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March 24, 2004 at 07:00 PM
Quick Take: Biotech stocks have soared over the past year and a half, buoyed by a flurry of drug approvals and improving fundamentals. The $659.4 million Franklin Biotechnology Discovery Fund/A (FBDIX), managed by Evan McCulloch, surged 58.3% for the one-year period through February, while the average health-care fund gained 43.1%.
McCulloch primarily invests in biotechnology companies and discovery research firms, including small-caps. Within biotech, the manager prefers therapeutic companies over platform technology companies.
Relative to its peers, this fund features greater volatility as measured by its three-year standard deviation and beta. On the flip-side, it boasts significantly lower turnover and an expense ratio slightly below the average equity sector fund.
Despite the current euphoria surrounding biotech, the sector is very volatile — any scent of bad news from the FDA can send stock prices reeling. Moreover, the process of bringing a drug to market is long and cumbersome. Valuations often ride purely on capricious investor sentiment. Indeed, for the three-year period through February, the fund dropped 6.1%, annualized, versus a 1.5% loss by the average health-care fund. However, over the five years through last month, the fund beat its peers, 16.0% versus 9.6%.
Illustrating biotech’s volatility, this fund declined 20.5% and 42.5%, respectively, in 2001 and 2002, before roaring back in 2003.
The Full Interview:
S&P: Describe your investment process.
McCULLOCH: We use a bottom-up investment methodology focusing on fundamental analysis and research. We invest in companies with favorable competitive profiles, large market opportunities, and strong intellectual property. Generally speaking, we like companies with excellent management, strong financial characteristics and attractive valuations.
Within the biotech universe, we tend to favor therapeutic companies over platform technology firms. Among the therapeutics, we are focused on the later-stage companies, those with products on the market and/or in the later stages of clinical trials.
We occasionally invest in companies where the lead compound is in Phase II trials, but valuations must be very attractive.
S&P: What factors drove biotech’s strong performance in 2003?
McCULLOCH: It was essentially accelerated FDA drug approvals and the sector’s rebound from depressed levels. Biotech bottomed in July 2002, as a string of unfortunate events weighed on valuations. Then, news turned very positive in 2003, with many drug approvals and successful clinical trials — the most important being positive Phase III results for Avastin, Genentech Inc.’s (DNA) drug for colorectal cancer. This rejuvenated hopes for oncology drugs in development and lifted the entire sector.
S&P: What are your top holdings?
McCULLOCH: As of February 29: Amgen Inc. (AMGN), 7.5%; Gilead Sciences (GILD), 7.5%; Genentech Inc. (DNA), 5.7%; Biogen Idec (BIIB), 5.6%; Genzyme Corp. (GENZ), 4.6%; MGI PHARMA Inc. (MOGN), 2.9%; MedImmune Inc. (MEDI), 2.9%; Chiron Corp. (CHIR), 2.8%; Alkermes Inc. (ALKS), 2.7%; and NPS Pharmaceuticals (NPSP), 2.6%.
These top ten stocks represented 44.8% of the fund’s total assets and a total of 62 holdings.
S&P: What are some newly approved drugs that you think will become blockbusters with at least $1 billion in annual sales?
McCULLOCH: We think Avastin will likely reach the $1 billion figure. It benefits large patient populations and is very expensive.
Other drugs that could reach blockbuster status include Cialis, a treatment for erectile dysfunction jointly developed by ICOS Corp. (ICOS) and Lilly (Eli) (LLY), and Risperdal Consta, a treatment schizophrenia created by Alkermes Inc. (ALKS) and Johnson & Johnson (JNJ). However, these two drugs resulted from partnerships with large pharmas, so the innovator companies will only receive a portion of the profits.
