Challenge/Opportunity

Company D was a development-stage industrial biotech company that had recently completed a very successful IPO in a shaky overall market. The Investor Relations & External Communications team was responsible for heavily ramping up the IREC program to help maintain the visibility the Company had achieved through the IPO process, to get more investors into the stock, and to keep its existing shareholders once the lockup expired.

Strategy

  • Identify and actively introduce the Company to new investors
  • Maintain visibility with investors met on the IPO roadshow who did not buy shares
  • Maintain strong relationships with insiders and investors who bought on the IPO
  • Develop and maintain key messages and corporate collateral that would focus the story and resonate with the targeted investment community
  • Maximize upcoming news announcements

Tactics

  • Conducted quantitative targeting to identify investors that would be likely to be interested in the Company, given their positions in other industrial biotech peers
  • Performed outreach to investors to introduce them to the Company and its investment merits
  • Scheduled a robust calendar of IREC activities, including a mix of IREC conferences and bank-sponsored and self-managed roadshows throughout the U.S. and Europe
  • Instituted proactive outreach including IREC email lists and management call lists for all news announcements
  • Heavily targeted new analyst coverage to gain visibility with additional investors
  • Hosted a NYC-based investor and analyst day to dive deep into the story

Results

  • In the quarter following the IPO, 10 major institutions targeted by Stern IREC became new shareholders, including AllianceBernstein, BlackRock, Deutsche Asset Management, ING, and Manulife
  • The Company was invited to participate in 15 investor conferences in the year following the IPO
  • The Company’s NYC analyst day drew 40 attendees and 85 webcast participants
  • 1 non-syndicate firm initiated on the Company, with a Buy rating