Biofuels & Biobased Earnings Roundup: DSM
by Jim Lane
The Top Line. In the Netherlands, Royal DSM (Amsterdam: DSM.AS; US OTC:KDSKF; US ADR:RDSMY) reported a good H1 with organic sales growth in underlying business estimated at 10% and adjusted EBITDA growth of underlying business estimated at 7%, with sales of €4,794 million and adjusted EBITDA of €771 million.
The Big Highlights. Nutrition: an estimated 8% underlying organic sales growth and Adjusted EBITDA growth of underlying business estimated at 6%. Materials: 7% organic sales growth and Adjusted EBITDA growth of 5%. DSM also confirmed its full year outlook 2018, as provided at Q1 2018, and expects an Adjusted EBITDA growth towards...
5 Minute Guide to BioAmber
Jim Lane A quick overview of BioAmber (BIOA) Company description From the company’s 2013 S-1: “Our proprietary technology platform combines industrial biotechnology, an innovative purification process and chemical catalysis to convert renewable feedstocks into chemicals that are cost-competitive replacements for petroleum-derived chemicals. The development of our current organism was originally funded by the DOE in the late 1990s, was further developed and scaled up, and optimized at the large-scale manufacturing facility in France. “We manufacture our bio-succinic acid in a facility using a commercial scale 350,000 liter fermenter in Pomacle, France…We have produced 487,000 pounds, or 221 metric...
Countdown To Codexis’ Day Of Reckoning
It is earnings season and bio-catalyst developer Codexis (CDXS: Nasdaq) is expected to report fourth quarter and year-end 2017 financial results in the coming weeks. The three analysts who regularly publish estimates for the company expect a nickel profit in the quarter on $23 million in total sales of the company’s custom protein catalysts. Codexis is still perfecting its proprietary platform technology called CodeEvolver, but has already delivered an array of unique enzymes that help drive critical biological processes for its customers.
Codexis does not have a good track record in terms of meeting the consensus estimate. The company has only cleared the...
Amber Means Caution But BioAmber Means Go
Jim Lane In Canada, BioAmber (BIOA) recorded net income of $4.8M for Q2 2016 and an operating loss of $1.0M on revenues of $2.5M. Revenues were up 73 percent over Q1 and 637 percent compared to Q2 2015. For those less familiar with the company, it produces succinic acid from sugar at a first commercial-scale plant which opened recently in Sarnia, Ontario. Succinic acid has a small existing global market but can be converted into a variety of chemical building blocks used to produce a range of plastics, paints, textiles, food additives and personal care products. If for...
Amyris’ Date With Destiny: Better Late Than Never
Jim Lane Amyris was dismissed by the critics some time ago, but is ately continuing a big comeback. We have become so accustomed to receiving obituaries of Amyris (AMRS) that recently I was inspired to re-read the Devotions of John Donne to discover if, in fact, he wrote, “Send not to know for Whom the Bell Tolls, it Tolls for Amyris.” Amyris, we were recently assured by short-sellers, was as dead as a doornail, just as Jacob Marley was reputed to be in the opening stave of A Christmas Carol and it is therefore...
Amyris, Cosan JV Launches 100% Renewable Base Oils
Jim Lane Portrait of a breakout: Amyris (AMRS), Cosan (CZZ) JV Novii launches “next generation of revolutionary oils” touting “unmatched value” and “unbeatable economics” In California, Novvi unveiled two new 100 percent renewable base oil products, a 100 percent renewable polyalphaolefin (PAO) Group IV and a 100 percent renewable version of its NovaSpec Group III+ base oil. Both will be manufactured at the company’s production facility in Houston. Base oils are blended with additives to make the engine oils and lubricants sold on the market today. So, here’s the technical scoop. Novvi’s 100 percent renewable...
Bioplastics Maker Avantium’s IPO Plans
Jim Lane Here’s our 10-minute version of the filing, slightly re-organized to make sense to Earthlings instead of aliens from the Planet Prospectus. In the Netherlands, bioplastics maker Avantium is planning an initial public offering and listing of all shares on Euronext Amsterdam and Euronext Brussels. The company expects to raise up to €100 million (USD$106 million) and complete the offering by the end of the current quarter. More than half of the offering has already been secured via commitments from cornerstone investors. Avantium’s YXY technology converts plant-based sugar into chemicals and plastics, including 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid, a precursor...
BioAmber’s Sarnia Plant Operating At Commercial Scale
Jim Lane Ultra-secret yeast tech also exceeding expectations in yield, productivity and quality, BioAmber reports. Baby Sarnia checks in at 60 million pounds, no ounces, doing fine. In Canada, BioAmber’s (BIOA) Sarnia joint venture with Mitsui & Co. Ltd. has begun shipping bio-succinic acid to customers and is operating its manufacturing process at commercial scale, meeting a significant company milestone, the company said. Yeast biotechnology exceeds performance targets BioAmber has confirmed the performance of its proprietary yeast in the production fermenters in Sarnia. The fermentation performance achieved is significantly above the initial targets set for...
List of Biochemicals Stocks
Biochemicals stocks are publicly traded companies whose business involves using plant or animal based feedstocks (biomass) to create new chemicals or substitutes of existing petrochemicals, plastics, or other fossil fuel derived substances other than fuels.
