Today two of my biotechnology stocks, Biogen Idec (BIIB) and Onyx Pharmaceuticals (ONXX), are climbing on good results from clinical trials. In Biogen's case results are for daclizumab for multiple sclerosis and for BG-12 for MS as well. Onyx's results are for regorafenib for metastatic colorectal cancer, which is being developed by Bayer, but for which Onyx gets royalties.
This made me think about my now ancient Choosing A Biotech Stock 3 part series. I wrote Part I, the Overview, on September 3, 2007. Was my advice, which I followed, any good?
My hopes were high. I said, "I think some biotechnology stocks are going to be worth a lot more money (better than market returns) in a few years than they are now, and may make me filthy rich if I live to see the long run. I could spread the risk out by buying a lot of different biotechs, or going to a fund. But, well, while I would recommend a fund to anyone too lazy to do their own research, the problem with spreading risk broadly is that you can't get any alpha (profits above typical market) that way."
I already owned Celgene, Dendreon, and Anesiva (which went bankrupt later). I mentioned Gilead Sciences (GILD) and Biogen Idec (BIIB) as being the kinds of companies that I would look at. In Part 2 I took a close look at Gilead. In Part 3 I took a close look at Biogen, but then said that despite their pipeline, "Wow, they have a very strong pipeline (See BIIB pipeline page)," I would buy Gilead first.
Of course after that purchase we had the recession, when most stocks were oversold. I ended up buying Biogen and Onyx as well, and added to each position. The result, so far, has been a mixed bag.
I already owned Celgene, which I first bought in June 2007 for $59.34. I bought more as low as $38.59 in May 2009. As I write it is selling for $66.09.
I first bought Gilead in October 2007 for $42.23. I bought more for $46.55 in February 0f 2010. As I write it is selling for $41.06.
I first bought Biogen in February 2008 for $61.57. I bought more at a low of $46.67 in September of 2008. As I write it is selling for $117.87. Clearly this turned out to be the best investment in the group, so far.
I first bought Onyx in May 2008 for $34.87. My best purchase was for $26.20 in May 2010. As I write it is selling for $39.59.
Clearly Gilead has been the dog of the group, but my selection criteria were pretty good overall. That reminds me, and should remind all of us who are seeking alpha, to keep diversified, even when we have found a sound strategy for investing.
It also reminds me of the importance of patience when doing long-term investing. When a biotechnology company has value in its therapy pipeline, it helps to think in terms of 5 to 10 years, not 5 to 10 days.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Will Thailand Floods Hit Marvell Technology?
Marvell Technology (MRVL) makes semiconductor chips for hard disk drives (HDDs), cell phones, networking and other devices. Marvell's first product was a chip to control hard drives, and in its first decade it came to dominate that market. This year revenue from chips for hard drives has represented about half of total Marvell revenue.
This week massive flooding in Thailand caused Western Digital manufacturing facilities to be shut down there. Obviously this could hurt demand for Marvell's HDD controller chips, at least temporarily. How much trouble could this be for Marvell's Q3 and Q4 results? (its fiscal Q3 ends October 30th; Q4 ends January 31st)
Western Digital is currently Marvell's largest HDD customer. Earlier this year Western Digital acquired Hitachi's HDD division. Marvell is generally granted to have the best HDD controller chips, so it has been expected to expand its already substantial market share by increasingly supplying chips for Hitachi. It has also been becoming a more important supplier for another big HDD manufacturer, Seagate, which is acquiring Samsung's HDD division. In Q1 2011 Western Digital led global shipment in units, but Seagate led in revenues.
According to Western Digital, two of its Thailand facilities were shut because of flooding. In addition there has been flood damage to the supply chain for the plants. It expects a "significant impact" on its ability to meet demand in the December quarter.
Seagate's Thai factories were not directly affected, but it also expects supply chain problems of unknown magnitude.
While all this is sorted out Marvell will probably lose some October shipments, which may impact Q3 revenue, depending on revenue recognition timing. It is too early to predict how long beyond October the effect could last. In the longer run it is likely just a bump in the road. There is inventory at every stage of the chain. HDD sales have not been robust this year, so the inventory situation is probably not bad. PC manufacturers have inventory on hand, and there have been no reports that the flooding ruined any drives already made or in production. To some extent supplies and production could be shifted to other plants, which should have excess capacity, if not now (gearing up for holiday PC sales), certainly in December and January.
The situation is worth watching. If it takes months instead of weeks to get back to full production there could be a substantial impact on Marvell's Q4 results. On the other hand Marvell has been trending to be less reliant on HDD chip sales for its profits. Revenues from its Chinese smartphone chips, which should be ramping in Q3, are probably the best indicator of how well Marvell will fare in 2012.
