Forget Gilead Sciences Inc.: These 2 Stocks Doubled Last Year

Despite a generally bleak year for Gilead, and for biotech stocks in general, shares of Exelixis, Inc. Can these biotechs continue climbing throughout the new year and beyond, or are they about to sputter and run out of fuel? Let’s look at what’s propelling them upward to see why they might be better picks than Gilead Sciences. A string of good news for Exelixis’ lead cancer drug made this one of the best-performing biotech stocks of 2016.

Exelixis Inc. (EXEL) Stake Raised by Swiss National Bank

Swiss National Bank increased its position in shares of Exelixis Inc. by 1.5% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission . The fund owned 367,300 shares of the biotechnology company’s stock after buying an additional 5,600 shares during the period.