Scancell’s outlook has been transformed by the recent investment by Redmile of a further £12.1m in equity and £17.9m in Convertible Loan Notes (CLN). These funds, together with an over-subscribed £3m Open Offer, boost Scancell’s cash to c £48m. After a sustained period of being under-resourced, attention now turns to execution and delivery. The additional funds will be used to progress and broaden the ImmunoBody and Moditope portfolios and further develop the Avidimab platform. The onus will inevitably shift to timely progress across a broader front, including clinical data for SCIB1, Modi-1, and COVIDITY and, in time, material commercial partnerships for Avidimab. We update our valuation to £144m (17.7p per share).
Companies: Scancell Holdings Plc
Scancell has announced a proposed raise of up to £33m in additional funding at a price of 13p a share. Redmile Group will invest c £30m through an immediate £12.1m subscription in 93.1m new shares, with a further £17.9m as a convertible loan note (CLN) subject to shareholder approval. There is also an Open Offer of up to £3m (23.3m shares).
Scancell has raised c £15m (gross) in aggregate through the issue of new shares (via a placing, subscription, and open offer) and £6m in convertible loan notes (CLNs). The raise was underpinned by the £10m investment (£5m in equity, £5m CLNs) from new investor, Redmile Group LLC, a specialist healthcare and life sciences fund group. Redmile’s investment, coupled to support from existing cornerstone investor, Vulpes (£1m in equity, £1m CLN) provides important validation of Scancell’s technology platforms, and the clinical and commercial value they represent. Scancell now has the financial resources to enable it to progress the clinical opportunities outlined in our May 2020 Outlook. Following confirmation of shareholder approvals at the August 11th General Meeting, we update our rNPV model and reinstate our Scancell valuation. This is now £83.7m, equivalent to 13.3p/share (11.5p/share fully diluted).
Scancell is proposing to raise up to £15m through a combination of shares and convertible loan notes. The raise is underpinned by an investment of £10m (£5m shares and £5m convertible) by Redmile Group LLC, a US based specialist healthcare and life sciences investment fund. Vulpes, the existing major investor, will subscribe £2m (£1m equity and £1m convertible).
Scancell is initiating a collaborative research project that aims to use its oncology vaccine expertise to develop a second generation COVID-19 vaccine. Its DNA vaccine technologies target dendritic cells and have proven ability to stimulate high avidity and potent T cell responses. The objective is to produce a simple, safe, cost-effective, and scalable vaccine to induce both durable T cell responses and virus neutralising antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Subject to funding, including non-dilutive grants from governments, a candidate vaccine could enter Phase I trials in Q121. Scancell's primary focus remains on developing its innovative immuno-therapies for cancer, as detailed in our May 2020 Outlook. The early nature of the COVID-19 project means that we currently do not include it in our £72.4m (15.6p/share) Scancell valuation.
Scancell has two promising vaccine platforms, ImmunoBody and Moditope, that have the potential to treat many cancers, either as monotherapy or in combination with checkpoint inhibitors. The leading ImmunoBody programme, SCIB1, is in a combination Phase II study for metastatic melanoma. Moditope is also expected to enter the clinic, with a Modi-1 Phase I/II trial expected to start during 2021. A third platform, AvidiMab, antibodies that target glycans, can be highly specific to tumour cells and has generated significant industry interest. The expertise in inducing potent immune responses is now also being directed towards a potential COVID-19 vaccine. We value Scancell, using a risk adjusted DCF model, at £72.4m, or 15.6p a share.
Companies: OMI SAR GDR TEK FIPP SCLP IOG FDEV AVCT
Scancell Holdings (SCLP.L): Initiation of COVID-19 vaccine project | Genedrive (GDR.L): Distribution agreement regarding their Antibiotic Induced Hearing (AIHL) test
Companies: Scancell Holdings Plc (SCLP:LON)Genedrive Plc (GDR:LON)
Caribbean Investment Holdings. Incorporated in Belize . CIHL primarily operates financial services businesses through its subsidiaries The Belize Bank Limited and Belize Bank International Limited, both located in Belize and international corporate services through Belize Corporate Services Limited. CIHL shares are also traded on the Bermuda Stock Exchange. Lord Ashcroft holds 75%. No capital raise. Due 28 April. £36m . 2019 net profit US$ 10.7m
Companies: PEG SDX N4P TEK SCLP IHC SWG XSG ZAM
Research Tree provides access to ongoing research coverage, media content and regulatory news on Scancell Holdings Plc. We currently have 99 research reports from 6 professional analysts.
