The latest Market Talks covering the Health Care sector. Published exclusively on Dow Jones Newswires at 4:20 ET, 12:20 ET and 16:50 ET.

0607 GMT - Hutchmed (China)'s deal with GSK appears to validate a specific drug candidate platform of the Hong Kong-based biopharmaceutical company before it enters clinical trials, say Citi analysts in a note. Hutchmed entered an licensing deal with GSK that could be worth up to US$1.295 billion, excluding royalties on net sales, for a cancer drug. The deal, 1H sales momentum and a separate approval from Chinese regulators could materially improve visibility on Hutchmed's guidance, they say, noting the company expects 2026 oncology and immunology revenue of US$330 million-US$450 million. Citi raises its 2026-2028 oncology and immunology revenue estimates by 14%-27%. The bank lifts its stock target price to 39.00 Hong Kong dollars from HK$36.00. Shares are up 3.3% at HK$22.60. (megan.cheah@wsj.com)

0227 GMT - Nakanishi's growth story looks stronger and broader, SMBC Nikko Securities' Shinnosuke Tokumoto says in a research report. Drivers are sustained market-share gains in the U.S., replacement demand for pandemic-era purchases in Europe, Japan, and the U.S., and sales expansion for new products targeting emerging markets, the analyst says. The Japanese company's operating-profit growth compares favorably with medical technology peers given industry tailwinds and a product strategy capable of delivering high growth. The brokerage lifts its five-year operating-profit CAGR growth forecasts for Nakanishi to 16% from 13%. It raises the stock's rating to outperform from neutral and the target price to Y4,000 from Y3,300. Shares are 2.95% higher at Y3,135. (ronnie.harui@wsj.com)

1619 GMT [Dow Jones]--Gains in bitcoin through August have inspired optimism in the cryptocurrency space, with CoinMarketCap's Fear and Greed index at 77 out of 100, a "greed" reading. But the foundation of these gains are possibly not as strong as some may have hoped. "Perpetual-futures positioning shows the move up came mostly from shorts being liquidated and covered; few new long positions were opened, and shorts have started to rebuild," say analysts with CryptoQuant in a note. Bitcoin has broken through the $80,000 mark, trading up 4.7% to $81,054. Ethereum rises 4.7% to $2,506, XRP climbs 7.4% to $1.45, and Solana is up 4.8% to $104.45. (kirk.maltais@wsj.com)

1210 GMT - AstraZeneca's new drug for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease could become a market leader if it proves to be effective across all patient groups, Berenberg analysts say in a research note. Initial trial results released by the U.K. drugmaker earlier this year showed the drug, tozorakimab, delivered benefits both in the primary population of former smokers and in the overall population, and across stages of lung function, the analysts say. Similar drugs from Roche and Sanofi delivered mixed results in trials last year, but AstraZeneca's is expected to work across a broader cohort of COPD patients, they add. "We would view 30% exacerbation reduction to be a highly positive result and ahead of expectations," Berenberg says. Shares rise 1.5%. (adria.calatayud@wsj.com)

0955 GMT - Bayer sees its agricultural business on track to hit 2029 targets set a couple of years ago, but the market doesn't seem to be fully grasping the unit's potential, analysts at J.P. Morgan say in a research note. At an event held Wednesday, the German conglomerate reiterated its 2029 forecast for its agricultural division, with incremental sales of 3.5 billion euros over the 2024-29 period and an improvement in its underlying Ebitda margin to the mid-20s percentage range. The outlook confirmation is encouraging, because the unit's potential is undervalued by the market and consensus estimates for 2029 sales and underlying Ebitda are short of what Bayer's guidance implies by 3% and 9%, respectively, according to JPM. Bayer shares fall 0.5%.