William Blair sum-of-the-parts analysis yields $19.80 value for Pfenex

The majority of Pfenex (PFNX) investor focus has been placed on lead asset PF708, the therapeutic equivalent product candidate to Forteo, William Blair analyst Andy Hsieh tells investors in a research note, citing his talks with clients. The analyst, however, sees “potential for significant value” from the company’s collaboration with Jazz Pharmaceuticals (JAZZ). The deal with Jazz could provide patients with an alternative to Erwinaze/Erwinase, which currently suffers from significant supply constraints, and CRM197, a carrier protein that is incorporated as an adjuvant in several vaccine candidates, including Merck’s (MRK) pneumococcal vaccine, V114, Hsieh writes. Based on these royalties, the analyst conducted a sum-of-the-parts analysis for Pfenex based on discounted cash flow, and the resulting net present value yielded a value of $19.80 per share. The stock closed Monday at $4.26. The analyst believes the company’s “value-creating” catalysts this year, including milestone payment from Jazz for the successful tech transfer of PF743 and PF745 and the approval of PF708, coupled with his valuation analysis, affirm his bullish thesis. Hsieh believes Pfenex shares offer one of the best risk/reward symmetries in small-cap biotech and reiterates an Outperform rating on the name.

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