OSUR - Sector: Healthcare***Industry: Medical Equipment & Supplies

[setravis]

Ascending Triangle (continuation)
Back above the 50-day MA. Earnings up last 3 quarters.
Support @ $8.05...8.74
Resistance @ $9.48....9.74....10.40
MACD is Bullish
Stochastic is Bullish


Technicals
Percentage Gainer

Last Price Quote is:
4.07%above 13-day EMA
1.79%above 50-day EMA
RS Rating: 17 

Fundamentals
Key Data:
Market Cap (M): $416.19 
P/E Ratio: 170.22 
PEG Ratio: 1.75 
Next Earnings: 11/08/2005
Last Analyst Rating: Hold

[setravis]

Profile Get Profile for: 

OraSure Technologies Inc.
220 East First Street
Bethlehem, PA 18015
Phone: 610-882-1820
Fax: 610-814-2937
Web Site: http://www.orasure.com

DETAILS   
Index Membership: N/A
Sector: Healthcare
Industry: Medical Instruments & Supplies
Full Time Employees: 194


BUSINESS SUMMARY   
OraSure Technologies, Inc. engages in the development, manufacture, and marketing of oral specimen collection devices. Its products include Q.E.D. Saliva Alcohol Test and Intercept, a laboratory-based oral fluid drug test; OraSure HIV-1 oral fluid specimen device, a collection device that collects oral fluid to test for antibodies to the HIV-1 virus; OraQuick Rapid HIV-1 antibody test, a point-of-care test to aid in the diagnosis of infection to HIV-1 using a fingerstick and venipuncture whole blood specimen; Toxicology kits for use in testing blood, urine, hair, oral fluid, sweat, and other forensic samples. The company also offers enzyme immunoassay test kits and oral fluid collection devices, which are used to perform risk assessment testing of life insurance applicants and screen for drugs of abuse, nicotine use, and therapeutic drugs, to insurance laboratory clients; OraSure, a set of MICRO-PLATE products to the blood fractionation market for testing of plasma and related products; Cryosurgery for treating various superficial benign skin lesions, including warts, actinic keratoses, seborrheic keratoses, skin tags, age spots, condyloma acuminate, and molluscum; and Histofreezer portable cryosurgical system for cryosurgery. The company sells its products in the United States and internationally to various clinical laboratories, hospitals, clinics, community-based organizations and other public health organizations, distributors, government agencies, physicians' offices, and commercial and industrial entities. OraSure Technologies is headquartered in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

[setravis]

Very good looking "Breakout" from the Ascending Triangle (Continuation)Pattern.
Fundamentally, they have several useful oral testing products and quarterly numbers are showing consistent improvement.Recently turned profitable. Lastly, the meeting with the FDA regarding their HIV take-home test may be a catalyst for the next big move.
Looks to be forming a Cup with Handle (Continuation) Pattern.

Support @ $10.40...10.24...9.92
Resistance @ $11.34...11.50...11.78
MACD is Bullish
Stochastic is Bearish


Technicals
Last Price Quote is:
0.63%above 13-day EMA
6.84%above 50-day EMA
RS Rating: 79 

Fundamentals
Earnings Expected on Nov 9

Key Data:
Market Cap (M): $499.07 
P/E Ratio: 204.11 
PEG Ratio: 2.06 
Next Earnings: 11/09/2005
Last Analyst Rating: Hold

Stockcharts.com is down again today.We will have to settle for this chart from yahoo.

[setravis]

AP
FDA Advisers Consider At-Home HIV Test
Thursday November 3, 8:41 am ET 
FDA Advisers Are Considering Whether to Allow a Do-It-Yourself At-Home HIV Test


WASHINGTON (AP) -- A government advisory panel is considering whether to allow the use of the first HIV test a person can take entirely at home, alone.
The possible availability of the test, which relies on a swab on the inside of the mouth, has raised concerns about the potential psychological impact on people who learn they have the virus with no doctors or counselors present.


The test, called OraQuick Advance, is made by OraSure Technologies Inc. of Bethlehem, Pa. It is already widely available in health clinics and doctor's offices, and the FDA is considering permitting it to be sold over the counter.

A person takes the test by taking a mouth swab and then inserting the swab in a vial of fluid that comes with the test. Twenty minutes later, the device would indicate whether it detects the presence of HIV-1 or HIV-2 antibodies inside cells picked up by the swab.

The test will not detect the virus if the person only recently acquired HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, because it takes several weeks for the antibodies to appear.

The company has not decided at what price it would sell the kits to consumers, company officials said. The company sells the kits for between $12 and $17 to clinics and doctors, he said.

The test is accurate more than 99 percent of the time, the company says. Still, a positive result from the test should be confirmed through an additional test by doctors or public health officials.

