Ekf Diagnostics Share Discussion Threads

[wan] 21/7/2021 11:16

Thanks Welshborderer.

I have a strictly personal view with regard to the share price, suffice to say it potentially sits north of £1, whilst collecting dividends on the way as well as benefiting from the opportunities generated from the partnership with Mount Sinai. It's therefore reassuring to read the albeit limited note above from Singer regarding the potential, hence I am looking forward to the delivery of early phases of the growth plan.

Plus, I note we now have clarity regarding the growth plan being funded from current cash resources.

[welshborderer] 21/7/2021 11:01

Today's Singer headlines to its research note:

EKF recently unveiled a strategy for driving growth in the business over the next few years. It will be led by a refreshed executive management team and board, building on renewed strength in the core business and opportunities in developing wider contract development and manufacturing activities. Accretive bolt-on acquisitions will also be considered, all funded by the current strong net cash position of the group. Overall, the ambition is to deliver sustainable double-digit EBITDA growth into the medium term. This note takes a detailed look at the growth drivers and opportunities now in prospect. In addition to introducing conservative formal FY22 & FY23 estimates for the first time, we also look at a range of potential scenarios, one of which shows how EBITDA could reach £45.9m by FY24. Putting that on a multiple of 13- 15x implies a potential Enterprise Value of £597-688m, against a current EV of £314m. Successful delivery should therefore lead to material value creation.

Does anyone have full access to this report?

[wan] 21/7/2021 08:49

There is scope and indeed potential for further upgrades in my view. The managements conservative approach to forecasting and guidance to analysts is playing its part, which I am comfortable with, but the recent track record perhaps provides investors with better guidance than the current forecasts!

[cgequityinvest] 21/7/2021 08:38

There must be scope for upgrading the forecasts for current year and year to June 22.
According to my readings Sharescope 2022 showing EBITDA of £17m. They have done £12.75 in the first half of 2021.
I note that the last note from Singers (may 2021) only had forecasts up to 2021 and suggested they would update forecasts for subsequent periods later this year.

Anybody else got a view on the anomalies between management statements of double digit growth and current forecasts?

[rivaldo] 21/7/2021 08:18

Good update. The confidence already being shown in trading for the full year augurs well.

I strongly suspect that COVID-19 sample collecting will be providing substantial revenues for some time to come, and certainly much longer than is assumed in the market forecasts out there which naturally have to be conservative in that respect.

Worth noting that EKF now have around £33m of cash and liquid assets via shares with which to grow the business organically and via acquisition - around 10% of the total m/cap.

[shanklin] 21/7/2021 08:00

wan,

Current market forecasts certainly assume a surprising drop off in revenue, profit etc.

[wan] 21/7/2021 07:57

Another excellent trading update and confirmation that we are 'firmly' on course for the full year to be comfortably ahead of the already upgraded expectations.

Given the managements conservative approach to forecasting and that the second half usually delivers a stronger performance compared to the first, it bodes well indeed for the full year outcome.

And I am thus also very much looking forward to the managements delivery of the initial phases of EKF's 2021-2024 growth strategy.

[masurenguy] 21/7/2021 07:09

Trading Update

H1 2021 performance in-line with already upgraded management expectations
Full year performance expected to be in-line with management expectations

EKF Diagnostics Holdings plc (AIM: EKF), the AIM listed point-of-care business, provides the following trading update for the six months ended 30 June 2021. As previously announced in our AGM statement in May, the strong trading from the beginning of the year continued into the second quarter of 2021. This continues to reflect improving trading in the core business and ongoing strong demand for our contract manufacturing services for COVID-19 sample collection devices and associated kits. The Board remains confident that trading for the full year will remain strong and will be in-line with already materially upgraded management expectations.

Revenues for the six months ended 30 June 2021 were GBP38.56m (H1 2020: GBP26.33m) and the Company expects to report adjusted EBITDA(1) in the region of GBP12.75m (H1 2020: GBP8.93m). Gross cash as at 30 June 2021 was GBP20.78m and cash net of borrowings was GBP20.39m, in-line with management expectations. In addition, the Company's interest in Renalytix plc (1,002,981 shares) had a fair value of GBP10.83m, and its Verici Dx plc securities (2,677,981 shares) had a fair value of GBP1.83m, based on closing mid-market prices on 30 June 2021.

