Interims in line – new forecasts for Life Sciences

Interims are in line and show strong growth from key product lines, which bodes well for future sustainable growth. Having already rebased our FY23 estimates to remove any contribution from the delayed South Bend facility, we reintroduce FY24 & FY25 forecasts to reflect the revised schedule of revenues ramping up. These show group revenues on an improving trend and EBITDA margins strengthening towards 22%. The shares trade on an FY24 EV/EBITDA multiple of sub-10x, falling to 8x in FY25. There is

Update on Life Sciences expansion

Despite continued strong revenue growth from the existing Point-of-Care and Life Sciences activities, it is now apparent the new capacity expansion programme for enzymes fermentation will not contribute to revenues this year. As a result, management is now guiding to FY23 group revenues of ~£53m and Adj EBITDA of ~£10m, both around £4m lower than previous expectations. We update our forecasts accordingly and expect more information around the shape of the revenue ramp up in FY24 at the upcoming

In line H1 update in a transitional year

H1 performance is reported to be in line, with double digit underlying growth in revenues and capacity expansion in Life Sciences on track for a Q4-23 launch. As previously flagged, results this year are expected to be more H2-weghted than usual, with the FY23 results dependent on the timing and value of new contract wins and continued growth and margin improvement elsewhere. We make no change to our forecasts at this stage, but will review more fully at the interims in late September. Irrespect

Hybridan Small Cap Feast - 20 Jun 23

20th June 2023 @HybridanLLP Status of this Note and Disclaimer This document has been issued to you by Hybridan LLP for information purposes only and should not be construed in any circumstances as an offer to sell or solicitation of any offer to buy any security or other financial instrument, nor shall it, or the fact of its distribution, form the basis of, or be relied upon in connection with, any contract relating to such action. This document has no regard for the specific investment objecti

Hybridan Small Cap Feast - 28 Mar 23

28 March 2023 @HybridanLLP Status of this Note and Disclaimer This document has been issued to you by Hybridan LLP for information purposes only and should not be construed in any circumstances as an offer to sell or solicitation of any offer to buy any security or other financial instrument, nor shall it, or the fact of its distribution, form the basis of, or be relied upon in connection with, any contract relating to such action. This document has no regard for the specific investment objectiv

FY22 in line – focus on core increasing

FY22 results are in line with revised estimates. Management continues to intensify its focus on the growing, profitable and cash generative Point-of-Care and Life Sciences activities, where confidence in the latter opportunity is increasing. We make some modest changes to our forecasts to reflect further streamlining post-period end and point to the strong growth outlook from FY24 onwards. We believe this is being overly discounted by the market and view the shares as being in deep value territo

Hybridan Small Cap Feast - 23 Mar 23

23 March 2023 @HybridanLLP Status of this Note and Disclaimer This document has been issued to you by Hybridan LLP for information purposes only and should not be construed in any circumstances as an offer to sell or solicitation of any offer to buy any security or other financial instrument, nor shall it, or the fact of its distribution, form the basis of, or be relied upon in connection with, any contract relating to such action. This document has no regard for the specific investment objectiv

Clean exit from ADL Health

EKF has announced a clean solution has been found for the non-core Laboratory Testing business ADL Health, selling the business back to one of its management team. Having pared back our estimates for this division in February, we expect no further material impact on earnings from this move. Strategically, we view it as positive, removing a distraction and further re-focussing activities back towards the core established Point-of-Care & Central Labs business and the growing new Life Sciences acti

Hybridan Small Cap Feast - 06 Feb 23

06 February 2023 @HybridanLLP Status of this Note and Disclaimer This document has been issued to you by Hybridan LLP for information purposes only and should not be construed in any circumstances as an offer to sell or solicitation of any offer to buy any security or other financial instrument, nor shall it, or the fact of its distribution, form the basis of, or be relied upon in connection with, any contract relating to such action. This document has no regard for the specific investment objec

Core ahead of expectations, growth initiatives progressing but more slowly

EKF has issued an FY22 trading update, with the established Point-of-Care and Central Lab segments growing strongly and ahead of expectations, but growth initiatives coming through slower than forecast. CEO Mike Salter has stepped down, but will remain with the group to focus on delivery of the latter, with Julian Baines returning temporarily as Exec Chair whilst a new permanent CEO is recruited. We pare back our growth expectations in FY23, with additional cost saving measures underway to prote

Interims – transition proceeding to plan

Interims show a strong underlying performance with “core established” revenues +11.5% in the period. As previously discussed, the business is in the process of transitioning away from Covid-related work and implementing the growth strategy of the new management team. Initial indications are positive and investment plans are on track, which should set the business up for strong growth in FY23 and beyond. We make no material changes to forecasts and continue to see substantial potential upside on

SkinBioTherapeutics - FY23 results

SkinBioTherapeutics has published results for the 12-months to June 2023, reporting AxisBiotix-Ps revenues up 77% YoY to £132k and an improved gross margin of 65% (FY22A: 61%). Operating costs were stable and the operating loss was flat YoY at £3.0m. Cash at the year-end was £1.3m and subsequently the company raised c£3.3m gross via a placing and retail offer. We have introduced FY24 forecasts with this report, expecting continued growth in AxisBiotix-Ps revenues supported by territory expansion

Fundraising looks well supported

RUA have announced, subject to shareholder approval at a General Meeting, the intention to raise equity via the combination of an institutional placing of shares, a subscription by certain directors and a retail offer. While the minimum gross proceeds are expected to be at least £4.1m, the full amount raised will be fluid until after the retail offer and shareholder approval. The final proceeds raised should be known after the outcome of the Retail Offer is announced on 8 December, and sharehold

