BioNTech, BYD, Altech Advanced Materials: Excitement is rising

Altech: New details in the run-up to the Annual General Meeting?

Setting a new standard in battery technology is the ambitious goal of Altech Advanced Materials AG. The Heidelberg-based company is working on a coating technology for the anode material. The aim is to prevent the usual loss of battery capacity due to charging. Nanocoating with high-purity aluminum oxide and an enrichment of silicon can prevent the deposition of lithium particles on the electrodes. Construction of the pilot plant is already underway, and patent applications for the Silumina AnodesT technology have also been filed in the core markets of the USA, Europe, China, Japan and Korea, as well as in over 150 other countries.

Mass production of Silumina AnodesT is planned to take place in a factory in Saxony, Germany. Altech Advanced Materials holds a 25% stake in this plant, with the remaining shares held by the Australian parent company Altech Chemicals Limited. The latter is also providing most of the financing. A pre-feasibility study for mass production is already available, and the figures are impressive. According to this, an average EBITDA of around EUR 52 million could be achieved at the maximum production capacity of 10,000 tons. The project's net present value (NPV) before taxes is EUR 420 million. As a junior partner in the joint venture, Altech Advanced Materials' share is EUR 105 million. To put this in perspective, the stock market value of the micro-cap is less than EUR 10 million. The Company's annual general meeting will take place on August 23, so the current status of the development may be reported in advance or then at the event at the latest.

BioNTech: Disillusionment justified after figures?

The BioNTech share reacted weakly to the half-year figures at the beginning of the week. The share price fell from around EUR 185 to EUR 160. The figures posted were actually okay. Compared to the previous year, sales in the first six months of the year rose by 30% to EUR 9.57 billion. Profits increased by 37% to EUR 5.4 billion. Although sales and profits fell by around 40% in the second quarter, this should not have come as a surprise. It was already known that new orders for the COVID-19 vaccine adapted to the Omicron variants would be delayed until approval was granted. And it should be clear to everyone that Corona will also be with us in the coming fall and winter. Accordingly, BioNTech's coffers will continue to ring. For this reason, the Wiesbaden-based company has confirmed its forecast for the full year. In addition, the half-year report also included an update on ongoing research in the cancer field. According to BioNTech co-founder Özlem Türeci, the ongoing tests on various cancer therapies deliver promising data. So chances are good that with the approval of the Omicron vaccine and concrete data on cancer research, the stock price will rebound in the coming weeks.

BYD: The Tesla chaser to be sold in Germany as early as 2023

While BYD shares are currently consolidating, things are going well for the Chinese group. Sales records were again reported for July. BYD sold 162,216 vehicles in July, an increase of 224% compared to July 2021, meaning that the Chinese have already sold just over 800,000 plug-in or pure electric passenger cars in the current year. In 2021 as a whole, the figure was 593,000 units. So far, the Company has been active almost exclusively in its home market of China. However, this is currently changing. In addition to Japan, starting in the fall, BYD is attacking Europe. Last week, it was surprisingly announced that the first showrooms would be opened in Sweden and Germany as early as October. Now it has become known that the Seal model will also be offered in this country as of next year. The Seal is seen as the challenger to Tesla's Model 3 and the key to replacing Elon Musk's automaker as the global electric car market leader. The Seal is expected to be offered in two variants. The entry-level model is said to have rear-wheel drive and 150 kW of power and is expected to cover up to 550 km on a 61.4-kWh battery. The all-wheel-drive variant is expected to cover a distance of around 650 km with 390 kW and an 82.5-kWh battery.

With the approval of the Omicron vaccine and positive data in cancer research, BioNTech could make a comeback in the coming weeks. Against the backdrop of the AGM in 2 weeks, excitement is building at Altech Advanced Materials. If BYD's operations continue to run smoothly, higher prices are likely only a matter of time.