Rising demand for lifesaving products, a consolidation of the industry that offers them, tougher regulations, and stiff barriers for new competitors: These are the perfect ingredients for investing in Talecris Biotherapeutics Holdings (NASDAQ:TLCR).
Just six weeks after its initial public offering, Talecris has released a third-quarter report demonstrating a solid market for products derived from blood plasma.
Products include blood-clotting factors for hemophiliacs, products used as treatments for diseases of the body's immune system, and albumin, which expands plasma volume for patients who have lost significant amounts of blood because of surgery or trauma.
The third-quarter results, issued Monday evening, gave investors their first up-to-date look at the company. No Wall Street analysts had issued forecasts, because Talecris is brand new to the public markets. However, since then, four investment banking firms have initiated coverage: three with buys, and one with a hold. Curiously -- or maybe not -- all were among the seven firms serving as underwriters or co-managers for the IPO. Hmm … maybe someone should go wake up the other three.
Reviewing the numbers
The raw numbers show third-quarter revenue of $396 million, up 12.9% from last year, while earnings per share rose 72.7% to $0.38. For the full year, Talecris predicts revenue of approximately $1.52 billion, up from the previous year's $1.4 billion. It also predicts full-year EPS of $1.42 to $1.46.
Talecris' products don't carry the sales and profit power of Lipitor from Pfizer (NYSE:PFE), or Plavix from Bristol-Myers Squibb (NYSE:BMY) and sanofi-aventis (NYSE:SNY), but they do command a growing worldwide interest.
Measuring the market
According to the company, annual worldwide volume growth is expected to reach 6% to 8%, thanks to factors such as population growth and increasing diagnoses of diseases requiring blood-plasma products. Talecris says independent research shows that U.S. sales growth has advanced at an annual compounded growth rate of about 10% over the last 18 years.
The latest available data shows that Talecris had a 24% North American market share and a 12% worldwide share in 2007 for plasma-derived proteins.
In the U.S., Talecris competes primarily with industry leader Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) and CSL-Behring, a division of Australia's CSL Ltd. These big three control about four-fifths of U.S. blood-plasma products sales.
CSL wanted to make that trio the Big Two, offering $3.1 billion for Talecris in August of last year. The Federal Trade Commission objected last May, and CSL withdrew its bid a month later, sending Talecris back to the IPO drawing board.
Given its worldwide growth prospects, Talecris' investors can only hope that bigger can be better -- as long as the FTC doesn't mind.
