Research from Water Tower Research, Water Tower Research

Water Tower Research

Research from Water Tower Research

Water Tower Research is a leading equity research firm that provides research on micro, small and mid cap companies.

Water Tower Research was founded by Wall Street veterans after witnessing a fundamental shift in the investment research industry with the result being a declining knowledge base among investors, a lack of awareness and a shrinking pool of fundamental research being conducted on companies across the small-cap and micro-cap spectrum. The same issues are now increasingly occurring in the mid-cap space. This sea change within the investment community is impacting not only the companies themselves but also current shareholders and potential investors. With significantly less active sell-side sponsorship by Wall Street, a substantial information gap has developed between companies and various constituents in the financial community. The net result is fewer channels for insight and information to flow between companies and investors.

Equity Research Firm

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

<ul><li>M&amp;A and deal activity provided a much-needed tailwind for biotech last week.</li><li>Exiting a positive, but mostly expected, ASCO weekend, we witnessed the second-largest biotech acquisition in 2025, with SNY buying BPMC for $9.1 billion, and a mega-licensing deal, as BMY will pay up to $11.1 billion for co- rights to BNTX’s PD-1/VEGF (read-across to TIL, SMMT, PFE, MRK).</li><li>Gene and cell therapy (NTLA, BEAM, CRSP) got a boost, as the heads of the HHS, FDA, CBER, NIH, and CDC expressed support for faster rare disease approvals at an FDA roundtable. </li></ul>

M&amp;A and deal activity provided a much-needed tailwind for biotech last week.Exiting a positive, but mostly expected, ASCO weekend, we witnessed the second-largest biotech acquisition in 2025, with SNY buying BPMC for $9.1 billion, and a mega-licensing deal, as BMY will pay up to $11.1 billion for co- rights to BNTX’s PD-1/VEGF (read-across to TIL, SMMT, PFE, MRK).Gene and cell therapy (NTLA, BEAM, CRSP) got a boost, as the heads of the HHS, FDA, CBER, NIH, and CDC expressed support for faster rare disease approvals at an FDA roundtable. 

Biopharma Week in Review Large M&A and Licensing Deals Provide a Boost

<ul><li>The holiday-shortened week was fairly quiet on the macro front, as certain vaccine-related actions by health agencies were largely expected.</li><li>Mainly affected was MRNA, which had a new COVID-19 vaccine approved with a restrictive label and HHS funding canceled for pre-pandemic bird flu vaccines.</li><li>Public comments for the Section 232 investigation are rolling out, signaling pharma tariffs could be imminent, with expectations of ~25%.</li></ul>

The holiday-shortened week was fairly quiet on the macro front, as certain vaccine-related actions by health agencies were largely expected.Mainly affected was MRNA, which had a new COVID-19 vaccine approved with a restrictive label and HHS funding canceled for pre-pandemic bird flu vaccines.Public comments for the Section 232 investigation are rolling out, signaling pharma tariffs could be imminent, with expectations of ~25%.

Biopharma Week in Review - Possible Calm Before the Storm; Pharma Tariffs Looming

<ul><li>The HHS rescheduled the CDC’s postponed February ACIP (vaccine experts panel) meeting for mid-April, with a revised agenda to include the ongoing measles outbreak.</li><li>Flu vaccine guidelines for fall strains are not on the schedule, as the <span style="font-size: var(--content-font-size);">FDA issued recommendations without the usual ACIP guidance. </span></li><li><span style="font-size: var(--content-font-size);">The </span>CDC’s Division of HIV Prevention is under review, which could disrupt a major funding source of HIV prophylaxis (PrEP) drugs (GILD, GSK). </li></ul>

The HHS rescheduled the CDC’s postponed February ACIP (vaccine experts panel) meeting for mid-April, with a revised agenda to include the ongoing measles outbreak.Flu vaccine guidelines for fall strains are not on the schedule, as the FDA issued recommendations without the usual ACIP guidance. The CDC’s Division of HIV Prevention is under review, which could disrupt a major funding source of HIV prophylaxis (PrEP) drugs (GILD, GSK). 

