, though that’s not the company’s only reason why.

“Given the Level 1 status of the Wheeler River project, its top position on the list of potential acquisition candidates in the uranium sector, and the company’s balance sheet being cashed in all the way up to the construction phase, Dennison should be an essential asset for any/all institutional investors focused on uranium, or Energy Allocation, or Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Standards,” Kozak explained. “The company remains our preferred uranium developer.”

Cusack doesn’t mess around with his recommendation. Combined with its Buy rating, its high street price of $4.25 means that DNN shares are currently undervalued at 279%. (To watch Cusack’s record, click here)

Few stocks make a positive impression on Wall Street analysts, and Dennison is one of those. This uranium stock has a Strong Buy consensus rating, based on 6 recent positive reviews. Shares are priced at $1.12 and the average price target of $2.31 gives the shares ~106% upside potential for the next 12 months. (See DNN stock forecasts on TipRanks)

To find good ideas for stocks trading at attractive valuations, visit TipRanks’ Best stocks to buya newly launched tool that unites all of TipRanks’ equity insights.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the featured analyst. The content is intended to be used for informational purposes only. It is very important to do your own analysis before making any investment.