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“Don’t Let this 10-Bagger Pass You By” Phase 1 Investor

By Travis Johnson, Stock Gumshoe, October 21, 2008

I haven’t written much about Rob Fannon and his Phase 1 Investor newsletter lately — this is the high end newsletter published by the folks at Stansberry and Associates, it’ll run you about $4,500 a year, and it’s largely focused on biotech companies.

So is their advice worth more than the advice from less expensive newsletters? I can’t tell you that — I’ve written about half a dozen or so teaser stocks that Fannon has put out there for us, and most of them have not done terribly well, but they certainly haven’t done as badly as many, many other stocks. Everything’s relative, and biotech is more hit-and-miss than most sectors — his picks for the Medical Investor newsletter, which he runs with George Huang, have done a little better, largely because they include several health care REITs that have held some value during this awful year. And Phase 1 isn’t tracked by Hulbert, so there’s no objective report of performance that I know of.

But that’s all really beside the point — If there are some Phase 1 subscribers who’d like to share with us their experience with that newsletter, I’d be delighted to hear it. But what I really want to know is: What stock does he think we should buy today?

Or, put more bluntly, which stock is he talking about when he says, “Don’t let this chance at a 10-bagger pass you by.”

Boy, that terminology really got into the vernacular, didn’t it? It’s a Peter Lynch term, itself stolen from baseball — a one bagger is a single, which Lynch would call a 100% gain. A 10-bagger is a 1,000% gain, a stock that goes up to 10X the price you paid.

And yes, we all like those. Heck, in this environment we’d probably be happy with a one-bagger. So what is this potential “ten bagger”?

Some clues:

It’s a cancer fighter, which is always good for business.

It’s a machine or device, not a drug.

The letter is generally based on the premise that Rob is kicking himself for missing the huge returns from Intuitive Surgical over the last few years, and tells us that “Rob just discovered another opportunity exactly like Intuitive Surgical five years ago.”

And here’s the spiel where they share their clues:

“The company that invented this miracle machine raked in $210 million in sales last year… not including any of the $647 million in backlog orders as well.

“Demand from patients is soaring… hospitals are eager to earn the revenue these machines will generate… and doctors are now recommending its use whenever they can.

“Based on demand and figures, we conservatively predict 35 to 55 of these machines will be installed per year over the next five years.

“Even with the current U.S. economic problems, installations should be on the high end of this spectrum.

“So, by 2013, somewhere around 400 machines should be installed and ready for use.

“And as all of this happens, the value of the company stands to increase in value by up to five times… generating huge gains for investors.

“You could earn as much as the 2,800% Rob Fannon missed out on five years ago… turning a small $5,000 stake into an incredible $146,000.”

Sounds good, huh?

Some of you can probably guess this one based on those clues, but the rest of the ad is a little bit interesting and shares some more thoughts about the company, so let’s have a look at some more of the ad:

“Imagine lying down peacefully…

“Dozing off while your favorite music plays in the background… thinking about the tennis match you’ll play later.

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“Now, imagine while you’re doing this, a machine is eliminating prostate cancer from your body.
You might think that sounds far-fetched. But Darrell Walker sure doesn’t…

“‘I didn’t have pain,’ says Darrell. ‘I didn’t require a hospital stay, and I had no lingering effects.’

“Instead of being a depressed, 71-year-old who had just been diagnosed with a life-threatening disease, Darrell simply opted to let the newest technology in medicine heal him.

“In fact, it was the second time he’s had cancer and been cured. He also had a brain tumor removed, using the very same technology.”

So, just to cut through the tension as you wait for the answer, the machine is called the Cyberknife, and the company is Accuray (ARAY).

And those clues are all true — and the estimates may well be reasonable. Accuray has sold about 30 Cyberknife systems in each of the last two years, and does have a nice big backlog, so they may be able to reach those numbers of 35+ installations per year. These are expensive machines, running at something like $4 million, so a couple machines either way makes a big difference for a company that has annual sales (last year, at least) of just about $210 million.

