Vertex Pharms

US92532F1003

VRTX

VRTX

New addition to the depot 🧬🔬

CRISPR Therapeutics
$CRSP (-2.21%) is a Swiss biotech company listed on the US stock exchange that was co-founded by CRISPR discoverer Emanuelle Charpentier in 2013.

The joint venture Exa-Cel with Vertex Pharmaceuticals $VRTX (+0.36%) for the treatment of hereditary blood diseases has already been approved.

But CRISPR Therapeutics also has other irons in the fire.

The cell therapy CTX112 cell therapy is currently in a clinical trial for the treatment of a malignant cancer tumor.

In addition CTX131 in a phase 1 study as a potential treatment for various types of cancer. tested. For cardiovascular diseases, the therapies CTX310 and CTX320 are in the clinical trial phase. In addition, the company is also working with Vertex, for example, on testing the experimental type 1 diabetes therapy CTX212.

Now that the first CRISPR treatment approach has been approved, the first "real" revenues have been generated following several milestone payments. sales.

Analysts estimate these at USD 60.7 million for 2024.

By 2025, this figure should already be USD 333 million (+449%),

then USD 743 million (+123%) in 2026.

However, investment-related losses are still expected.

With a cash position of USD 2.1 billion the company is probably sufficiently liquid to bring treatment approaches to approval.

The share has been under observation for a long time. Due to the high volatility, I will probably keep it in my portfolio for a long time and have to expect periods of heavy losses.

Hi, are there any experts? I would invest 5,000 in 1 share, but I am relatively inexperienced. Priority is growth potential, volatility is not a problem. Thank you very much in advance.

$REGN (+0.59%)

$VRTX (+0.36%)

$AMGN (-0.54%)

Construction of a biotech ETF🧬🚀

I'm a fan of the whole topic and don't really like the sector ETFs on the market in terms of costs and performance. That's why I've dared to construct my own "biotech ETF". I've written down my thought process here and hope you enjoy it a little 😉

1. focus areas according to growth and profitability

The percentage distribution of focus areas is based on an analysis of the growth and profitability potential of each therapeutic area within the biotechnology industry, taking into account various market conditions and dynamics. The reasons for this distribution are as follows:

• Oncology (25%): The oncology market is a large and rapidly growing market due to the high prevalence of cancer and increasing demand for innovative cancer therapies. The growth potential is supported by the continuous introduction of new cancer drugs and therapies.

• Neurology (20%): Although the neurology market is smaller compared to the oncology market, it still offers considerable potential for growth and profitability. The increasing prevalence of neurodegenerative diseases and the need for novel treatment approaches contribute to this potential.

• Immunology (15%): Immunology is an established market with a wide range of therapies for various autoimmune diseases and cancers. Although the market is relatively saturated, advances in immunotherapy continue to offer opportunities for growth and profitability.

• Infectious diseases (20%): The infectious diseases market has gained significant importance due to global health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The increasing demand for vaccines, antiviral therapies and diagnostic tests to combat infectious diseases is contributing to robust growth and profitability potential.

• Cardiovascular diseases (10%): Although the cardiovascular disease market is not growing as fast as other areas, it remains a significant market with some growth potential. Advances in the treatment and prevention of cardiovascular diseases could contribute to further growth.

Genetic diseases (10%): The market for genetic diseases is smaller but highly specialized and growing thanks to advances in genomic research and genome editing technologies. The increasing demand for personalized therapies for rare genetic diseases is contributing to stable growth.

By taking into account market size, growth potential and profitability, we have determined a percentage distribution of focus areas that reflects the attractiveness of each area for investment in the Biotech ETF.

2. selection of companies and their focus areas

Based on the evaluation of the focus areas, we have selected ten biotech companies that cover a broad range of therapeutic areas and hold leading positions in their respective focus areas. The companies and their focus areas as well as the percentage distribution are as follows:

• Amgen ($AMGN (-0.54%)):

Introduction: Amgen is a leading global biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery, development and commercialization of innovative therapies. The company is known for its breakthrough developments in oncology, immunology and genetics.

Focus areas:

Oncology: 30%

Immunology: 20%

Cardiovascular diseases: 20%

• Genetic diseases: 30%

• Regeneron Pharmaceuticals ($REGN (+0.59%)):

Introduction: Regeneron Pharmaceuticals is a biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of drugs for serious diseases. The company is known for its pioneering research and development in the fields of oncology, neurology, immunology and infectious diseases.

Focus areas:

Oncology: 30%

Neurology: 30%

Immunology: 20%

• Infectious diseases: 20%

• Vertex Pharmaceuticals ($VRTX (+0.36%)):

Introduction: Vertex Pharmaceuticals is a leader in the development of therapies for rare genetic diseases. The company is dedicated to researching and developing drugs to improve the lives of patients with genetic disorders.

Focus areas:

• Genetic diseases: 100%

• Intellia Therapeutics ($NTLA (+1.93%)):

Introduction: Intellia Therapeutics is a pioneer in the field of genome editing, utilizing CRISPR/Cas9 technology to develop therapies for genetic diseases, oncology and infectious diseases. The company strives to create the next generation of gene therapies.

Focus areas:

Genetic diseases: 50%

Oncology: 30%

• Infectious diseases: 20%

• Biogen Inc. ($BIIB (+1.56%)):

Introduction: Biogen is a leading global biotechnology company focused on the research and development of therapies for neurological diseases. The company has made some of the most significant breakthroughs in the treatment of diseases such as multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer's disease.

Focus areas:

• Neurology: 100%

• Moderna, Inc. ($MRNA (-3.36%)):

Introduction: Moderna is an innovative biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of mRNA therapies and vaccines. The company has attracted worldwide attention for the development of an mRNA vaccine against COVID-19.