This post was last updated on 7/9/2021.
Amyris (AMRS)
BioAmber (BIOA)
Bion Environmental Technologies (BNET)
Circa Group AS (CIRCA.OL)
Codexis (CDXS)
Corbion (CRBN.AS; CSNVY)
Danimer Scientific, Inc. (DNMR)
Eastman Chemical Company (EMN)
Global Bioenergies (ALGBE: EURONEXT)
Novozymes (Copenhagen:NZYM-B; OTC:NVZMY)
Royal DSM (DSM.AS; KDSKF; RDSMY)
SECOS Group (SES.AX)
If you know of any biochemicals stock that is not listed here and should be, please let us know by leaving a comment. Also for stocks in the list that you think should...
Amyris: Biochemical Bargain?
Industrial bio-chemical developer Amyris, Inc. (AMRS: Nasdaq) has been in the headlines recently - some pointing to solid fundamental progress, others ‘not so much.’ Amyris recently announced a new relationship with Givaudan (GIVN: VX), a supplier of active ingredients for cosmetics. The two have agreed to collaborate in research and development on proprietary fragrances. Earlier this month Amyris announced the launch by Takasago International Corporation (TYO: 4914) of a new fragrance created with Amyris’ technology. Cosmetics and fragrances present large market opportunities and the strength of demand for personal care products supports strong profit margins. The relationships are likely...
Solazyme’s Not-So-Puzzling Rebranding
Jim Lane Solazyme undergoes Focus Reassignment Surgery and re-emerges as TerraVia. Industrials to spin off, nutrition the focus now. The what, the why, and the “why now?” In California, Solazyme (SZYM) said that it is now focusing exclusively on food, nutrition and specialty ingredients, renaming the company TerraVia. Having elevated CEO and co-founder Jonathan Wolfson to the Executive Chairman post, the company says it is on the hunt for a food-business CEO, and has raised $28M from a group of foodie investors including Glenhill Capital, VMG Partners, PowerPlant Ventures, ARTIS Ventures, Simon Equities and several influential food industry...
Amyris: 90 Days To Build The Future
Jim Lane In California, Amyris (AMRS) reported Q1 revenues of $13.0M compared with $8.8M for Q1 2016, and touted the “significant increase in product sales, primarily in the personal care and health and nutrition markets, offset by a slight decline in collaboration revenue.” Collaboration revenues contributed $4.7M and product sales added $8.3M for the quarter. Big Q1 miss vs analyst expectations As Jeff Osborne at Cowen & Co noted, “Amyris reported revenue of $13.0mn, well below our estimate of $37.1mn due to much lower collaboration payments than we had anticipated. Management has highlighted that these payments can...
Amyris’ Mysterious Partner
Jim Lane In California, Amyris (AMRS) has a new partner, described fetchingly yet with near-to-complete vagueness as a “a leader in food ingredients and nutraceuticals” which is roughly as helpful as describing a person as “someone who enjoys ice cream”. Some ice cream there is, nevertheless, in this agreement, which will bring a short-term collaboration investment of $10 million, an equity investment of up to $20 million at $1.40 per share, and $100 million in annual revenue starting in 2017 connected to the production and cost improvement of fermentation molecules. One thing, and the only one, we discover...
Gevo Begins To Ship Missing Link For 100% Renewable Plastic Bottles
Jim Lane From Colorado, news has arrived that Gevo (GEVO) is now selling paraxyleme to Toray (TRYIF), one of the world’s leading producers of fibers, plastics, films, and chemicals. It’s producing PX from isobutanol, one of its three molecules in production (the others are jet fuel and iso-ocrane) at its complex in Silsbee, Texas. Toray expects to produce fibers, yarns, and films from Gevo’s PX. While any new molecule attached to a major customer relationship is always big news for any producer this has special significance. Let’s review exactly why....
Elevance’s $100M IPO: The 10-Minute Version
Jim Lane Like to quickly understand the surge in renewable chemicals and one of the hottest companies in the hottest sector of the bioconomy? Here’s our 10-minute version of the IPO from Elevance Renewable Sciences. Complete with the risks, translated into English from the original SEC-speak. In Illinois, Elevance Renewable Sciences filed its S-1 registration statement relating to a proposed $100 million initial public offering. The number of shares to be offered and the price range for the offering have not yet been determined. The company indicated that it has apply to list the stock on NASDAQ under the ERSI symbol. The...
Biobased’s Hot Babes Hook Up
Comet, BioAmber in big cellulosic sugar partnership Jim Lane In Ontario, Comet Biorefining has signed an off-take agreement with bio-succinic acid producer BioAmber (BIOA) for cellulosic dextrose from Comet’s upcoming first commercial plant in Sarnia, Ontario. The dextrose will be produced from agricultural residues using Comet’s innovative technology. The agreement also provides increasing shape to the development of an biobased industrial cluster in the Sarnia region of Ontario a corn-growing region where farmers will provide agricultural residues which will be processed into industrial-grade cellulosic dextrose by Comet. In turn, BioAmber will be the offtake partner for those...
