Follow Five-Year Plan Successful Investor Says
BusinessWire, Friday, March 13, 1998 at 12:51
SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 12, 1998--If you want to catch
the next wave in biotechnology, follow a five-year plan says a
successful long-time biotech investor.
Jerry Larson, a major biotechnology investor and one of the few
individual investors regularly invited to institutional conferences,
says the waves come every five years. "I've seen companies lose a
chairman and the stock goes up, and I've watched firms declare that
drugs work and the stocks go down," Larson quipped. "The sector
seems to move every five years, not necessarily for rhyme or reason.
That means we may not see broad improvement until 1999."
Larson, a stock picker, typically owns only 10 biotech stocks.
"Isis (NASDAQ:ISIP) is my best value right now. They've got seven
products in the clinic and more in development, great technology,
patents. These are products they own by themselves, not in
partnership, yet look where the stock's trading." ISIP trades around
13.
Larson's Top Ten in order of preference are: Isis
Pharmaceuticals, AXYS Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AXPH), Agouron
Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:AGPH), Icos Corp. (NASDAQ:ICOS), Alteon
(NASDAQ:ALTN), Cephalon (NASDAQ:CEPH), Sugen (NASDAQ:SUGN), Cor
Therapeutics (NASDAQ:CORR), Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) and Ligand
Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:LGND).
Associate biotech analyst Michael Wood at Hambrecht & Quist hopes
good results and drug-approvals propel selected stocks. Wood blames
"a significant number" of clinical trial failures for sector
softness. Sangstat Medical (NASDAQ:SANG)--"We expect approval for
Cyclosporine in roughly two months and profitability by year's
end"--Incyte Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:INCY) among drug discoverers,
and Biochem Pharma (NASDAQ:BCHE), which may have approval for its
hepatitis B drug in Asia and South America by mid-year, are top
picks, Wood said.
Two biotech Forums hosted by Informed Investors
(www.informedinvestors.com) this weekend will give investors timely
insights into picks, pans and trends in the biotech industry. On
March 14 at the Mission Valley Radisson from 8am-12:45pm is the 2nd
San Diego Informed Investors Biotech Forum. Keynote speaker Michael
Murphy of the California Technology Stock Letter will give investors
his views on biotech stocks, while executives of Cypros (AMEX:CYP),
Genta (NASDAQ:GNTA), Trega (NASDAQ:TRGA), Aurora (NASDAQ:ABSC) and
Vical (NASDAQ:VICL) will give presentations.
On March 15 the 4th Informed Investors Bay Area Biotech Forum
will be held at the Bay Bridge Holiday Inn at I-80 & Powell Street in
Emeryville near San Francisco from 8a-12:45pm. Biotech analyst David
Crossen of NationsBanc Montgomery, will give his outlook for biotech.
Presenting at the Forum are top executives of Geron (NASDAQ:GERN),
Gilead Sciences, (NASDAQ:GILD), XOMA Corp. (NASDAQ:XOMA), Myriad
Genetics (NASDAQ:MYGN) and Shaman Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ:SHMN).
Cost to for either Forum is $15 in advance or $20 at the door and
includes a continental breakfast. Call Informed Investors at
800/992-4683. Sets of audiotapes are $25, or $45 for both, plus
$3.95 shipping and handling.
Informed Investors has featured scores of quality companies and
industry experts at its Forums since 1993 and represents individual
investors who collectively hold an estimated $1.5 billion in
investable assets.
CONTACT: Bob Taylor, Tim Quast
916/448-8222
KEYWORD: CALIFORNIA
INDUSTRY KEYWORD: BANKING
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