Analysts are not all that optimistic about ARAY right now, but they do see them becoming more profitable over the coming year, giving them a forward PE that’s just a bit higher than pseudo-competitor Intuitive Surgical — ARAY has a forward PE of 31, ISRG is 26. They don’t have any debt, thanks to their IPO about 18 months ago (at about five times the current price, so OUCH for those IPO investors).

The Cyberknife is essentially a radiation treatment machine — they call it “radiosurgery” — that’s mounted on a robotic arm and controlled by computer. The machine’s promise is that it can allow doctors to more closely target tumors and to allow the robotic arm to track the slight movements of tumors during treatment, reducing the “extra” radiation that hits other nearby parts of the body, giving “surgical” precision to radiation treatment.

And that story about Darrell is actually one that Accuray uses in their marketing campaigns — though of course, since this is a newsletter teaser ad, they changed the names to protect, well, themselves. His name’s really Donald, don’t know what his last name is, and you can read his whole story here (PDF file), if you happen to be interested. He’s what they call a “cyberknife ambassador,” so obviously he’s one of the really happy stories.

Donald’s story actually does have an interesting corollary with Cyberknife’s history — he had radiosurgery first for brain cancer, and later for prostate cancer. Radiosurgery’s core business is brain surgery, and Accuray believes that they can expand that market by increasing the approvals of and use of the machine in other cancer treatments — including lung cancer, prostate cancer, and several others.

Essentially, what Accuray promises with the Cyberknife is not a wild new technology that skips several steps, it is a use of the existing technology for radiation treatment, combined with active monitoring and robotic tracking to make radiation delivery more precise and more targeted. This means that the surrounding, healthy tissue isn’t subjected to extra radiation, and that nearby cells are therefore not harmed.

That plays nicely into brain cancer, obviously — don’t want to radiate other parts of your brain. Lung cancer is another “no brainer” for this, at least conceptually — it’s awfully hard to keep your lungs from moving, so if you could treat a moving cancer while someone breathes that would certainly count as “good.” And it can play into prostate cancer, too, since a huge part of the reason for the growth of the da Vinci robot for surgery is that robotic surgery can help surgeons be more precise and reduce the problems of incontinence and sexual challenges following prostate surgery.

Perhaps Accuray can be the next wave, making it unnecessary to have even the da Vinci’s minimally invasive surgery — I’m certainly far from being as informed about this as Rob Fannon is, and I’m neither a doctor nor a medical analyst, so that’s your call to make. Do note that although da Vinci is now really the standard of care for prostate surgery (I think they’re right around a 50% market share now in that surgery), it took them many years to get there, and they first had to build a pretty compelling academic case with studies that indicated the da Vinci prostatectomy would be better for the patient than conventional open or laparascopic surgery. I think Accuray probably still has a ways to go in making that case to doctors and patients, though they’re certainly trying — and the idea of being essentially nonsurgical is certainly a nice way to get patients interested.

I’ve written about Accuray a few times over the last year or two, and about Intuitive Surgical, and have owned both (I still own Accuray, and I was actually on the verge of buying into ISRG again now that it’s getting more reasonably priced, but since I’m writing about it I can’t buy either one for at least three days).

There are clearly some similarities, and there is some competition, albeit probably fairly minor so far, in the prostate cancer treatment market. Still, it’s probably useful to note that we are at the front end of what will probably be the biggest bull market for prostate treatment in history … the Baby Boom generation is just hitting the early 60s, and are entering the prime age for the onset of prostate trouble. Of course, almost all cancers will probably be in an upswing for some time, unfortunately, with the aging of the population, and it seems that anyone with effective solutions has a chance at profitability — I would guess that the big battle for treating these types of cancers will probably end up being between surgeries, whether radio or traditional or robotic, and new drugs, and perhaps “battle” is the wrong word, since there’s no reason not to try everything if you’re fighting for your life and your insurance (or the government) is paying for it. Which could also change at any time, if insurers aren’t willing to reimburse for the higher prices necessitated by many of these expensive machines.

