Novavax, Meta Materials, BASF - Innovations offer great return opportunities

Novavax - Alternative to mRNA

The American vaccine manufacturer Novavax has won the race for an alternative to the mRNA vaccine. After hardly succeeding in convincing vaccination skeptics of the mRNA vaccine in recent times, the dead vaccine could be the solution. The method of using a dead vaccine has been proven for decades in other vaccinations and has fewer side effects. About a quarter of the population in Europe still has no protection against the Coronavirus. Even if only 40% of skeptics can be convinced with the new method, the Company has about 45 million new customers.

The vaccine is already available in 170 countries. For 10 more countries, including Japan, the UK and Australia, the CEO expects emergency approval within the next 90 days. The full application for the US is pending. On January 14, the French health authority approved Nuvaxovid. This marks an important step in the European market. If the vaccine goes well, the European Commission's initial order for 100 million doses could be doubled.

The share has recently been severely punished. The reason is that investors are concerned that the Omicron variant could end the pandemic and that no vaccine will be needed. However, as we can see from the flu, even that cannot be eradicated by vaccination. We will probably have to live with the virus in the future. The share exited trading on Friday at USD 110.82. So the support area around USD 106 has been held down for now. The high from last year of USD 331.68 will not be reached anytime soon, but a more significant rebound is conceivable if the news is good.

Meta Materials - can change the world

Canada's Meta Materials specializes in the invention, development and manufacture of metamaterials. Based on a technology platform, ultra-thin films are optimized through holography, lithography and wireless sensor technology and equipped with properties that have not previously existed in this form. Another plus point is the lightness of the material, which is essential in many areas and enables access to promising markets such as 5G, electric vehicles, consumer electronics, renewable energies and much more.

Until now, the production of metamaterials has only been possible in laboratories. The Company plans to start pilot production of the 50cm-wide films on rolls in the first half of this year. The investment cost is a modest USD 10 million. The Company has developed the production process over 10 years and invested several million USD. To secure the competitive advantage, 247 patents in 68 patent families have been filed. 156 patents have been granted, and the Company also owns 9 registered trademarks. A look at the list of customers and development partners illustrates the Company's potential. The list includes Mazda, Covestro, Sony, Samsung, Boeing and several more.

To expand its leadership position in the commercialization of metamaterials, Nanotech Security was acquired for CAD 90.9 million and paid for entirely from cash on hand. The acquisition added a nano-imprint lithography specialized company to the Security division. Those who want to get a more detailed picture of the Company should watch the CEO's presentation at the International Investment Forum. There you can also ask questions. The share is currently in a downward trend and is quoted at USD 2.14. However, a positive announcement can give the share an immediate boost.

BASF - 950 patents per year on average

BASF is a global chemical company and is active in 6 different segments. The Group is a prime example of innovative strength. If you look at the new patents from 2018 to 2020, you get an average of 950 new patents per year. These developments help the Company continue to be a major player in the chemical sector year after year. Along the way, the Company has strategic partnerships with Wintershall Dea in oil and gas, IntelliSense.io and Contemporary Amperex Technology for battery materials solutions, including active cathode materials and battery recycling.

At the end of December, the Group sold its production site in Quincy, USA, including the attapulgite business, to Clariant for USD 60 million. At the same time, the Company secured a long-term supply contract for attapulgite in order to avoid supply bottlenecks in this area. The Company has also become heavily involved in China to prevent these bottlenecks. Should factory closures occur due to corona cases, this could affect the Group.

The Ludwigsburg share started the year with a gain of a good 10%. It is still well below the price targets of analysts who consider the share a buy. The range extends from EUR 74 by Nord LB to EUR 114 by Bernstein Research. Following the latest rise in recent days, the dividend yield has slipped below 5% again for the first time. At the same time, the downward trend was also broken. However, interested investors should currently wait for a setback before getting in.

Innovation pays off in the long run, provided the products solve problems. Novavax offers an alternative for vaccine skeptics. Meta Materials offers tomorrow's materials today. Once production is established, sales will grow strongly. BASF is a standard stock for dividend hunters but is constantly investing in the development of new products, as can be seen from the patents.