Key Takeaways
- The best pharmaceutical stocks offer volatility and volume, perfect for day trading
- Companies like Pfizer and Amgen lead with innovation and market buzz
- Day trading these stocks can capitalize on news-driven price swings
- These picks blend strong fundamentals with short-term trading action
- Adding the best pharmaceutical stocks could amp up your daily gains
Introduction
Stock trading comes in all shapes and forms; what we invest in can be a reflection of our outlook on the market and the industry we select. As a day trader myself, I always look for stocks that can benefit me best in the short term, and recently I found pharmaceutical stocks hitting the mark and generating me comfortable profit margins.
What are pharmaceutical stocks?
Pharmaceutical stocks represent companies that develop, produce, and distribute key medical materials, such as drugs, machinery, and cutting-edge therapies.
They trade on exchanges like NYSE or NASDAQ, where you can buy and sell shares daily. These firms range from giants curing diseases to smaller biotech companies chasing breakthroughs.
For day traders, they can be considered powerful opportunities, especially when news erupts around FDA approvals or if trials fail, pushing you to take either a long or short position.
List of the 10 best pharmaceutical stocks
Below is a list I consider to be great for day trading opportunities. I have tried to keep my top pick list as diverse as possible, to cover maximum portfolio exposure.
- Pfizer (PFE) - Vaccine titan driving global health.
- Amgen (AMGN) - Biotech king with blockbuster drugs.
- Gilead Sciences (GILD) - Antiviral leader with breakout potential.
- Moderna (MRNA) - mRNA pioneer riding innovation waves.
- Biogen (BIIB) - Neurology champ with volatile swings.
- Regeneron (REGN) - Antibody expert fueling rapid moves.
- Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX) - Rare disease star with steady buzz.
- Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY) - Cancer drug giant with news spikes.
- Eli Lilly (LLY) - Diabetes and obesity blockbuster maker.
- AstraZeneca (AZN) - Global player with high-volume trades.
Our criteria for choosing great pharmaceutical stocks
Using a methodological approach, I generated our best pharmaceutical stocks, for day traders, based on the following criteria:
- Volatility: Big price swings for quick profits.
- Trading volume: High liquidity for easy in-and-out trades.
- News sensitivity: FDA news or trials spark a movement.
- Market cap: Mid-to-large caps for stability and action.
- Momentum: Recent trends or catalysts to ride.
Vaccine titan driving global health
Pfizer (PFE)
Pfizer is an American household name through and through, the company notably increased its fame during the covid-19 pandemic. Since then, the company has reached a $165 billion market cap, leading to trust and support in the company.
Why Pfizer?
Pfizer’s one of the best pharmaceutical stocks because it’s a volatility machine. In 2024, revenue hit $58 billion, down 5% post-COVID peak, but trading volume averages 25 million shares daily.
The stock swings 2-5% on earnings or FDA nods, perfect for you to scalp during short periods. Their pipeline’s packed with oncology and rare disease bets, keeping investor interest alive.
Generic competition could pinch at market share, in terms of sales, but from a day trader perspective, you can surely thrive on their short-term market jolts.
Biotech king with blockbuster drugs
Amgen (AMGN)
Amgen, at a $170 billion market cap, churns out powerful anti-arthritis medicines such as Enbrel and Prolia. The company has a strong product offering combined with a high amount of trading volume, great for day traders.
Why Amgen?
Amgen ranks among the best pharmaceutical stocks for its 10% revenue bump to $33 billion in 2024, an increase of 18% compared to 2023. The company's stock is up 15%, over 12 months, with 1-3% daily swings during company updates on drugs.
The company has a strong competitive edge due to its existing product lines, its continual global expansion, and overall long-lasting patents. Furthermore, for day traders, the stock sees up to 5 million shares traded daily.
If you want reliable volatility with upside kicks, Amgen’s a day trader’s dream.
Antiviral leader with breakout potential
Gilead Sciences (GILD)
Gilead, valued at $139 billion and an operating profit of over $22.5 billion in 2024, the company dominates the market of antivirals, fighting against diseases such as HIV and hepatitis C.
Why Gilead?
Gilead is a contender for the best pharmaceutical stocks with $28 billion in revenue in 2024 an increase of 5.9% compared to 2023.
The company's stocks have been steadily rising reaching $112, a 52% increase throughout the last 12 months. Their HIV treatment and market dominance are rock-solid, and cancer drug bets keep traders interested.
On the other hand, slow growth outside antivirals, yet 10 million shares daily mean easy trades, and is a good stock to day trade with. If you’re hunting breakout moves, Gilead’s volatility fits your style perfectly.
mRNA pioneer riding innovation waves
Moderna (MRNA)
Moderna, with a $13 billion market cap, redefined vaccines with mRNA tech during the Covid pandemic. However, since then the company has seen a steady decline in its share price, potentially a good opportunity to buy its dip, or continue with a short position.
Why Moderna?
Moderna is among the best pharmaceutical stocks for day trading, with a revenue of $3.2 billion in 2024, down by over 50%, but with a 5-10% daily swing range. Stock volatility could be perfect for day trading, especially with its 15 million shares traded daily.