So what do you think? I know I’ve had a few readers who actually went under the knife with the da Vinci, but even if you haven’t seen a Cyberknife or a da Vinci, which one sounds more appealing? Though I currently own Accuray, I find myself more interested in ISRG at the moment just because their massively larger installed base (almost 1,000 machines, versus about 140 Cyberknife installations) means a certain level of almost guaranteed use, even without big additional system sales — if you buy a milllion dollar robot, you’re going to use it, and you’re going to buy those semi-disposable attachments and tools that are used in every surgery, and keep up your service contracts. ISRG is probably the more stable performer at this point, which is probably why I find it appealing again with the incredible instability of everything, but Intuitive is not going to be the “next Intuitive” — Accuray may not be either, but it is an interesting company with some potential.

Oh, and this idea that Accuray is the “next Intuitive Surgical” is, beyond probably being wishful thinking to some degree, far from new — Brian Hicks said the same thing back in August of 2007, and Karim Rahemtulla started teasing it as a “Cancer Blaster” a couple months later, since which time investors have continued to see their ARAY shares dip, and dip, and dip.

Full disclosure: I do own shares in Accuray as of this writing, so you should probably consider that as one reason for my relative optimism about a stock that has fallen from $30 to $5 in a year and a half.

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leonard katz[WHO NOZE]
Member
October 21, 2008 9:23 am

for whats it worth went under the da vinci robotic for lung ca no external scars and i am still alive

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brenda
brenda
October 21, 2008 9:37 am

I’m glad you’re still with us! That’s some good news, regardless of any stock or market moves.

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Michael Mosher
Guest
October 21, 2008 12:02 pm

From the Tradeking Website

*PIPER JAFFRAY CUTS ACCURAY INC TO NEUTRAL FROM BUY – THEFLYONTHEWALL.COM

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sox
sox
October 21, 2008 1:07 pm

On the plus side $6 for a cancer cure is great.
On the downside, credit markets are a mess. Will this impact sales?

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brenda
brenda
October 21, 2008 1:12 pm

Certainly could, and that’s part of the reason for pessimism and downgrades. Many hospitals need to borrow or be great fundraisers to spend this kind of money, though there are also probably more flexible plans through leases or shared ownership.

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Henry Pope
Guest
Henry Pope
October 21, 2008 1:30 pm

Have a look at Tomotherapy too, which has a complex 3d apparatus for targeting the rays. Hard to say which I would want for therapy were I in need. That might be the bottom line. Actually TOMO said their machine does not compete with ARAY’s. Don’t know. hp

Dusty
Guest
Dusty
October 21, 2008 4:34 pm

CANCER is the catchword. The Prostate gland is a time bomb in every human male. A majority of the eventual explosions are not cancerous, nobody cares except the individual – WHEN. You may not know, have never heard. It is 100%; exceptions are only those who die from other things first. After 50, probably in your mid to late 60’s, eventually: suddenly you cannot GO. State of the art for this is several versions of laser surgery. Check out “Green Light Laser.” Think about stocks that might benefit from an aging population in need of high-tech medical care. It would be interesting to hear from other readers who are aware of other time bombs in our bodies and references to ways to benefit financially from new treatments?