Disclosure: I am long Marvell Technology (MRVL).
See also: http://www.marvell.com/
My August 18, 2011 Marvell (MRVL) analyst call summary
My May 26, 2011 Marvell (MRVL) analyst call summary
My March 2011 Marvell (MRVL) analyst call summary
Keep diversified!
This week massive flooding in Thailand caused Western Digital manufacturing facilities to be shut down there. Obviously this could hurt demand for Marvell's HDD controller chips, at least temporarily. How much trouble could this be for Marvell's Q3 and Q4 results? (its fiscal Q3 ends October 30th; Q4 ends January 31st)
Western Digital is currently Marvell's largest HDD customer. Earlier this year Western Digital acquired Hitachi's HDD division. Marvell is generally granted to have the best HDD controller chips, so it has been expected to expand its already substantial market share by increasingly supplying chips for Hitachi. It has also been becoming a more important supplier for another big HDD manufacturer, Seagate, which is acquiring Samsung's HDD division. In Q1 2011 Western Digital led global shipment in units, but Seagate led in revenues.
According to Western Digital, two of its Thailand facilities were shut because of flooding. In addition there has been flood damage to the supply chain for the plants. It expects a "significant impact" on its ability to meet demand in the December quarter.
Seagate's Thai factories were not directly affected, but it also expects supply chain problems of unknown magnitude.
While all this is sorted out Marvell will probably lose some October shipments, which may impact Q3 revenue, depending on revenue recognition timing. It is too early to predict how long beyond October the effect could last. In the longer run it is likely just a bump in the road. There is inventory at every stage of the chain. HDD sales have not been robust this year, so the inventory situation is probably not bad. PC manufacturers have inventory on hand, and there have been no reports that the flooding ruined any drives already made or in production. To some extent supplies and production could be shifted to other plants, which should have excess capacity, if not now (gearing up for holiday PC sales), certainly in December and January.
The situation is worth watching. If it takes months instead of weeks to get back to full production there could be a substantial impact on Marvell's Q4 results. On the other hand Marvell has been trending to be less reliant on HDD chip sales for its profits. Revenues from its Chinese smartphone chips, which should be ramping in Q3, are probably the best indicator of how well Marvell will fare in 2012.
Disclosure: I am long Marvell Technology (MRVL).
See also: http://www.marvell.com/
My August 18, 2011 Marvell (MRVL) analyst call summary
My May 26, 2011 Marvell (MRVL) analyst call summary
My March 2011 Marvell (MRVL) analyst call summary
Keep diversified!
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Onyx Pharmaceuticals Gets $160 million for Nexavar, Plus Regorafenib Royalties
Onyx Pharmaceuticals (ONXX) today announced it is receiving a major cash infusion at a time when it is transitioning from being a successful biotechnology startup into a major player. The cash, $160 million from Bayer, is for the Japanese rights for Nexavar, a cancer therapy. The deal is in the context of settling litigation about Regorafenib, an analog of Nexavar developed by Bayer. Onyx will receive a 20% royalty on future worldwide sales of Regorafenib.
Nexavar is sold by Bayer. Onyx, which discovered and co-developed the drug, gets a share of the profits after Bayer's expenses. But in most quarters so far Onyx's own operating expenses have been sufficient to wipe out the receipts from Bayer. An important treatment for liver and kidney cancer, sales of Nexavar continue to ramp globally. Liver cancer rates are far higher in Asia than in the West, but Asia is the last area Nexavar has become available, so sales are just beginning to ramp in China and other nations in the region.
Bayer and Onyx have been running Nexavar through a set of clinical trials that have shown it may be effective for other forms of cancer, and to strengthen its role in liver caner. If you subtract out these research and development (R&D) costs, in most quarters Onyx would have shown a profit. Onyx has started recruiting patients for Nexavar Phase III trials for breast cancer and thyroid cancer, and has Phase II trials underway in colorectal and ovarian cancer.
Fortunately Onyx Pharmaceuticals has been able to maintain a high cash balance despite the regular losses, ending Q2 2011 at $550 million. Assuming the $160 million payment is a Q4 event, cash at the end of the year should approach $700 million.
Regorafenib does not yet have its first FDA approval. It is in a Phase III trial for a type of stomach cancer, and will doubtless be tried for a variety of solid cancer types. I would not expect any revenue until 2014, and like any drug it could fail for a currently unknown reason, but the royalties are a great thing to have in Onyx's likely future.
