Primecap Management Dissolves Pfenex Holding, Boosts Biogen

GuruFocus.com

- By James Li

PRIMECAP Management (Trades, Portfolio), an independent investment company based in Pasadena, California, disclosed this week a few Real-Time Picks dated Nov. 30.


According to the Real-Time Picks page, a Premium feature of GuruFocus, the firm disclosed the dissolvement of its Pfenex Inc. (PFNX) holding and a small increase to its Biogen Inc. (NASDAQ:BIIB) position.

Firm closes Pfenex holding due to Ligand acquisition

San Diego, California-based Ligand Pharmaceuticals Inc. (NASDAQ:LGND) announced in October that it completed the tender offer for all outstanding shares of Pfenex for $437.5 million in cash plus a non-transferrable contingent value right amounting to $78 million upon the completion of a specified milestone.

Primecap Management Dissolves Pfenex Holding, Boosts Biogen
Primecap Management Dissolves Pfenex Holding, Boosts Biogen

Ligand develops and acquires technologies that aid in creating medicine. GuruFocus ranks the company's profitability 6 out of 10: profit margins and returns are outperforming over 76% of global competitors despite three-year revenue growth rates outperforming just over 55% of global biotech companies.

Primecap Management Dissolves Pfenex Holding, Boosts Biogen
Primecap Management Dissolves Pfenex Holding, Boosts Biogen

Firm makes slight boost to Biogen

Primecap purchased 190,675 shares of Biogen, increasing the stake 1.21% to 15,887,379 shares. The stock traded around $240.17 on the Nov. 30 transaction date; the stock is undervalued based on its current price-to-GF Value ratio of 0.70.

Primecap Management Dissolves Pfenex Holding, Boosts Biogen
Primecap Management Dissolves Pfenex Holding, Boosts Biogen

GuruFocus ranks the Cambridge, Massachusetts-based drug manufacturer's profitability 9 out of 10 on several positive investing signs, which include a 4.5-star business predictability rank and an operating margin that has increased approximately 2.10% per year on average over the past five years and is outperforming over 98% of global competitors.

Primecap Management Dissolves Pfenex Holding, Boosts Biogen
Primecap Management Dissolves Pfenex Holding, Boosts Biogen

Disclosure: Long Biogen.

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This article first appeared on GuruFocus.