The latest Investing Matters Podcast with Jean Roche, Co-Manager of Schroder UK Mid Cap Investment Trust has just been released. Listen here.
That's over 1.6% of stock; probably explains the 20% rise last Friday.
It's important to reiterate that Dr Tolley mentioned, after a specific question during the interims' presentation, that licensing income could flow within a couple of years (from UNILEVER) however, whilst getting there, APTA would still receive a lot of fees-for-services as a lot of testing needs to be done by then.
UNILEVER competitors will also be alerted to what APTA is doing for UNILEVER, so maybe new contracts will come from other players.
This will also raise APTA's profile in the CITY, and make people realise that these short-term hiccups re cashflow are temporary and a great BUYING opportunity!
Who we are working with - 12.5£ billion of sales!
https://www.unilever.com/brands/beauty-wellbeing/
"We are a €12.5 billion business with hair and skin care brands including Dove, Sunsilk, Clear and Vaseline. We are also home to our Prestige portfolio of luxury brands such as Dermalogica, Hourglass and Living Proof, and Health & Wellbeing, a carefully crafted collection of vitamins, minerals and supplements brands including Liquid I.V. and OLLY. With more than 1 billion people using our products every day, we have an opportunity to use our scale for good. We’re embracing a new era of beauty and wellbeing"
Quick reminder about the things coming this calendar year, bringing more cash in (from the Interims):
"Developed binders for a top 5 pharma company undergoing external validation for IHC, .... leading to a commercial request for more material in January." - Jan24, 2 months ago! "Validation studies are ongoing with this partner and may result in a license."
"In February, results from a gene therapy delivery partnership with a top 15 pharma company, have led to request to validate the material in their own labs...material is currently being manufactured at Aptamer for shipment" - April24, how long for validation? 2-3 months?
"Partnership with Unilever announced in March, following successful testing of developed Optimer® binders by Unilever ...with patent applications for the binders now being prepared." - licensing in "up to 2 years" was mentioned but cash will flow much earlier on related projects."This will allow the next stage of commercial advancements with our partner."
"Following success in the first development phase delivering Optimer® binders to Neuro-Bio's biomarker for Alzheimer's disease, Aptamer has agreed the development of additional binders to form an Optimer® pair that will enable a wholly Optimer®-based lateral flow test for the early diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease." - more cash for these binders in a few weeks/months IMO.
"Within the Aptamer Therapeutics business, a material contract was signed with a genetic medicines company for the development of Optimer® binders to enable the targeted gene therapy delivery to specific cell types. The deal comprises up to approximately £0.6 million in development fees with the potential for further licensing upon successful demonstration of the binders" - few months for the binders?
"Additional IHC validation of a broader panel of Optimer® binders and the Optimer®-Fc reagents is continuing in-house and is anticipated to be completed by July 2024, providing complete data packs and technical know-how for marketing" - income to follow how soon after?
"To support increased commercial traction new marketing materials and a new Company website are under development, which are expected to launch this year." - why waste precious cash on this, unless they expect fresh business?
"Development of the new platform is ongoing at Aptamer, alongside discussions with partners to scale manufacturing processes...new platform expected to launch to the market in FY25." i.e. maybe summertime? "Evaluation processes are ongoing within the Company and with external partners to optimise the development and large-scale manufacturing protocols, with an active marketing strategy to follow."
IMO, all of the above show Mgt is confident in obtaining new business soon and over the next few weeks and months.
People need to remember that the Share has low liquidity and high volatility; therefore there will be plenty of ups and downs, sometimes for no discernible reason; so, one has to decide, do I buy at X price because it's heading up in the next few weeks/months, or do I just worry myself to death each time it drops?
I think it's just bottom fishing now, no actual news yet (so imagine, when we actually get these news).
Maybe this guy is buying the 1mln and 1.5 mln lots? The good thing is that, now that he's over 3% holding, he needs to issue an RNS for each 1% addition (at 4%, 5% etc).
Couldn't agree more, 99.
Yes, very encouraging re the timing as cash is precious currently, so unless the EPC was definite (1 month or whatever) why would the Chairman hire a CEO?
Logic'd suggest that paying hefty CEO fees, from 15 April, the Co expects the EPC to be near full agreement?
On the other hand I am not sure what "non-Board member" means; someone having Executive powers without being a Director? This is a Co law matter; maybe the Chairman wants to sign the EPC on Co's behalf because the new guy is a "new guy"?
David Hathorn, Chair of Kore Potash, commented:
"To appoint a CEO with André's experience in both the mining and global agriculture sectors is hugely exciting and, I believe, demonstrates the surefooted ambitions of Kore Potash to become a major potash producer.
If not mistaken, those are new shares to be issued, Mitch.
Potential for a breakout once we get good news eg re EPC getting signed, in the next few weeks.
David, Mgt reiterated a few times since January that they expect no funding issues (on current and expected trading); therefore I think they are waiting for the RNSs to do the talking - sooner or later (IMO, sooner); hence, they will not worry about the daily fluctuations.
Jona, spare yourself the pain, don't look at the SP for the next 2 months. Interims announced just 1 trading day ago, so today's drop has nothing to do with a Placing (cash enough to Dec.24, assuming no new sales till then), Management is working their a..e off and have skin in the game too; contracts are coming, matter of time; so the drop is just due to a lack of confidence; re Cash, 1.8mln on 31 Dec, 1.8 mln on 29 Febr, difference of 465k was tax rebate received; so in effect the Co burned 230k pm in Jan+Feb, rather than the 300k Mgt mentions in the interims' presentation.
The below collaboration on AD skin symptoms might lead to psoriasis and anti-aging products? what do you make of it?
https://neuro-bio.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/NOVEL-MARKER-OF-SKIN-AGING-UNILEVER-AND-NEURO-BIO.pdf
That's the mln dollar question :); we will see when the RNS is released.
Actually, the Fundraise RNS stated: "The net proceeds from the CLNs will be used to further advance work that is expected to lead to the signing of an EPC contract for the Kola Potash Project, as announced by the Company on 9 February 2024, and provide working capital for Kore Potash.", so it could mean that we are fine until the financing is announced in 2-3 months.
From the RNS (see extracts below), it looks like - pls correct me - we need to raise $800k in the next 2-3 months (after financing is announced, hence I assume at a much higher SP), but also for WCAP purposes up to the EPC signing (4-6 weeks?) and financing completion (another 4-6 weeks?), so how much for - say - the next 2-3 months? Is this amount required sufficiently covered by the 530k just raised, you think?
"Two payments of USD1.0 million each were made in August and November 2023 as required.... The remaining USD 3 million of which USD 800,000 payable up to 6 weeks from the date PowerChina and SEPCO having presented to Kore ...the financing arrangement of the Kola Project...to form a binding construction contract" and USD 2.2 million to be paid subject to Kore concluding its fund raise with a target date of no later than 12 months of the signing of "EPC" contract."
"The Company will be required to raise funds in Q2 2024 for the working capital requirements for Kore Potash for the period up to signing full EPC documentation and the financing proposal for the complete construction of Kola from the Summit Consortium".
Https://pitchbook.com/profiles/investor/229155-85#overview
So, if this is the guy, he built a 3% stake buying on the open market.