RUA Life Sciences - Billion-dollar markets

RUA Life Sciences is developing products targeting billion-dollar global healthcare markets, which, if successfully commercialised it will generate significant value for the company. The current raise will support the business as it seeks to deliver the growth opportunities within its Contract Manufacturing business unit and commercialise and partner its lead vascular graft products and its heart valve leaflet composite material. We believe the company offers an attractive combination of establi

FY23 results: consolidation and cash generation

For the year to 30 September 2023, Benchmark Holdings reported revenue FY23 of £169.6m, +7.5%YoY (currency adjusted +7%YoY) which was 0.7% below our outlook, and adjusted EBITDA of £35.5m, +9%YoY, 5% above our outlook. Net operating cash of £20.0m was almost double FY22 (£10.8m) with a notable improvement in working capital management from £(12.0)m to £(1.0)m underlining efforts to control costs and improve operational efficiency. Net debt was £45.6m, with year-end cash at £36.5m. The Group rep

Hybridan Small Cap Feast - 01/12/23

1st December 2023 @HybridanLLP Status of this Note and Disclaimer This document has been issued to you by Hybridan LLP for information purposes only and should not be construed in any circumstances as an offer to sell or solicitation of any offer to buy any security or other financial instrument, nor shall it, or the fact of its distribution, form the basis of, or be relied upon in connection with, any contract relating to such action. This document has no regard for the specific investment obje

LSE AIM Market Screener - 22 June 2023

 The market capitalization of 806 AIM stocks was £89.3bn as of 20 June 2023. FTSE AIM All Share Index was down 5.55% YTD to 785.2 as of 21 June 2023. There were 32 companies delisted from AIM over the period December 2022-June 2023. Among the top YTD winners, there were Celadon Pharmaceuticals (up 209%, MktCap £95m), Vast Resources (+211% YTD, Mkt Cap of £15m), B90 Holdings (+200%, MktCap £22mn), Verditek (154%, MktCap £6mn), Star Phoenix Group (+162%, MktCap $1.6mn), Inspecs Group (+162%, Mk

Cambridge Nutritional Sciences - H1 2024 interims: Executing a newly focussed st

Cambridge Nutritional Sciences (CNS) has published its H1 2024 results to end September 2023. Group revenues grew 44% to £4.9m and gross profits increased by 63% to £3.1m, with the company benefitting from newfound operational efficiencies. With its now streamlined strategy focussing on the core Health & Nutrition business and the initial signs of an encouraging uptick in sales momentum, we believe the company is well positioned for growth that will help create future value for shareholders. We

5 Small caps to Buy - August 2021

Historically, small caps stocks have outperformed larger listed companies after economic downturns and this trend is ringing true once again, with smaller stocks offering better returns in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. It is currently an exciting time to be invested in smaller companies and for those with a keen eye for detail that can identify companies with financial strength and strong management teams, there is potentially lots of upside available.

Bio-detection becomes a commercial reality

Recent new contracts show that Kromek’s investment in bio-hazard detection technology is becoming a commercial reality. On 26 October the Group received a US$5.9m (£4.84m) contract from the US Department of Homeland Security Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction (CWMD) Office - the first for Kromek - to research and develop technologies for agent-agnostic bio-detection. On 31 October Kromek announced 3 more orders for CBRN detection worth a total of US$1.0m (£0.82m), most of which is expected

4basebio - Interims – scaling to meet anticipated commercial traction

4basebio’s half-year results for the period ended 30 June 2023 reflect continued progress towards its main objective of producing GMP-grade synthetic DNA, with a focus on building out its commercial footprint. It generated revenues of £0.24m (+57%, with all growth coming from the sale of DNA and Hermes™ nanoparticles) with an adjusted net loss of £3.5m (H1 2022: £2.4m, +46%) and period-end cash of £3.6m, having drawn a further €4m from its €23m loan facility that gives it a cash runway into 2025

Morning Note – 1 December 2023

UK market leader Holland & Barrett is now distributing SlimBiome

OptiBiotix ("OPTI") has announced that Holland & Barrett, a global nutritional food and supplement retailer, has launched a new product range under the SlimBiome brand. The weight management products, which contain OPTI's proprietary weight management formulation, will initially be available on the Holland & Barrett website and physical stores in the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland, Netherlands, Belgium and Sweden. The deal marks the 22nd commercial partnership for SlimBiome and the first wi

Hybridan Small Cap Feast - 09 Feb 23

09 February 2023 @HybridanLLP Status of this Note and Disclaimer This document has been issued to you by Hybridan LLP for information purposes only and should not be construed in any circumstances as an offer to sell or solicitation of any offer to buy any security or other financial instrument, nor shall it, or the fact of its distribution, form the basis of, or be relied upon in connection with, any contract relating to such action. This document has no regard for the specific investment objec

Centene Corporation: Initiation of Coverage – Recent Restructuring & Other Drivers, Financial Forecasts, DCF & Comparables Valuation, ESG & Other Risks (03/23)

This is our first report on Centene Corporation, one of the largest health insurance players in the U.S. Centene had a successful year in 2022 and ended it on a positive note with an all-around beat. The company faced a number of difficulties, including a leadership transition, organizational structure change, modernization of corporate governance approach, concentration on core business, better operations and quality, and on-time financial obligation fulfillment. Total revenue grew by $3 billio

Cenkos: Healthcare Sector -- Ward Round

Weekly round-up of AIM-listed healthcare news. Agronomics, Eden Research, IXICO, HeiQ, Trellus Health, NetScientific, Circassia, 4basebio, Fusion Antibodies, Surgical Innovations Group, Yourgene Health, Abingdon Health, Verici Dx, Poolbeg Pharma, Omega Diagnostics