Biocon slips after good numbers

Biocon is currently the top loser on the BSE, down almost 4% at Rs.462, with an intra day low at Rs.455. the stock had hit a new 52-week high yesterday at Rs.497.40 in anticipation of good earnings for Q3Fy14.

The stock has slipped, mainly on profit booking though Q3Fy14 numbers came in much above analyst estimations. The company posted a 15% (YoY0 rise in consolidated net profit at Rs.105 crore and this growth on the back of increased income on R&D, including licensing fee and collaborative initiatives and rise in sales of branded formulations. Its net sales came in at Rs.700 crore v/s Rs.635 crore (YoY), up 10%. EBITDA came in at Rs.168 crore, up 18% and EBITDA margins also improved to 24% v/s 22.4%  R&D spend for the first nine months of current fiscal was at Rs.102 crore.

The company, in its Press Release has stated that it has a positive outlook for FY14 as it works to strike a balance between revenue growth and R&D spend. The company said its portfolio and cost optimization initiatives continue, helping it manage its margins more effectively. It continues to invest in its Research and Development pipeline, and the several milestones achieved over the course of this year are indicative of the growth opportunities ahead. The Malaysia facility is on track for commissioning in FY15.

It today also announced of having entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with Advaxis Inc., a leader in developing the next generation of cancer immunotherapies, for co-development and commercialization of ADXS-HPV, a novel cancer immunotherapy for the treatment of human papillomavirus (HPV)-associated cervical cancer in women, for India and key emerging markets. This agreement will give Biocon access to Advaxis' innovative and proprietary immunotherapy technology that can be leveraged for the development of other novel therapeutics for various unmet medical needs.