Focus areas:

Oncology: 70%

• Infectious diseases: 30%

• Illumina, Inc. ($ILMN (+2.21%)):

Introduction: Illumina is a leading provider of genomics and genomic analysis technologies. The company is revolutionizing genomics by developing cutting-edge sequencing technologies and making significant contributions to genetic disease research.

Focus areas:

• Genetic diseases: 100%

• CRISPR Therapeutics AG ($CRSP (-2.21%)):

Introduction: CRISPR Therapeutics is a leader in the application of CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing technologies to treat genetic diseases. The company has the potential to revolutionize the way we treat genetic diseases.

Focus areas:

• Genetic diseases: 100%

• Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc.$n/a): (ISIN: US0153511094)

Introduction: Alexion Pharmaceuticals is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing therapies for rare and life-threatening diseases. The company has a strong presence in the fields of neurology and immunology.

Focus areas:

Neurology: 40%

• Immunology: 60%

• Qiagen N.V. ($QGEN):

Introduction: Qiagen is a global leader in molecular diagnostics and research products. The company is known for its innovative technologies to diagnose infectious diseases and support life science research.

Focus areas:

Infectious diseases: 100%

This selection of companies represents a diverse range of focus areas and positions in the biotechnology industry and enables

3. weighting of the ETF based on focus areas and companies

Finally, we determined the allocations for each stock based on its exposure to the focus areas and its relative importance within the portfolio. We considered both the growth and profitability potential of each focus area. The final allocation of stocks is as follows:

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals (ticker: REGN): 25%

Moderna, Inc. (Ticker: MRNA): 18%

Intellia Therapeutics (Ticker: NTLA): 16%

Amgen (Ticker: AMGN): 16%

Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc (Ticker: ALXN): 10%

Biogen Inc (Ticker: BIIB): 6%

Qiagen N.V. (Ticker: QGEN): 5%

Vertex Pharmaceuticals (Ticker: VRTX): 2%

Illumina, Inc. (Ticker: ILMN): 2%

CRISPR Therapeutics AG (Ticker: CRSP): 2%

This weighting ensures that the portfolio has a good balance between different focus areas as well as an appropriate exposure to the leading companies in the biotechnology industry.

By considering market size, growth potential and profitability, we have determined a percentage distribution of focus areas that reflects the attractiveness of each area for investment in the biotech ETF.

I look forward to receiving feedback and assessments ✌️😉

Your Value Willi

Partial sale Intel $INTC (+1.29%)

As already mentioned, this was supposed to be a small profit-taking move. But that didn't work out. Nevertheless, I wanted to reduce the Intel position in my portfolio to a medium level. I no longer felt comfortable with the stock in the top 10 of my portfolio. New in the top 10: $VRTX (+0.36%)

Reasons: I bought Intel many years ago when the company was still doing well. With the numbers at the time, it was simply a must buy, but unfortunately things have gone rapidly downhill since then, partly due to the chip ambitions of Apple $AAPL (+2.87%) and Microsoft $MSFT (+1.09%) and Microsoft, but also due to TSMC's lead in production. $TSM (+4.57%) in production .

In my view, however, this did not justify a sale. I believe that CEO Pat Gelsinger was exactly the right man to make Intel fit for the future. The investment case was: Intel becomes a contract manufacturer and collects billions in subsidies from the taxpayer. That was a convincing move for me. Geopolitically, it is absolutely necessary for the western world to become independent of Asia when it comes to semiconductors. In this sense, it was clear that Congress would pull out all the stops to help Intel. Basically, this means two things: 1. Intel gets a virtual gift of equity if the factories are paid for by the countries themselves 2. Intel becomes a hedge against China risks.

So far so good. Unfortunately, the figures look less convincing at the moment. Intel sales have collapsed massively. While a lack of profits would hardly worry me, lower sales actually mean that Intel's products are really less and less in demand. Intel's equity is rising as expected, but debt is rising faster. In addition, Intel is no longer so undervalued at the moment, although analyst forecasts have not been revised upwards. Which to me means that the market has not gained that much confidence in Intel itself, but is simply playing the general semiconductor theme.

Right now, Intel is just in such a complicated position where there are about as many arguments for falling as there are for rising prices. It will be years before the foundry business can really prove itself. At the moment, Intel is a bit like a pharmaceutical company where you simply wait for years to see whether the new major project takes off and then either a new golden age begins or not. So I'm not primarily interested in the share price, but the investment case is simply shaky.

Nevertheless, I will remain invested with a moderate weighting and could imagine buying back the position if the share price were to fall by around 20% - or if the outlook were to brighten significantly.

Beat the S&P500 Challenge

I have been thinking about which stocks I could use to beat the S&P500 index.

After a lot of research, I have now decided on 20 American shares, which I will save 100 euros/month each in savings plans from 01.04.2024. As I didn't want any overlaps/duplications with my ETFs (World and Consumer Staples), I chose companies from the second tier. Perhaps one or two of the stocks will also be of interest to you 😉

The portfolio will contain the following shares:

$AME (+1.27%)

$APH (+3.58%)

$ANET (+2.74%)

$AJG (-3.46%)

$CMG (+1.05%)

$FIX (+6.33%)

$EME (+4.8%)

$IT (+0.98%)

$HUBB (+2.71%)

$INTU (+2.94%)

$KAI (+6.6%)

$KLAC (+4.58%)

$MMC (-1.07%)

$MEDP (+1.86%)

$MOH (-1.86%)

$RSG (+0.47%)

$SNPS (+1.89%)

$URI (+2.26%)

$VRTX (+0.36%)

$GWW (+1.28%)

I know that it will be difficult to beat the S&P500, but I still want to try...