On the other hand, Moderna's sales rely on vaccine wins, and considering the need for vaccinations is low, coupled with stern competition, the company may continue to see a decline in revenue, and ultimately its stock price.
Neurology champ with volatile swings
Biogen (BIIB)
Biogen, at $21 billion market cap, tackling illnesses such as Alzheimer’s and MS with drugs like Aduhelm. The company has increased its overall operating profit by over 149% reaching $2.1 billion in 2024.
Why Biogen?
Although the company's stock is down 33% over the past 12 months, Biogen’s still a top pick as one of the best pharmaceutical stocks, with $9.6 billion in revenue in 2024, and the stock swinging between 4-8% on a daily basis, it is a great stock to day trade with.
Their Alzheimer’s drugs keep traders hooked, averaging 2 million shares daily. The risks Biogen faces are around regulatory risks as setbacks can tank its stock. If you’re ready to ride unpredictable waves, Biogen’s volatility is your day-trading ally.
Antibody expert fueling rapid moves
Regeneron (REGN)
Regeneron, worth $72.9 billion, excels in antibodies for diseases such as Covid and eye-related illnesses. It’s a steady climber but prone to sudden market volatility. Although the company's operating profit dipped by 1.4% to $3.9 billion, it's still a strong pharmaceutical stock.
Why Regeneron?
Regeneron is a gem among the best pharmaceutical stocks with overall revenue up 6.7% to $14.2 billion in 2024 the stock's volatility moves 2-4% daily and sees on average roughly 1 million shares traded daily.
Risks include rival antibody companies eating away at its market share, but consistent momentum keeps investor sentiment high, not to mention its increased revenue.
If you're looking for a reliable day trading stock then Regeneron’s your pick.
Rare disease star with a steady buzz
Vertex Pharmaceuticals (VRTX)
Vertex, at $5.4 billion, rules rare diseases like cystic fibrosis. However, similar to Moderna, the company is cash-negative after operating expences, leading to a potentially strong shorting stock for day traders.
Why Vertex?
Well, as mentioned above, the stock is seeing cash-negative profits although its revenue has grown by 8% in 2024 to $666 million and increased its operating profits from -$7.42 million to -$2.23 million, showing signs of growth within the company.
The company's stock is steady seeing a 13.6% increase over the last 12 months with a daily volatility range of between 3-5% combined with a daily share trading of 2 million shares.
Vertex is certainly one of my top pharma stocks to day trade with, although the fundamentals are slightly shaky, the market moves and high volatility when news around its drugs drop present strong opportunities.
Cancer drug giant with news spikes
Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY)
Bristol Myers, with a $121 billion market cap, pumps out cancer and immune drugs. Recently, its revenue surpassed $48 billion, an increase of 7.3% compared to the previous year.
Why Bristol Myers?
Bristol Myers ranks high among the best pharmaceutical stocks with a $36.3 billion gross profit in 2024. The company's stock sees swings of around 2-4% daily, with 15 million shares traded daily.
If you're looking for a high-volume trading pharma stock, combined with news-related market volatility, then Bristol Myers is likely your best bet.
Diabetes and obesity blockbuster maker
Eli Lilly (LLY)
The big pharma giant on our list, with a market cap of $781 billion coupled with a $45 billion revenue in 2024, Eli Lilly is a strong day trading stock. The company specializes in diabetes and obesity drugs like Mounjaro.
Why Eli Lilly?
The company has seen an overall increase of 9.28% in its stock price throughout the last 12 months. This is coupled with a YoY increase of 25.2% in its operating profit, further pushing Eli Lilly into a bullish position.
The company's stock’s volatility moves on average around 3-6% with 3 million shares traded daily. If you chase trending giants then I highly recommend you take a look at LLY.
Global player with high-volume trades
AstraZeneca (AZN)
AstraZeneca, our hard-hitting big pharma stock worth $240 billion, tackles cancer and vaccines globally. It’s your steady giant with a stable operating profit margin of $10 billion, an increase of 20% compared to 2023.
Why AstraZeneca?
Its large $54 billion revenue and 13.73% YoY growth combined with its daily trading volume of over 5 million shares make it a strong day trading stock.
The company, with its pledge for carbon neutrality, has announced new vaccines to be rolled out globally, potentially pushing its stock higher.
The company, however, experienced setbacks throughout the approval of the new drugs process, but nothing major, and the company's overall liquidity is rock-solid.
If you want a global mover, AZN’s your day trading star.
Conclusion
There you go, 10 of the best pharmaceutical stocks for day trading: Pfizer, Amgen, Gilead, Moderna, Biogen, Regeneron, Vertex, Bristol Myers, Eli Lilly, and AstraZeneca.
Each packs volatility, volume, and news triggers to fuel your trades. You don’t need to go all-in, just pick a few, test the waters, and ride the swings.
If you're looking to analyze the markets in more detail, then I recommend using Intellectia's powerful AI platform. I hope our top pharmaceutical stocks list can provide you with the insights you need to day trade.