Given the background of success with Nexavar, tempered with losses due to R&D spend, Carfilzomib is still the key to Onyx's value in the 2012 to 2015 time frame. Carfilzomib is a proteasome inhibitor that had positive data for relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma in a Phase IIb trial. In fact the data was good enough that it is being submitted to the FDA for approval. At the same time two Phase III trials have been initiated.
If both Regorafenib and carfilzomib is approved by the FDA the nature of Onyx's model will change. It should be possible, starting in 2013, to have a vigorous R&D program to continue expanding the indications for Nexavar and carfilzomib without actually throwing the bottom line into the red.
Yesterday Onyx ended with a market capitalization of $2.0 billion, at $31.91 per share. As I write the market cap has risen to $2.15 billion, with the stock price at $33.80. I believe that there is always risk in biotechnology stocks from competition, the need for FDA and other national medical agency approvals, and from failure to execute.
Disclosure: I am long Onyx Pharmaceutical. I have no plans to sell or buy ONXX in the immediate future.
Keep Diversified!
See also my notes on the Q2 2011 Onyx Pharmaceuticals analyst call
Onyx Pharmaceuticals home page
Nexavar is sold by Bayer. Onyx, which discovered and co-developed the drug, gets a share of the profits after Bayer's expenses. But in most quarters so far Onyx's own operating expenses have been sufficient to wipe out the receipts from Bayer. An important treatment for liver and kidney cancer, sales of Nexavar continue to ramp globally. Liver cancer rates are far higher in Asia than in the West, but Asia is the last area Nexavar has become available, so sales are just beginning to ramp in China and other nations in the region.
Bayer and Onyx have been running Nexavar through a set of clinical trials that have shown it may be effective for other forms of cancer, and to strengthen its role in liver caner. If you subtract out these research and development (R&D) costs, in most quarters Onyx would have shown a profit. Onyx has started recruiting patients for Nexavar Phase III trials for breast cancer and thyroid cancer, and has Phase II trials underway in colorectal and ovarian cancer.
Fortunately Onyx Pharmaceuticals has been able to maintain a high cash balance despite the regular losses, ending Q2 2011 at $550 million. Assuming the $160 million payment is a Q4 event, cash at the end of the year should approach $700 million.
Regorafenib does not yet have its first FDA approval. It is in a Phase III trial for a type of stomach cancer, and will doubtless be tried for a variety of solid cancer types. I would not expect any revenue until 2014, and like any drug it could fail for a currently unknown reason, but the royalties are a great thing to have in Onyx's likely future.
Given the background of success with Nexavar, tempered with losses due to R&D spend, Carfilzomib is still the key to Onyx's value in the 2012 to 2015 time frame. Carfilzomib is a proteasome inhibitor that had positive data for relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma in a Phase IIb trial. In fact the data was good enough that it is being submitted to the FDA for approval. At the same time two Phase III trials have been initiated.
If both Regorafenib and carfilzomib is approved by the FDA the nature of Onyx's model will change. It should be possible, starting in 2013, to have a vigorous R&D program to continue expanding the indications for Nexavar and carfilzomib without actually throwing the bottom line into the red.
Yesterday Onyx ended with a market capitalization of $2.0 billion, at $31.91 per share. As I write the market cap has risen to $2.15 billion, with the stock price at $33.80. I believe that there is always risk in biotechnology stocks from competition, the need for FDA and other national medical agency approvals, and from failure to execute.
Disclosure: I am long Onyx Pharmaceutical. I have no plans to sell or buy ONXX in the immediate future.
Keep Diversified!
See also my notes on the Q2 2011 Onyx Pharmaceuticals analyst call
Onyx Pharmaceuticals home page
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Earnings Preview: AMD, AKAM, GILD, BIIB, CELG
Earnings season is upon us again. Of the stocks I watch most closely (in this case because I own some of each of them), Akamai (AKAM) has scheduled its analyst conference for October 26, and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) is on October 27. Gilead Sciences (GILD), Celgene (CELG), and Biogen Idec (BIIB) should also report before month's end, but have not yet set dates.
While the information in analyst conferences comes from management, and so can be biased, it is still essential listening for serious investors. At the end sell-side analysts are allowed to ask questions (some micro-caps even let investors ask questions), and on occasion an answer to a question can give important insights into the company. I take notes while I listen and even post them on the web; listen to management for a couple of years and you may be able to tell a lot from the way they answer or evade questions. Going back a few years and checking on how management's predictions worked out can also be illuminating.
Akamai typically is a high P/E stock that has to justify that ratio by showing continuous growth. Many companies have tried to compete with Akamai at accelerated delivery of web content, yet over a decade later Akamai still has incredible market share and has branched out into adjacent businesses like cloud security. Pricing has been an issue lately. Look to see if Akamai's volume of business is growing fast enough to compensate for falling prices. Q3 is a slowish quarter for content delivery, with a big bump coming from e-commerce in Q4, so Q4 guidance is also a key indicator of the health of this business.
