Management
I have followed CUV for quite a few years now, and one of my initial sticking points holding me back from investing was the OTT communication. As noted, they report quarterlies even though they are not required to, on top of this the chairman also releases a regular newsletter, which is a random commentary on macro ideas and any current topic. At one point there was also a focus on the short position that made me wary. My initial reaction to the above was too much talking, where is the focus on the business, so I sat on the side lines. Overtime I have come to view these newsletters as neutral, a quirk of the chairman and an acceptance that CUV are following a road map that works for the business and in turn shareholders.
(Short position is 6.7% lower than its historical past but has been increasing over the past 12mths.)
OTC range.
I also had this on my radar as a distraction, as I was having trouble seeing how a cosmetic range fitted into the seriousness of the conditions Scenesse treats. Yesterday’s interview makes this clearer with the approach to target niche unserviced, (can I say unglamourous?) groups. No idea if it will work, but it appears there is a pathway to test and involve the groups identified.
Broker research
This company gets limited coverage and I agree it gets relegated to the too hard and too different basket. It’s share price moves with the broader bio tech sector despite its financials setting it apart from the bulk of unprofitable and unproven bio companies out there. Bioshares, paid subscription, have covered it for years with a buy rating.
Metrics
Following is a simplistic table of some key metrics, data taken straight from my broker account so it may not be completely accurate. Importantly it shows the trend in EPS and lack of growth in shares on issue.
held RL
EDITED - as I incorrectly reported the broker estimates on marketscreener.com
Thanks @Strawman for putting $CUV on our radar screens. (I'd previously heard Gaurav Sodhi riff on it during Ausbiz The Call so I knew it would be interesting).
What I liked:
What I need to understand better:
More research, but on the shortlist as a result of today.
Interesting that very few brokers are covering this (none on the FNArena database ... unusual given the market cap!). I think one of the analysts at Intelligent Investor is following $CUV very closely.
Marketscreen.com reports 4 Broker Valuations: Av Target $26.31 (Range $23.14 - $31.40). Note: today's close was $19.66.
Disc: Not held