The FDA's Blood Products Advisory Committee will consider Thursday whether to recommend the product for over-the-counter sales. The FDA has the final say, but it usually follows its committees' advice.

FDA briefing documents posted on the Internet said these kits could lead to more people knowing whether they have HIV, which could mean earlier treatment of the infection. People afraid or unwilling to take the test, particularly those with no symptoms, may more readily test themselves with a kit they can use privately.

But the documents also note concerns about someone learning they probably have HIV when they are alone, with no health professional or counselor nearby. Company officials said they would develop instructions with the kit for someone who receives a positive result that would probably include a telephone number and web site address.

One other home test, made by Home Access Health Corp., is approved for sale in the United States by the FDA. People taking this test must take a sample from themselves and mail it to a lab for results.

Some companies market unapproved HIV tests for home use; the FDA says it is impossible to know if they are reliable.

About one million people in the United States have HIV. The Centers for Disease Control estimates nearly 300,000 people have the virus but don't know it.

Food and Drug Administration: http://www.fda.gov

[setravis]

Reuters.com - No Spin. No Agenda. Just the Facts. As they happen.
 

UPDATE 1-At-home HIV test could spur early treatment-US panel
Thu Nov 3, 2005 07:55 PM ET
(Adds meeting details throughout)
By Susan Heavey

GAITHERSBURG, Md., Nov 3 (Reuters) - An HIV test that can be used at home and promises results in 20 minutes could help more people get treated sooner, but raises concerns about how well patients could cope with the test findings on their own, a U.S. advisory panel heard on Thursday.

Testing kits that allow consumers to mail a blood sample to a laboratory for results have been approved in the past, but advocates said allowing people to find out their HIV status at home makes testing easier, faster and more private.

"A number of people don't get tested because they are concerned about privacy," Orasure Technology Inc. (OSUR.O: Quote, Profile, Research) Chief Executive Douglas Michels told Reuters at the Food and Drug Administration panel meeting.

The company is considering seeking FDA approval for a home version of its OraQuick test, which is already marketed to doctors and other health-care providers.

No company has sought U.S. permission to sell the products over-the-counter, but the FDA is asking for the panelists' advice as it weighs how to review future proposals.

Agency officials said there were several concerns about at-home HIV tests, including how people would cope with their results, especially those younger than 18.

"Concerns have been expressed over the years about the psychological effects of receiving a positive HIV test result without the benefit of counseling. The issue that has come up repeatedly is suicidal tendencies," said Elliot Cowan, head of product reviews for the FDA's Division of Emerging and Transfusion Transmitted Diseases.

The FDA has been grappling with possible home-use HIV tests since 1986, when manufacturers first expressed interest in selling mail-in kits, which have since been approved for HIV and hepatitis C.

OraQuick would allow consumers to insert a swab of saliva into a small bottle, providing the results while the patient waits at home. Like home pregnancy tests, various colored lines appear on a small window depending on whether the virus was detected.

ENCOURAGING TESTING

The panel appeared to support marketing the test to consumers, and told the FDA it should require over-the-counter versions to perform almost as well as the professional ones.

"I would agree that we could probably lower the bar a little bit for the public health good," said panelist Thomas Quinn, a professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.

Companies considering U.S. approval should conduct studies that mimic home use, include minorities and teenagers, and explore what happens if people use the test incorrectly, the panelists reccommended.

They should also include simple information about getting treatment and the need to get a second test to confirm the results, the panel said.

During the public hearing, a few opponents argued that HIV screenings should be left to trained professionals who could provide immediate advice.

Nearly a dozen activists and researchers said easier access would encourage more people, especially those without access to health care or those worried about being stigmatized, to get tested.

Over-the-counter tests are "a must in our fight against the spread of this disease," said Rev. Richard Cizik, vice president for governmental affairs at the National Association of Evangelicals.

Orasure's Michels said the company was working on what kind of information to include with its test. OraQuick is effective, but he said the company would conduct studies on how well average people can use it before filing for approval.

The next step is for the company to meet with the agency, he added.

He did not say what it would charge consumers, but the professional version costs between $12 and $17.

Canada's Medmira Inc. (MIR.V: Quote, Profile, Research) is also considering seeking U.S. approval for its version, which uses a blood sample.


© Reuters 2005. All Rights Reserved.

[setravis]

Very good looking "Breakout" from the Ascending Triangle (Continuation)Pattern.
Fundamentally, they have several useful oral testing products and quarterly numbers are showing consistent improvement.Recently turned profitable. Lastly, the meeting with the FDA regarding their HIV take-home test may be a catalyst for the next big move.
Looks to be forming a Cup with Handle (Continuation) Pattern.

