Alex RuusNeptune Tech & BioresourceNEPT.TOPAST TOP PICKApr 21, 2016

A holding that he had for quite a while. They decided to take his profits. They migrated from krill oil processing to marijuana processing. Management is great, fantastic guys. This could be one of the good solid performers in the marijuana sector, but he is concerned about the sector and the valuations that the market is giving to them.

They were a healthy food ingredient company and then got into the marijuana space.

(Market Call Minute.) This continues to turn around the business. Had a problem with one of their extraction processes, but have now figured that out. Going forward, there is a pretty good opportunity for them. This is one he continues to watch.

This is krill oil extraction. In August, they had a news release saying they may no longer be able to call themselves a growing concern, essentially a warning there is a security risk now. Recently announced they are going into the cannabis oil business, and the stock surged on the news. There are no revenues yet and they don't have a license, so nothing has really changed. Too speculative for him.

This is undergoing a transition. They have vested the lions share of their Neptune krill oil business, and entered into partnerships with other players in that market. Has a plant in Sherbrooke which is a very good oil processor, and they want to become a leader in the marijuana oil processing market. An evolving company and he likes the story longer-term.

Has been an under performer over the last several years. However, it is moving forward and they’ve grown over the last year. New management came in about 1.5 years ago made all the right changes in moving the company forward. Unfortunately, the stock hasn’t performed. They’ve been caught up in this money flow issue of a flow away from small-cap companies. There will be a catalyst that comes along. Management and the board have been buyers of the stock over the last year, which is a pretty positive signal.

He doesn’t follow this company. Over the last 5 years, they’ve lost about 70% of value per shareholder. When a company is below $100 million, having come from above $100 million, he is not a big fan.

A super frustrating stock. It has been discarded by the market because it has taken much longer to recover. New management came in about 2 years ago, and have done an excellent job. Last year they more than doubled revenues and turned it profitable after a number of years of struggling. The really exciting part is that they own 35% of Acasti Pharmaceuticals. In his viewpoint, this is a huge opportunity. The stock is trading around a $25 million market cap, and they have almost $10 million in cash. Going into phase 3 trials, and thinks their drug has multi-billion-dollar potential.

This is really, really undervalued here. This owns 35% of Acasti Pharmaceuticals, manufacturer of a drug which has great test results in reduction of hypertriglyceridemia, as well as having positive benefits for lowering your LDL and increasing HEL cholesterol. They are going to be going into phase 3 in the next 12 months. Over half the value of the company is represented by cash on the balance sheet. Their main business is krill oil and nutraceuticals, which was struggling for a while. They’ve turned this around and are starting to make some acquisitions.

He is quite excited about this. His 52-week target is $3. They had a really good quarter. The 3-year chart shows it has been a little tough. The old management left something to be desired. New management came in about 1.5 years ago, and have done a phenomenally good job of getting it turned around. It is now making money. Made a great acquisition last year and made some great strategic moves. They are settling all the lawsuits and making peace with the industry and moving forward. They’ve diversified the business and made a great acquisition last year for making special formulations of special health products. A cheap stock, trading at about 10X next year’s earnings.

One of those companies that has been on the cusp for nearly a decade. They make krill oil for omega-3 supplements. They don’t have anything particularly patented that other operators can’t also produce. The supplement market is highly competitive. He has a small Short position on this.

This has had a frustrating share performance. It has been a very satisfying business development year for them. New management has turned operations around and has made it profitable. They are growing the business strongly. Made a great, great acquisition at the beginning of the year. Has 50% operation in the Acasti pharmaceuticals, and the Pharma development angle, should be going into phase 3 trials next year. None of that is reflected in the stock. The stock could easily double or triple in the next year or 2.

Has owned this for quite some time. The stock has been up and down over the last 5 years. From a stock perspective it has been frustrating. Fundamentally what is going on in the company is pretty great. New management is pretty impressive. Last quarter they came back into profitability. Sales are up triple digits. Made a very interesting acquisition earlier this year. We should be getting phase 2 Bio equivalency data this fall on their pharmaceutical development subsidiary, which should pave the way on getting to phase 3. The announcement should be a big catalyst.