Although 2020 will probably go down in history as one of the most challenging years experienced during our lifetime, it will also likely be chronicled as one of the best years for the recognition and appreciation of science. As we entered 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic was in its infancy. However, it rapidly evolved through the exponential rise in infections and mortality globally. Much has been achieved during the past 12 months in the fight against COVID-19, but, as we enter 2021, there are considerable concerns about the emergence of a mutant version of the virus and the second wave that we are now facing.
Companies: AVO ARBB ARIX BBGI CLIG DNL FLTA ICGT OCI PCA PIN PHP RECI STX SCE TRX SHED VTA YEW
Q4 trading has led sales to guidance being raised 8%. This has been driven by better than expected UK sales, incl. success with new customers like Wilko/Tesco. Some of the benefit is offset by a non-cash FX debit, but it still leads to an upgrade and higher net cash. As a result of successful trials in Tesco Express, W7 is also being rolled out to 469 more stores. This, and previously announced distribution gains, bodes well for incremental sales/PBT in 2021, and underlines the appeal of its value-for-money brands. On 11x 2019 cash-adjusted EV/EBITDA, valuation is undemanding, particularly with the added attraction of dividends/income.
Companies: Warpaint London PLC
After an eventful 2020, ReNeuron released updated 12-month Phase ll data in January on its lead human retinal progenitor cell (hRPC) project. This continues to show a consistent and robust, sustained average gain in visual acuity in retinitis pigmentosa (RP). A continuation study in nine patients using two million cells is underway with three- and six-month data due over H2 CY21 and the first three patients treated. This will facilitate partnering negotiations. A pivotal hRPC study may start in 2022. Deals are possible in CY21 on the exosome genetic drug delivery platform, which could be very valuable. The valuation remains at £190m with strong cash.
Companies: ReNeuron Group plc
Foresight Group , the award-winning infrastructure and private equity investment manager to IPO on the Main Market (premium). The Offer will primarily comprise a sale of shares by existing shareholders (c.80% of the Offer) with a smaller offering of new shares (c.20% of the Offer) to be issued by the Company. Details TBA. Cornish Metals (TSX-V: CUSN) intends to list on AIM. The Company is proposing to raise £5 million by way of private placement of new Common Shares (the "Fundraising") to advance the United Downs copper-tin project. The Company expects that Admission will become effective in February 2021. The Company's Common Shares will continue to be listed and trade on the TSX-V in Canada. VH Global Sustainable Energy Opportunities plc, a closed-ended investment Company focused on making sustainable energy infrastructure investments, today announces intends to launch an initial public offering of shares on the Official List (Premium) of the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange. Due by Early Feb.
Companies: TYM W7L BEG CRPR EUZ IRR CMCL FARN KETL AUG
Ongoing strength in the key China market has prompted a positive trading update, indicating FY21 revenues and EBITDA will be significantly ahead of (already upgraded) expectations. Demand for Aivlosin in China in particular has remained strong throughout Q3 and is expected to remain so in Q4. We upgrade our FY21 revenue forecasts by 12% to £91.9m, which flows through to a 30% PBT upgrade to £10.1m. Whilst there is some caution expressed over the sustainability of this demand, we now forecast a flat performance YoY in FY22, but this is still 10% ahead of our previous estimates at the PBT level. The shares remain suspended pending the publication of the delayed FY20 results, which will be released as soon as possible alongside the H1’21 interims.
Companies: ECO Animal Health Group plc
Synairgen (SNG.L): Completion of recruitment for at home trial | Sensyne Health (SENS.L): Research agreement with The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust
Companies: Synairgen plc (SNG:LON)Sensyne Health Plc (SENS:LON)
Robust FY21 performance forecast, despite pandemic
Companies: SDI Group plc
Cambridge Cognition provided a positive FY 2020 trading update, with revenues (+34%), net losses and cash all ahead of expectations, and delivering an EBITDA-positive Q4. After a year of record order intake (£12.7m) and with a year-end order book of £11.2m (+96% on the prior year), the company is positioned to deliver another year of strong growth. This update provides further evidence of (i) the commercial focus that the CEO has instigated, (ii) the cross-selling opportunities for its newer digital solutions, and (iii) the prospect of a period of sustained strong growth in what are large (c.£1.2bn) and high growth (c.20%) addressable markets for digital solutions for clinical trials. We increase FY 2021 revenues by 18% to £8.5m, implying 26% growth and raise our target price 31% to 105p.