Support @ $10.79...10.30...9.93...9.73...9.48
Resistance @ $11.34...11.50...11.78
MACD is Bullish
Stochastic is Bearish

Technicals
Last Price Quote is:
5.80%above 13-day EMA
12.33%above 50-day EMA
RS Rating: 85 

Fundamentals
Earnings Expected on Nov 9

Key Data:
Market Cap (M): $499.07 
P/E Ratio: 204.11 
PEG Ratio: 2.06 
Next Earnings: 11/09/2005
Last Analyst Rating: Hold

[la-onda]

up AH!!!


OSUR: Q3 Results 8c vs (1c); Beats 5c Est; In-Line Guidance
Wednesday, November 09, 2005 16:09 ET

QUARTER RESULTS
OraSure Technologies, Incorporated (OSUR) reported Q3 results ended September 2005. Q3 Revenues were $18.08M; +27.50% vs yr-ago; BEATING revenue consensus by +0.33%. Q3 EPS was 8c; +900.00% vs yr-ago; BEATING earnings consensus by +60.00%.

Q3 RESULTS      Reported      Year-Ago     Y/Y Chg      Estimate    SURPRISE
----------  ------------  ------------  ----------  ------------  ----------
Revenues:        $18.08M       $14.18M     +27.50%       $18.02M      +0.33%
----------  ------------  ------------  ----------  ------------  ----------
EPS:                  8c          (1c)    +900.00%            5c     +60.00%
----------  ------------  ------------  ----------  ------------  ----------

QUARTERLY GUIDANCE:
Company provided NO Revenue guidance for next quarter.

Company provided NO EPS guidance for next quarter.

ANNUAL GUIDANCE:
Company provided NO Revenue guidance for coming year.

Company issues Coming-YR EPS guidance IN-LINE with consensus estimate, expecting: "FY06 non-GAAP EPS of 18c-20c"

[akclide]

Osur,looks great ,Cup and handle completing.Good earnings and earning outlook raised
ORASURE TECHNOLOGIES INC. (OSUR.O: Quote, Profile, Research)

Latest Forecast* No. of Yr ago

analysts qtr EPS (diluted, $/shr) 0.08 0.05 4 -0.01 Net ($ thousands) 3,808 -- -- -294 Revenue ($ million) 18.1 18.0 4 14.2

*Source: Reuters Estimates

--For 2005, Orasure raised its earnings outlook to 20 cents a share, without giving effect to the impact of the potential recognition of a portion of a deferred tax asset.

--Four analysts on average expect the company to report 2005 earnings of 18 cents a share, before special items, according to Reuters Estimates. (Reporting by Gurdeep Singh and Deepak Kannan in Bangalore)
Quarterly earning growth yoy is 915%.Avg. vol 3 months 457130, avg. vol 10 days 803262.

[setravis]

I like your thinking ! 
I also have a thread running on this if you would like to check that out.

http://www.3stocksonfire.org/trading/index.php?topic=3136.0

This is also my pick in the Stock Picking Contest.

http://www.3stocksonfire.org/trading/index.php?topic=3487.msg30867#msg30867

Good trading to you.

[akclide]

Great,I picked some up along with HGSI,Tiii,TSM and KSS.
                                                                       Goodluck

[setravis]

• UPDATE - TABLE-OraSure Technologies posts Q3 profit
at Reuters (Wed 7:36pm) 

Link:  http://yahoo.reuters.com/financeQuoteCompanyNewsArticle.jhtml?duid=mtfh40567_2005-11-10_00-36-02_bng83987_newsml


• New Star Analyst Rankings for ORASURE TECH INC
StarMine (Thu 10:31am) 

Link:   http://finance.yahoo.com/q/sa?s=osur

[setravis]

I like the way the volume came back into this one today.
Avg Vol (3m): 411,871 .....today back up Volume @ 1,113,891

Also this is my pick in the Stock Picking Contest.
http://www.3stocksonfire.org/trading/index.php?topic=3487.msg30867#msg30867

Support @ $11.04...10.60...10.33
Resistance @ $11.34...11.50...11.78
MACD is Bullish
Stochastic is neutral
Recent CandleStick Analysis
Nov-10-2005 Hammer 

Technicals
Last Price Quote is:
3.11%above 13-day EMA
10.16%above 50-day EMA

RS Rating: 90 

Fundamentals
Key Data:
Market Cap (M): $500.43 
P/E Ratio: 204.67 
PEG Ratio: 2.14 
Next Earnings: 02/09/2006
Last Analyst Rating: Hold

[setravis]

Moving up today......

[setravis]

Things are looking good....
Breakout.

[setravis]

Very nice day so far for OSUR...
Moving up in the contest....but old Lucas Scott sure has a big out front lead with GTE..