Following the payment of an inaugural cash dividend of 1p per share at the end of last year (in respect of 2019) the Company has confirmed its intention to maintain a modest but progressive dividend policy, and a further dividend payment to shareholders of 1.1p per ordinary share, which it proposes to pay on 1 December 2021 to shareholders on the register at the close of business on 5 November 2021. The ex-dividend date for this timetable is 4 November 2021.

The Company remains confident that its growth strategy, as outlined to shareholders at the Annual General Meeting in May, will create a business which, aside from any COVID-19 related revenues, is capable of generating significant double-digit growth in adjusted EBITDA(1) over the next 3 to 4 years. The Board believe this can be achieved by:

-- investing in the existing core business to drive strong organic growth;
-- maximising value from the agreement with Mount Sinai Innovation Partners;
-- seeking complementary and targeted earnings-enhancing acquisitions with key strategic value to the core business;
-- continuing to maximise the opportunity to assist clients to control the impact of COVID-19, and to evolve new contract manufacturing capabilities in this area to a broader range of diagnostic and other healthcare settings.

EKF expects to announce its unaudited results for the six months ended 30 June 2021 in the first half of September 2021, with the date to be confirmed in a subsequent announcement.

[wan] 20/7/2021 08:55

A healthy opportunity?
James Hester
18 hours ago

While the coronavirus pandemic has put a huge spotlight on investment opportunities in the healthcare sector, it may also be worth considering growth prospects for the industry beyond COVID-19.

Over the past 18 months, healthcare has shown its critical role in testing, therapeutics, vaccines and patient care. However, performance across healthcare stocks has varied greatly.

Some firms have seen huge rises in revenue to reflect the take-up of their coronavirus-related solutions, while others have seen a revenue slump as patients have deferred non-COVID treatment or hospitals and clinics have postponed many non-emergency procedures.

The easing of lockdowns means the other treatment areas are back on track, even as companies with coronavirus solutions still find a market for their products and services: vaccinations mean the world is learning to live with the disease though eradication is some way off.

At the same time, businesses that have developed solutions in response to COVID-19 may also be able to further capitalise on these efforts by deriving non-coronavirus products from the same platforms.

Doing good
Laurie Don, investment manager at Liontrust, points to companies such as ThermoFisher Scientific and PerkinElmer in the US, which have been heavily involved in coronavirus testing, where revenues from COVID-related areas have grown more than enough to offset falls in other parts of their businesses that were shut or experienced a significant slowdown amid the pandemic.

“Over the coming years, as the world recovers from and moves beyond COVID, we expect healthcare companies to continue to do well by doing good,” says Don.

He singles out Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche, which has seen significant demand for its diagnostic machines during the pandemic and is set to continue to expand its global footprint in this area.

“Even as levels of COVID-19 testing fall, these machines will be put to work to scan for other serious diseases where governments have been less keen to invest the initial outlay, such as tuberculosis or hepatitis C,” comments Don.

With countries heavily scarred by the pandemic, governments and individuals may be keener than ever to take a more proactive stance in monitoring and preventing disease before it occurs.

Full article -

[gocanes] 19/7/2021 14:01

Investor presentation this Thursday @ 10am -

Matthew Walls, CEO and Paul Foulger, CFO will provide a live investor presentation via the Investor Meet Company platform at 10am BST on Thursday, 22 July 2021.



The presentation is open to all existing and potential shareholders. Questions can be submitted pre-event via your Investor Meet Company dashboard up until 9am the day before the meeting or at any time during the live presentation.



Investors can sign up to Investor Meet Company for free and add to meet GENinCode plc via:hxxps://www.investormeetcompany.com/genincode-plc/register-investor

[gocanes] 19/7/2021 14:00

Cardiovascular disease company, focused on clinically-proven genomic precision testing products, to seek admission to AIM through an IPO



GENinCode plc, the cardiovascular disease ("CVD") risk assessment company focused on predictive genetics for the prevention of cardiovascular disease, is delighted to announce its intention to seek admission of its issued and to be issued Ordinary Shares to trading on AIM, a market of the London Stock Exchange plc ("Admission"). On admission, the Company is expected to have a market capitalisation of approximately £42 million.

