Better Cathie Wood Stock: Modern vs. He understood

Cathie Wood’s latest stocks shopping spree included several healthcare innovators — and she picked them up for a bargain. Wood isn’t intimidated by shares that have wallowed in the doldrums because she favors long-term investing. The idea is to buy promising companies for a good price and hold onto the shares for a number of years — giving those companies time to bring products to market and grow earnings. And that should boost share performance over time.

This week, Wood has been adding to her positions in biotech companies Modern (MRNA 2.96%) and Intellia Therapeutics (NTLA 2.89%). Moderna, the maker of a leading coronavirus vaccine, is an expert in mRNA medicine, while Intellia is bringing exciting gene editing candidates through the pipeline. Their shares have dropped 28% and 31%, respectively, over the past year, but Wood clearly sees the long-term potential of these players.

Considering this famous investor’s expertise in identifying fantastic long-term opportunities, you may want to follow her into these stocks. But if you could only buy one, which makes it better to buy right now?

The case for Moderna

Moderna fell out of favor as demand for the coronavirus vaccine — its only product — declined. The company brought in billions of dollars in earnings earlier in the pandemic from the vaccine, but in a post-pandemic world, vaccine revenue is set to come in much lower.

The vaccine isn’t likely to return to its peak annual revenue level of more than $18 billion. But it’s important to remember that a pandemic situation is unique so it shouldn’t be used as a comparison point over the long term.

Instead, it’s key to focus on what’s ahead for Moderna, and there, things are looking bright. The company expects a regulatory decision on its respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine candidate this spring and aims to launch as many as 15 new products over the coming five years. If Moderna even achieves a small part of that goal, investors could be looking at a new era of revenue growth for the company.

The biotech is building a respiratory vaccine franchise, which includes coronavirus, flu, and RSV vaccines, and is developing late-stage candidates in rare diseases and oncology. Together, these potential products could bring in as much as $30 billion in revenue a few years after launch.

All of this means that right now, before this new wave of growth, is a good time to get in on the stock.

The case for Intellia

Intellia doesn’t yet have products on the market but is making impressive progress towards that goal. The company works in the area of ​​CRISPR gene editing, or the cutting of DNA at a particular location to prompt a repair process. The idea is to fix faulty genes responsible for disease, and this technology could result in functional cures — so it clearly could be a game changer.

This biotech’s timing is right: It’s moving towards the finish line just as a peer CRISPR Therapeutics won the world’s first authorization of a CRISPR gene editing product. This shows that regulators are willing to accept this new technology, as long as it is backed by solid data.

Intellia recently announced a handful of exciting upcoming milestones and priorities. The company just dosed the first patient in its phase 3 trial for transthyretin amyloidosis with cardiomyopathy, a progressive disease caused by the accumulation of a misfolded protein. Intellia also is studying a candidate for hereditary angioedema — a condition characterized by sudden and extreme swelling — in late-stage trials and aims to apply for regulatory approval in 2026.

The biotech is preparing for the long term, too, with plans to launch a new series of pipeline programs over the coming three years.

Wood has heavily invested in gene-editing companies, with CRISPR Therapeutics as the sixth-biggest position in her flagship fund. So it’s no surprise she’s also picking up shares of Intellia, which could become the next gene-editing winner.

Should you buy Moderna or Intellia?

Both of these Cathie Wood selections may be heading for a wave of growth later this decade if they can shepherd their late-stage programs to the finish line. But Moderna represents more of a safe bet.

The company already has a product on the market, and this product will continue generating sales — even if not nearly as high as a few years ago. Moderna also has a solid chance of winning a regulatory node for its RSV vaccine, one that could carve out market share, thanks to its pre-filled syringe presentation.

All of this means Moderna, as of this year, will probably have two sources of revenue. And if these products perform well, they could trigger a rebound in the stock.

Intellia’s future is promising, but the company remains a few years away from product revenue — and that’s considering everything goes smoothly in its clinical trials.

Of course, positive trial data could be a catalyst for Intellia shares, and the stock could take off. But Moderna’s a few steps ahead when it comes to growth, and that makes it the better buy today.