Earnings Labs

SWK Holdings Corporation 9.00% Senior Notes due 2027 (SWKHL)

Q3 2021 Earnings Call· Mon, Nov 15, 2021

$25.49

+0.04%

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Transcript

Operator

Operator

Good day, and welcome to the SWK Holdings Inc. Third Quarter 2021 Financial Results Conference Call. [Operator Instructions]. Please note, this event is being recorded. I would now like to turn the conference over to Jason Rando from Tiberend Strategic Advisors. Please go ahead.

Jason Rando

Analyst

Good morning, everyone, and thank you for joining SWK Holdings’ Third Quarter 2021 Financial and Corporate Results Call. After the close of the market on November 12, SWK Holdings issued a press release detailing its financial results for the three months ended September 30, 2021. The press release can be found on the Investor Relations section of swkhold.com under News Releases. Before beginning today's call, I would like to make the following statement regarding forward looking statements. Today we'll be making certain forward-looking statements about future expectations, plan, events, and circumstances, including statements about our strategy, future operations and development of our consumer and drug product candidates, plans for future potential product candidates, and studies and our expectations regarding our capital allocation and cash resources. These statements are based on our current expectations and you should not place undue reliance on these statements. Actual results may differ materially due to our risks and uncertainties, including those detailed in the Risk Factors section of SWK Holdings’ 10-K filed with the SEC, and other filings we make with the SEC from time to time. SWK Holdings disclaims any obligation to update information contained these forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Joining me on today's call is Winston Black, Chairman and CEO of SWK Holdings. He'll provide an update on SWK’s third quarter of 2021 corporate and financial results. Winston, go ahead.

Winston Black

Analyst

Thank you, Jason, and everyone for joining our third quarter conference call. SWK Holdings business strategy is focused on providing non-dilutive financing opportunities to small and mid-sized bioscience companies with differentiated commercial stage products. This has been our mission from inception to today because installed returns for our company and shareholders during that time. It is an uncomplicated business and one that when executed with discipline and care works well because the small to mid-sized companies fueling innovation in life sciences industry, and barely require access to capital to bring the resulting therapies, products and technologies to market. We have been successful at finding those opportunities where our financing products provide the right capital infusion at the right time, empowering companies to unlock the value of their technologies, and in turn, enable SWK to realize a positive return on our investment. Since 2012, the SWK team has successfully deployed approximately 600 million of capital into 42 investments with 23 realizations that generated an IRR of 20%. Earlier this year, in partnership with our largest shareholder, SWK formed a strategic review committee to identify, review and explore strategic alternatives for SWK with a view to maximizing stockholder value. As we announced earlier this month, the committee and its financial and legal advisors complete its review in terms of that our specialty finance business, I just described, is a very good business, ideally suited to drive the company's future growth and shareholder value going forward. Board’s vision was informed by our own internal valuation, the company's assets, as well as by an independent third party valuation that support our belief that SW is core specialty finance assets have value in excess of our GAAP carrying value. Illustrate of this analysis is that third quarter performance of a specialty finance portfolio, it produced…

Operator

Operator

[Operator Instructions] Our first question today will come from Kyle Bauser with Colliers Securities. Please go ahead.

Kyle Bauser

Analyst

Maybe -- you mentioned the review committee also independently valuing the specialty finance business, which jibe with your own internal analysis of a larger carrying value. But just a kind of curious what the committee -- what their thoughts were on the biopharma business? And what sort of valuation they calculated for Enteris? And kind of any thoughts on how that fits in?

Winston Black

Analyst

So, yes, the committee has provided definitely evaluated Enteris alongside, the specialty finance business. I think the one thing I'd point out as we think about our book value for example. Enteris is currently $1.10 a share only 5% of the book value. So while we see a tremendous opportunity with Enteris. I think, as we communicated kind of the value in the business and where our capital's is majority deployed now, I think we want to be conservative as we always have been with respect to the value of our assets and the potential within them. So yes, we continue to see a lot of upside there, but yes, it's a 5% position, yet we also didn't want to be overly promotional about that business. So yes, I think just having perspective about it as how we thought about that and of course it could deliver tremendous amount of value, but we also think you'd appreciate it like I said earlier, we do definitely want to be conservative about how we communicate value and as the business performs, we'll be able to demonstrate that and then talk more about it.

Kyle Bauser

Analyst

Got it. No, it makes lot sense. And so it sounds like you've got the green light to lever up as necessary, and I think he said 60 million or 80 million in cash currently available. What sort of debt levels do you think would make sense for the business or would maybe ask another way it kind of puts you in line with some of your peers, just kind of curious how you're looking at adding onto that?