The Company's product portfolio draws on genomic precision testing using polygenic (multiple-genes) technology, advanced molecular testing, genotyping and sequencing. Through a simple blood or saliva sample, the Company can analyse a patient's medical information and genetic variants associated with CVD to determine a Genetic Risk Score which is used for the subsequent assessment of a patient's cardiovascular disease risk. The Company also provides risk assessment for thrombosis (genetic predisposition to blood clotting). The Company's SITAB system, a proprietary software, bioinformatics and algorithmic platform with online cloud-based reporting, is used to process and record test results and genetic information using algorithms and artificial intelligence to assess a patient's risk of a cardiovascular event. SITAB reports results directly via a web portal to healthcare practitioners, cardiologists and physicians, in a user-friendly format.



The current standard of care for primary prevention and assessment of the risk of CVD has been in use and largely unchanged for many years. It is based on risk assessment equations which evaluate 'classic' or 'traditional' cardiovascular risk factors such as age, gender, smoking, blood cholesterol levels and blood pressure among other factors for the onset of CVD. The equations enable physicians to categorise patients as being at low, moderate or high risk of a CVD event, usually over the subsequent 10-year period or sometimes using a 'lifetime' horizon from which the patient is then assessed for lifestyle changes or treatment.



It is recognised that these 'classic' or 'traditional' risk assessments are imperfect with events not infrequently occurring in those individuals categorised at 'low' or 'intermediate' risk. The advent of genetic risk assessment for CVD is now able to help identify and reclassify those individuals traditionally categorised in the 'low' or 'intermediate' risk populations who are at higher genetic risk of a CVD event than their current standard of care risk assessment suggests. This enables earlier in life preventative measures to be adopted to lower the future risk of a CVD event.



With CVD mortality levels continuing to rise globally, there is an increasing need for cardiologists to apply genetics to help advance patient prognosis and diagnosis to treat the onset of CVD. The Company's products combine predictive models of genetics and patient data using classic cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs) and are designed to improve predictive capability and genetic risk assessment to provide a personalised and thereby tailored treatment pathway. Recent studies and scientific reports show the correlation between genetic load/burden and the onset of CVD. The Directors believe that GENinCode's technology is at the forefront of genetic risk assessment in the CVD space.


The Company's key products are CE-Marked with the core products Cardio inCode and Thrombo inCode having IP protection in the major growth markets of Europe, the UK and the United States. The Company has now commenced its commercial expansion programme in Europe, the UK and the United States.



On 28 April 2021, the Company announced a partnership to provide genetic testing from labs based at Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals. Following this, it was announced on 14 June 2021 that a product commercialisation agreement had been entered into with EVERSANA in the US. The Directors believe that the partnership with EVERSANA, a leading provider of global commercial services to the life science industry, will provide a significant opportunity for the Group to progress its commercialisation plans for the US.


The Company's commercialisation strategy in the US is a significant part of GENinCode's long-term growth and commercial strategy. The Directors expect Cardio inCode to be reviewed by the FDA as a De Novo device. The Company submitted an initial application to the FDA in February 2021 for Breakthrough Device designation for its Cardio inCode product. The FDA review is ongoing with a decision expected in Q3 2021.

[tongosti] 19/7/2021 10:52

9 months and counting - still in sideways mode. Not worth committing capital (yet) to a lifeless stock UNLESS the market gives us the green light first. Hard as it is in practice - patience wins the day. Good week chaps (and chapesses).

[wan] 19/7/2021 08:13

As predicted, (unfortunately) PCR testing requirements will need to go into overdrive to cope -

4 hours ago -

Covid test delays hamper England’s battle against new wave

Public health leaders battling to contain a rising tide of Covid-19 infections in England are being hampered by delays in accessing and processing PCR tests, even as the country lifts its last pandemic restrictions.

A surge in numbers seeking a test is expected after all remaining social restrictions were ended on Monday and self-isolation rules eased, in favour of regular testing, from August 16.

The Department of Health and Social Care said testing and tracing was “saving lives every single day and stopping the spread of the virus by breaking chains of transmission and helping to control outbreaks wherever they exist”. Anyone who had Covid symptoms could book home-testing PCR kits “and more booking slots are made available at testing sites each day”.

People familiar with the situation said NHS Test and Trace was ramping up laboratory operations and the Leamington Spa lab would eventually be able to process hundreds of thousands of Covid tests every day. It was also exploring options to increase capacity at other labs across the network, as well as commercial labs.