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Lastmate
Guest
Lastmate
October 21, 2008 6:20 pm

I wonder if any of these companies makes the equipment that was used on actor Patrick Swayze, who says his amazingly positive results (not sure they’re yet calling it a “cure”–but he’s recovered enough to be making another feature film) in treating his pancreatic cancer. He said he had “radio knife therapy”. Since my Mom was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and the chemo seems be purely paliative, I was trying to find out where this radio knife therapy might be available, but so-far haven’t heard of it being offered anywhere close to Cincinnati. Meanwhile, my Mom’s cancer has spread throughout her colon so it’s probably too late now for anything but a miracle. A big question, also, is whether Medicare and other insurance would pay for this even at an 80% (even the other 20% is still impoverishing for most folks when costs are so astonomical)level, or if they’d label it as exotic and outside-the-standard-of-care, therefore exempt from coverage. Patrick Swayze might be able to cover the cost by simply making another movie, but most Americans with cancer must rely upon insurance (if they’re lucky enough to have it), especially after the devastation most of us have experienced in our home values and investments this year!

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JIL
Guest
October 21, 2008 6:59 pm

Sorry to hear about your Mother Lastmate. Praying for you and her that all will go well. Keep on keeping on.

destry
destry
October 21, 2008 10:13 pm

I’ve owned both Accuray, and Intuitive Surgical.
I like the tchnology. I got out of Intuitive too early…And maybe not early enough on Accuray.
Accuray is much more expensive than Intuitives’ Da Vinci. $1.5 Mill (DaVinci)…$4Mill (Cyberknife).
More competition out there for Accuray….
I’d like back in both…However, tight credit will affect both, I think. The last DaVinci installed was at MD Anderson, in Houston…Cyberknife…There are a couple in Dallas-Ft. Worth hospitals I think.

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Elissa Stein
Guest
Elissa Stein
October 22, 2008 12:25 pm

check this out:Related Companies
Name Exchange Symbol Last Trade Change Mkt Cap
HealthShares Composite (ETF) NYSE HHQ 24.65 0.00 (0.00%) 5.56M
HealthShares Emerging Cancer ETF NYSE HHJ 15.54 0.00 (0.00%) 6.14M
HealthShares Cardio Devices (ETF) NYSE HHE 28.41 0.00 (0.00%) 5.47M
HealthShares Patient Care Services ETF NYSE HHB 21.24 0.00 (0.00%) 7.76M
HealthShares Infectious Disease (ETF) NYSE HHG 20.80 0.00 (0.00%) 2.12M
HealthShares Neuroscience (ETF) NYSE HHN 21.75 0.00 (0.00%) 2.25M
HealthShares European Drugs (ETF) NYSE HRJ 15.58 0.00 (0.00%) 2.69M
HealthShares Enabling Technologies ETF NYSE HHV 25.64 -0.34 (-1.30%) 10.05M
HealthShares Autoimmune-Inflammatn (ETF) NYSE HHA 21.76 0.00 (0.00%) 2.37M
HealthShares Euro. Med. Prod & Dev (ETF)
Sector: Financial > Industry: Misc. Financial Services

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ponce
ponce
October 22, 2008 10:59 pm

I bought some ARAY at $9 before the slaughter in Wall Street. Well, it went low to about $5. Blame it on the market not ARAY. There is a more profitable and established company 10x bigger than ARAY. Varian (VAR) has a P/E of about 19 while ARAY is 63. Anyway, I won’t have any use of these machines because I have decided not to undergo chemo, surgery or radiation if I get cancer. German oncologists has many non-invasive natural treatments for cancer without using these expensive machines.

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NBKid
Guest
NBKid
October 25, 2008 9:27 pm

If one is to buy aray, now would be the time. But to go on the ISRG issue. The stock gapped at the 150 area on the way up…and that is where it stands now. In tech jargon, a return to the gap is a great place to establish a position. Buying here, between 125 and 150, i think ,your going to see a nice pop back above 200. From a timing perspective, ISRG should get at least a 50 pop up from here as soon as the market stabilizes. From a timing perspective, now is the TIME for ISRG. Good luck, may you all prosper. NBKId

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weezie
Guest
weezie
October 29, 2008 2:05 pm

smart scan chart analysis indicates a strong downtrend with both of these stocks… I am new at all this stock stuff… is it a good time or not to buy stock like this?

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