13. February 2020 | 12:52 CET
Infineon, Memphasys, Steinhoff - the potential of scalability
The charm and lure of optically low share prices can lead to an extraordinary return in the event of success. One of the most exciting and successful turnaround stories of the past decades is Infineon. The company went public in the environment of the new market hype, and at the beginning of the new millennium the shares changed hands at over EUR 83.00. In 2009, nine years later, Infineon was traded at less than EUR 0.50 in the wake of the global economic crisis. Those who showed courage back then were able to make a fortune to this day, depending on the number of shares. There are always opportunities.
time to read: 1 minutes by Mario Hose
It rained porridge
The German chip manufacturer Infineon has been able to recover significantly over the past eleven years. The DAX company is currently trading at EUR 22.75 and those who built up a position back when the panic was great have been able to more than fortyfold their stakes to date. Put simply, anyone who risked EUR 1,000.00 back then is now sitting on shares worth EUR 40,000.00.
The reason for this downward and upward movement is, among other things, the market's assessment of the economic development and the general stock market environment. Infineon's business model with chips is scalable, i.e. if it works, it does it right and, conversely, a lull has a corresponding impact.
Scalable solution for childlessness
The biotech company Memphasys deals with the artificial insemination of couples who wish to have children. The company has developed a technology called FELIX, which uses a separation process to obtain sperm with a potentially high chance of success for subsequent artificial insemination. The product is now being prepared for market launch and is currently undergoing tests with renowned centres.
The market for artificial insemination is large because in modern society couples are increasingly deciding late in life to have children. Often the natural chances of a successful pregnancy are much lower at an advanced age, so medical experts are asked for advice. As FELIX is scalable, the chances are good that the value of the company will increase with a successful product launch.
Is Steinhoff about to receive a cash injection?
For several years now, the furniture company Steinhoff has been one of the most discussed stocks on the German stock exchange. Following a balance sheet scandal in 2017, the share price fell from over 3.00 EUR to a low of 0.05 EUR. In the past two weeks, the value of the share increased from below EUR 0.06 to over EUR 0.12. The doubling of the share price occurred in the wake of rumors that the Steinhoff subsidiary Pepkor Europe might go to a potential buyer for 4.5 billion EUR.
What is true about this story will become clear in the coming weeks. On February 27, 2020, Steinhoff will publish its report on the 1st quarter of the current financial year and thus provide insights into operational developments again.