Full story FT.com -

[rivaldo] 16/7/2021 11:47

Cheers pireric, good to see Investec as the new joint brokers starting to earn their fees.

[wan] 15/7/2021 08:00

The upcoming flu season, which unfortunately is likely to see a significant increase this year, combined with a continuing COVID-19 pandemic, and with many countries opening up and returning to the workplace etc, clinicians will need a 'safe', sensitive, reliable, and convenient way to detect common respiratory viruses and to differentiate cases of COVID-19 infection that do not involve flu A or flu B infection.

[pireric] 15/7/2021 07:55

For what its worth, investec initiated today, 88p PT

[wan] 15/7/2021 07:50

Update to Longhorns Main website page, including effective high-throughput point of care test for SARS-CoV-2, Influenza, and Multiplex testing and details of a 'universal' influenza vaccine -

Universal Influenza pre-clinical data published in Vaccines

The original FDA-cleared inactivation media proven effective for High Throughput and Point of Care SARS-CoV-2, Influenza, and Multiplex testing.
PrimeStore® MTM is the original inactivating transport media. It is a patented, FDA cleared sample collection system for nucleic acid testing. It serves to inactivate RNA, mRNA and DNA pathogens (including SARS-Cov-2) for safer and faster collection. Containing an optimized chemical formulation, PrimeStore® MTM enables healthcare providers, vaccine and drug developers, laboratories, and assay developers to expand both highly sensitive point of care and molecular testing without subjecting workers to live infectious agents.

We have recently introduced PrimeStore® ATM as another type of sample collection device that serves to optimize molecular testing and protect lab workers in the collection process.

Longhorn Vaccines and Diagnostics invented the inactivating transport category in 2007 and worked closely with the US FDA to create the new category of class II device: Microbial Nucleic Acid Stabilization and Transport Device. All inactivating transport devices must be cleared by the US FDA and compare themselves to PrimeStore MTM.


Conserved Influenza Hemagglutinin, Neuraminidase and
Matrix Peptides Adjuvanted with ALFQ Induce Broadly
Neutralizing Antibodies

Abstract: A universal influenza candidate vaccine that targets multiple conserved influenza virus epitopes from hemagglutinin (HA), neuraminidase (NA) and matrix (M2e) proteins was combined with the potent Army liposomal adjuvant (ALFQ) to promote induction of broad immunity to seasonal and pandemic influenza strains. The unconjugated and CRM-conjugated composite peptides formulated with ALFQ were highly immunogenic and induced both humoral and cellular immune responses in mice. Broadly reactive serum antibodies were induced across various IgG isotypes. Mice immunized with the unconjugated composite peptide developed antibody responses earlier than mice immunized with conjugated peptides, and the IgG antibodies were broadly reactive and neutralizing across Groups 1 and 2 influenza viruses. Multi-epitope unconjugated influenza composite peptides formulated with ALFQ provide a novel strategy for the development of a universal influenza vaccine. These synthetic peptide vaccines avoid the pitfalls of egg-produced influenza vaccines and production can be scaled up rapidly and economically.

[shanklin] 15/7/2021 07:46

wan

Not unhappy. Just expect companies to be consistent as to the timings of their routine TSs.

[wan] 15/7/2021 07:43

Amongst much more, the AGM Statement included the following - Strong trading continues into the second quarter 2021 and the Board is now confident that trading for the full year will be comfortably ahead of already upgraded management expectations.


So, that tells us quite a lot already.

[shanklin] 15/7/2021 07:22

Had been expecting a TS today based on previous ones on 14-Jul-20 and 15-Jul-19. Anybody any idea please as to if and when this is likely to be issued?

[wan] 14/7/2021 06:50

Delta is far more transmissible, even for those who have received two vaccine doses, which will unfortunately become ever clearer very soon.

HMS Queen Elizabeth: Covid outbreak on Navy flagship
By Jonathan Beale & Hazel Shearing
BBC News

Published
1 hour ago

An outbreak of Covid-19 has been confirmed on the Royal Navy's flagship, HMS Queen Elizabeth.

The BBC has been told there have been around 100 cases on the aircraft carrier, which is part way through a world tour.

Several other warships in the fleet accompanying it are also affected.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said all crew on the deployment had received two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine and the outbreak was being managed.

[senseibull] 13/7/2021 19:27

Thinking out loud maybe, but yeah I have got it wrong previously