AMD already pre-announced, sending the stock price into free-fall. This was as I predicted in AMD at Earnings Crossroad, but worse. The good side of the news is demand for AMD's new server and APU chips is strong. What we want to know from management is how strong is the demand, and how quickly can they gear up chip production to meet the demand.
Biogen Idec (BIIB) guided to low to mid single digit revenue growth over 2011, which for Q3 would run to roughtly $1.2 billion. Tysabri sales over $280 million would be a positive indicator, but the key question is data or FDA approvals for late-pipeline drugs like BG-12 or Daclizumab for multiple sclerosis, which are likely to be announced on other occasions.
Gilead (GILD) is a cash cow that has a low P/E due to patents expiring on some of its anti-viral drugs over the next decade. If management would pay a dividend, the value of the franchise would be more obvious. They are doing a lot of research on new anti-viral compounds that could kick growth into high gear again if approved. Expect something over $2 billion in revenue, $940 million in cash flow from operations. The key issue would be timelines for Endurant and and the "Quad" regimen. Don't expect the stock to budge much in this market until they pay a dividend or announce positive Phase III data for a hepatitis C multi-drug therapy (they are only in Phase II, so it will be a while).
Celgene (CELG) is another cash cow, but with a rapid revenue and profit growth rate (and a higher P/E). Look for Revlimid revenues over $800 million, Vidaza over $165 million or Abraxane, their newest drug, revenues breaking though $100 million in the quarter. Celgene has a pipeline of potential drugs that is so extensive it would take several articles just to go over them. See Celgene drug pipeline for a list. Unless they mostly strike out, anyone who does not buy Celgene at today's price will wish they had in five years, but long-term investors are hard to find in this market.
Disclaimer: I am long in all of these stocks.
While the information in analyst conferences comes from management, and so can be biased, it is still essential listening for serious investors. At the end sell-side analysts are allowed to ask questions (some micro-caps even let investors ask questions), and on occasion an answer to a question can give important insights into the company. I take notes while I listen and even post them on the web; listen to management for a couple of years and you may be able to tell a lot from the way they answer or evade questions. Going back a few years and checking on how management's predictions worked out can also be illuminating.
Akamai typically is a high P/E stock that has to justify that ratio by showing continuous growth. Many companies have tried to compete with Akamai at accelerated delivery of web content, yet over a decade later Akamai still has incredible market share and has branched out into adjacent businesses like cloud security. Pricing has been an issue lately. Look to see if Akamai's volume of business is growing fast enough to compensate for falling prices. Q3 is a slowish quarter for content delivery, with a big bump coming from e-commerce in Q4, so Q4 guidance is also a key indicator of the health of this business.
AMD already pre-announced, sending the stock price into free-fall. This was as I predicted in AMD at Earnings Crossroad, but worse. The good side of the news is demand for AMD's new server and APU chips is strong. What we want to know from management is how strong is the demand, and how quickly can they gear up chip production to meet the demand.
Biogen Idec (BIIB) guided to low to mid single digit revenue growth over 2011, which for Q3 would run to roughtly $1.2 billion. Tysabri sales over $280 million would be a positive indicator, but the key question is data or FDA approvals for late-pipeline drugs like BG-12 or Daclizumab for multiple sclerosis, which are likely to be announced on other occasions.
Gilead (GILD) is a cash cow that has a low P/E due to patents expiring on some of its anti-viral drugs over the next decade. If management would pay a dividend, the value of the franchise would be more obvious. They are doing a lot of research on new anti-viral compounds that could kick growth into high gear again if approved. Expect something over $2 billion in revenue, $940 million in cash flow from operations. The key issue would be timelines for Endurant and and the "Quad" regimen. Don't expect the stock to budge much in this market until they pay a dividend or announce positive Phase III data for a hepatitis C multi-drug therapy (they are only in Phase II, so it will be a while).
Celgene (CELG) is another cash cow, but with a rapid revenue and profit growth rate (and a higher P/E). Look for Revlimid revenues over $800 million, Vidaza over $165 million or Abraxane, their newest drug, revenues breaking though $100 million in the quarter. Celgene has a pipeline of potential drugs that is so extensive it would take several articles just to go over them. See Celgene drug pipeline for a list. Unless they mostly strike out, anyone who does not buy Celgene at today's price will wish they had in five years, but long-term investors are hard to find in this market.
Disclaimer: I am long in all of these stocks.
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