Biopharma Week in Review - March 24, 2025

<ul><li>Vaccine makers (PFE, MRNA, BNTX, NVAX) had an up-and- down week, as the HHS postponed the CDC’s first scheduled ACIP (vaccine experts panel) meeting of the year.</li><li>Deeper concerns came with reports of RFK Jr.’s plans to overhaul the committee (Politico), possibly replacing members with vaccine skeptics.</li><li>Ending the group’s week was a new bat coronavirus identified in China with transmission potential to humans. </li></ul>

Vaccine makers (PFE, MRNA, BNTX, NVAX) had an up-and- down week, as the HHS postponed the CDC’s first scheduled ACIP (vaccine experts panel) meeting of the year.Deeper concerns came with reports of RFK Jr.’s plans to overhaul the committee (Politico), possibly replacing members with vaccine skeptics.Ending the group’s week was a new bat coronavirus identified in China with transmission potential to humans. 

Biopharma Week in Review - February 24, 2025

Pan-Asia Index Rebalances/ Events/ Delta One, Periscope Analytics

Brian Freitas

Pan-Asia Index Rebalances/ Events/ Delta One

Periscope Analytics

Periscope Analytics focuses on event-driven trades across Asia Pacific and provides comprehensive, timely and systematic coverage of index changes to major Asia Pacific indices in a structured manner.

The analysis includes forecasted inclusions and exclusions to all major Asian indices that have significant amount of tracking assets, including estimates of passive buy/sell flow on the stocks. The service also provides commentary and impact of market consultations, ground rule changes, and other events (IPOs, spin-offs, M&A) that could lead to index changes and passive flow.

Periscope Analytics works with multi-strategy hedge funds, proprietary trading firms, stat arb trading groups and long-only investors that invest and trade in the Asia Pacific region with the data being used to trade index rebalances, avoid pre-positioning and passive flow, and to time entry into and exit from stocks.

Event-Driven Trades Across Asia Pacific

Index Rebalance

Apollo Global Management  / Index Rebalance

<ul>
<li>There are 2 changes for the <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/s-p-500-index" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:22886:1" rel="noopener">S&amp;P 500 INDEX</a>, 2 changes for the S&amp;P Midcap400 Index and 6 changes for the S&amp;P SmallCap600 Index at the December rebalance.</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/apollo-global-management-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:28770:1" rel="noopener">Apollo Global</a> and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/workday-inc-class-a" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:5660:1" rel="noopener">Workday</a> will have large flows from <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/s-p-500-index" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:22886:1" rel="noopener">S&amp;P 500 INDEX</a> trackers while<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/applovin-corp" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:32989:1" rel="noopener"> AppLovin</a> misses out. The SPX adds will have large inflows from the Select Sector index trackers too.</li>
<li>The outright adds are up a lot in the after-hours and there could be further upside over the next couple of weeks as positioning ramps up.</li>
</ul>


There are 2 changes for the S&amp;P 500 INDEX, 2 changes for the S&amp;P Midcap400 Index and 6 changes for the S&amp;P SmallCap600 Index at the December rebalance.

Apollo Global and Workday will have large flows from S&amp;P 500 INDEX trackers while AppLovin misses out. The SPX adds will have large inflows from the Select Sector index trackers too.
The outright adds are up a lot in the after-hours and there could be further upside over the next couple of weeks as positioning ramps up.


S&P500/400/600 Index Rebalance: Apollo Global, Workday Added to SPX; AppLovin Misses Out

United States

REGENXBIO Inc. operates as a biotechnology company. The Company focuses on the development, commercialization, and licensing of recombinant, and adeno-associated virus gene therapy. REGENXBIO serves customers worldwide.

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REGENXBIO Inc (RGNX US)

Biopharma Week in Review Large M&A and Licensing Deals Provide a Boost

Gene and cell therapy (NTLA, BEAM, CRSP) got a boost, as the heads of the HHS, FDA, CBER, NIH, and CDC expressed support for faster rare disease...

Water Tower Research

Biopharma Week in Review - Possible Calm Before the Storm; Pharma Tariffs Looming

The holiday-shortened week was fairly quiet on the macro front, as certain vaccine-related actions by health agencies were largely expected.

Water Tower Research

Biopharma Week in Review - March 24, 2025

The HHS rescheduled the CDC’s postponed February ACIP (vaccine experts panel) meeting for mid-April, with a revised agenda to include the ongoing...

Water Tower Research

Biopharma Week in Review - February 24, 2025

Vaccine makers (PFE, MRNA, BNTX, NVAX) had an up-and- down week, as the HHS postponed the CDC’s first scheduled ACIP (vaccine experts panel)...

Water Tower Research

S&P500/400/600 Index Rebalance: Apollo Global, Workday Added to SPX; AppLovin Misses Out

There are 2 changes for SnP500, 2 for SnP400 and 6 for SnP600. The outright adds are up big in the after-hours market. There will be more flows for...

Brian Freitas

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