Companies: Cambridge Cognition Holdings Plc
Cambridge Cognition ("COG") has provided a trading update for the year ended 31 December 2020 that is ahead of our expectations. Group Revenues grew +34% to £6.7m (2019: £5.0m) and were +7% ahead of DCe of £6.3m. COG delivered significant revenue growth from digital solutions for clinical trials as it increased its focus on commercialisation. The strong beat in Revenue is due to an improved commercial execution across a wider portfolio of products as the Group has placed a key emphasis on crossselling CANTAB with newer electronic Clinical Outcome Assessment (eCOA) and digital solutions for frequent, remote testing of patients outside of the clinic setting. The Group's order intake for the year closed at a record £12.7m, up +158% on the previous year's order intake of £4.9m and maintaining the growth trajectory reported in the interim results. The Group experienced a mixed effect due to Covid-19 as some orders and revenue recognition was delayed in the year. However, the pandemic has provided an impetus for an industry shift towards evaluating virtual clinical trials, which opened new opportunities for the Group. We move our target price to 89p (from 80p).
ANGLE raised £19.6m (gross) to capitalise on the first-mover advantage that the FDA clearance for Parsortix will create, catalysing ANGLE’s ability to exploit the emerging multi-billion dollar liquid biopsy market. It will enable ANGLE to pursue multiple parallel revenue streams: (i) as a service provider to the pharma industry particularly looking to improve on immunotherapy patient outcomes (companion diagnostics) and (ii) to develop a number of specific clinical applications. Not only does it strengthen the balance sheet ahead of partner discussions but it provides the resources to develop in parallel relevant laboratory developed tests and fund the necessary clinical utility studies that will accelerate clinical adoption. We re-introduce forecasts and raise our target price to 150p (c.£310m EV), which is supported by risk-adjusted DCF and peer group analyses.
Companies: ANGLE plc
Ongoing strong demand for EKF’s products, both in the core business and the Primestore MTM Covid-19 sample collection device, means the FY20 outturn will be “comfortably ahead” of already upgraded expectations. This pattern is expected to persist throughout Q1’21 and beyond and management is confident that the performance in Q1 will be materially ahead of expectations. Having previously left FY21 estimates untouched, we are today putting through the first in what we expect to be a series of material upgrades. Given the dynamic situation around Covid-19, we expect regular updates throughout the course of the year and will adjust our forecasts accordingly as visibility over ordering patterns increases.
Companies: EKF Diagnostics Holdings plc
On 30th December 2020, RUA reported that shareholders had approved resolutions regarding the placing along with a strongly oversubscribed Open Offer. RUA now start 2021 with the resources and mandate to accelerate the development of its products, where we anticipate reports of progress during the year. We have slightly increased our R&D and CapEx spend for FY 2022 to reflect this investment and the cash utilization. RUA’s issued share capital now comprises 22,184,797 shares and the increases in FY 2022 investment in its products, modestly change our valuation by about £2.0m to £113.2m for the Company, equating to 510p per share.
Companies: RUA Life Sciences Plc
STX is a commercial-stage company delivering specialty products that address patients’ unmet medical needs, with an initial focus on treating iron deficiency (ID). Feraccru®/Accrufer® has been approved by the regulators in both Europe and the US. For various reasons, STX has been unable to secure a commercial partner for Accrufer in the US. Consequently, the board is now considering an STX-led launch option, thereby retaining all the US profits. Financial modelling shows the logic of this option, but it would necessitate financing the working capital requirements covering the next two years in the region of £25m-£30m.
Companies: Shield Therapeutics Plc
Diaceutics has rebased itself for growth. While the pathway to normalised expenditure patterns in the pharma industry will not be helped by new lockdowns, we believe the second half of 2021 onwards will see continuous budget improvements. Customer engagement with the new platform is positive and this is the key to securing the incremental financial benefits offered by taking the business fully online.
Companies: Diaceutics Plc
Whilst the H1 outturn reflected the difficulties caused by the pandemic, investors should not lose sight of the substantial strategic progress made in recent months. This has not only built resilience and agility within the business, allowing it to react to the extraordinary market conditions, but strengthened the medium term growth prospects. We make no change to our headline forecasts at this stage, but mindful of the substantial H2 weighting, provide an illustration of the mix changes and a bridge to our FY21 estimates in this note.
Companies: Yourgene Health Plc