Winston Black

Analyst

Sure. So it gets first to clarify, we do roughly have 60 million of cash and with our revolver, that takes us about 80 million of just general liquidity. So it’s the answer that first question. Regarding debt levels there's of course two ways we'll look at it. The first is the maximum amount of debt that we could take on per the 2014 Stockholders' Agreement with Carlson. It was basically lets us get up to one-to-one. I think as we look to scale the amount of leverage, we would look to be in the 25% to 50% type range, and then we'll look to grow from there depending on how it goes. On one hand leverage is great, because it can help turbocharge returns, but is there one here it also knows they can also turbocharge losses if you don't -- if you don't scale that, right. So yes, I think there's definitely a lot more room to deliver our portfolio, but we also want to be kind of prudent and measured in our steps to do that.

Kyle Bauser

Analyst

And just lastly, I guess, following up on that, if I may. So assuming you did lever up and take on more debt and utilize existing cash you have. Are you seeing a lot of activity out there still and would you be able to put it to work relatively quickly? Just kind of trying to understand what the environment is like out there for deal flow and if you'd be able to deploy it all right away?

Winston Black

Analyst

Sure. First to address that we don't want to have this money burning a hole in our pockets. So to speak, we're always very diligent and measured in deploying our stockholders' capital. So we will -- nothing will be different from that perspective. Just regarding the deal environment, I think it remains very active out there, we -- even though we haven't been putting much capital work over the past couple of quarters, we certainly have been watching things and continue to develop our pipeline of opportunities. And I think, we expect to get back to what we normally have done historically sometime next year. There are some pockets of the market that are kind of more competitive and there's others that they continue to be really attractive and we'll look to execute where it is -- that we're seeing the best risk adjusted returns.

Operator

Operator

Our next question today will come from Michael Diana of Maxim group.

Michael Diana

Analyst

I also going to ask about the leverage too, I think that opportunity is very interesting. In relation to that and we'll really also, I guess, in relation to Enteris, you mentioned that you're evaluating the dividends. My guess is more leverage could be good for dividend, keeping in Enteris could mean -- you want to use any earnings to drive growth in Enteris. Do you have any comment on that?

Winston Black

Analyst

Sure. We do have a lot of opportunities to deploy capital, and yes, I think the first thing just to address the dividend, that's something that we've been considering for a while, but as noted in our release on November 1, regarding the SRC process conclusion, that's someone that requires Carlson's consent and we don't quite have that yet. So, I very much liked to have the state of dividend policy and what we're working to implement that. So, stay tuned there, unfortunately I don't have any, just share that about that. And you're exactly right regarding Enteris and just transactions out there kind of regular way finance transactions that we look at. There are a lot of opportunities for us to deploy capital, and whether we're paying a dividend or not, I don't necessarily think we'll say whether we see opportunities to deploy capital with Enteris. I think on one hand, we want to make sure our shareholders are participating in the success of the business and between buybacks and dividends those are two very typical things for us, for companies to do with respect to that. And then on Enteris, I think one thing that we're thinking about and we've talked a little bit about is, it’s how we go about financing our own assets development pipeline, because you can go nuts and spend a ton of money on that. And that certainly isn't very helpful to a business that is trying to compound book value and generate cash flows. So I think we've been taking a measured approach with respect to the development that we're doing because we do see a tremendous amount of value in that, but that of work we're trying to be measured with the amounts that we are dedicated to that. And so, I think we'll -- our goal is to have some more former guidance on that is as we get into the New Year to help shareholders understand how about kind of what our formal capital allocation policies are going to be.

Michael Diana

Analyst

And then you mentioned you now have 71,000 shares of buyback stocks. Do you have a policy about what you do when you receive stock? Like you saw it right away or you keep it and look for an opportunistic exit or do you have any policy or whatsoever?

Winston Black

Analyst

Yes, great question. Because it doesn't apply just to the Bioventus equity that we have. It also applies to any warrants that we have in public companies as well, right. We do the first thing depends, do we have any material non-public information that we have to be kind of cleansed up and so once we determined that were cleansed to that, we are in position to actually sell an equity or exercise of warrants. Just like any investment that we have in our portfolio, we'll evaluate it, we think it's worth and then kind of determine the right time to exit based on kind of market prices and liquidity. That said, we're also not looking to speculate in public equities. So, we certainly aren't going to be looking to get the last cent out of our calculated value for a position. So we'll use that general framework to look to exit positions when it's appropriate.

Michael Diana

Analyst

Okay. And while you hold it, you have to mark it, is that right or wrong?

Winston Black

Analyst

Yes. That’s right, just like the Misonix equity that we had. We mark-to-market because we're public of observable inputs. That's also how we mark our public warrants, because our public observable inputs. So we do mark those as well at each quarter end.

Michael Diana

Analyst

Okay, great. Thank you.

Operator

Operator

Ladies and gentlemen, this will conclude our question-and-answer session. At this time, I'd like to turn the conference back over to Mr. Black for any closing remarks.

Winston Black

Analyst

Thank you. In closing, I appreciate everyone's time and attention and look forward to future updates, as we continue to advance SWK Holdings, I'd also like to expend my sincere wishes of good health and wealth.

Operator

Operator

The conference has now concluded, and we do thank you for attending today's presentation. And you may now disconnect your lines.