Plethico Pharmaceuticals Ltd: Highlights

CMP: Rs.39.05
Book Value: Rs.160.60 & Market Cap: Rs.133.03 crore (Only)

Incorporated in 1963 as a small partnership firm, the company has now transformed into a fully integrated pharmaceutical and nutraceutical company with strong research and development capabilities coupled with a robust manufacturing platform. 

Today the Company manufactures and markets variety of pharmaceutical formulations, nutraceuticals, herbals, lozenges, candies, food supplements, dietary supplements and many other consumer and healthcare products in India and internationally to several key markets across the globe. Company's manufacturing facilities are complying with world class specifications backed by an in-house R&D Center. Plethico possesses core competence in finished formulations and herbal preparations since last four decades. The existing activities are spread globally with product portfolio of about 500 formulations in more than 20 therapeutic segments. The company has significant presence worldwide with strategic tie-ups and alliances and a very strong global marketing and distribution network in CIS, African continents and third front including Latin American Countries, Middle East, South East Asia and GCC. With significant presence across the globe, Plethico is committed to become an innovative and integrated partner to the global pharmaceutical industry by creating a profitable enterprises with due respect to the stockholders' interests, corporate governance and social responsibilities.

About Natrol, USA

Natrol is synergistically operating in the Herbal and Nutraceutical sphere, predominantly present in USA. It has a portfolio of healthcare and wellness brands representing quality nutritional supplements, functional herbal teas and sports nutritional products. Established in 1980, Natrol's portfolio of brands includes Natrol®, MRI®, BioSil™, Laci Le Beau®, Promensil®, Trinovin®, Nu Hair® and Shen Min®, which are household names in USA. It distributes products nationally through more than 54,000 retail outlets as well as internationally in over 40 other countries through distribution partners and subsidiaries in UK and Hong Kong. The company pledges to deliver nutritional products with uncompromised service, quality, and innovation through the best that science, nature, and technology can offer as consumer needs are central to Natrol's focus.

Indian Operations

For more than 48 years, Plethico has been at the forefront of providing top-notch healthcare products for curing critical and chronic diseases worldwide. With its apt chemistry skills and low cost advantage both in research and manufacturing coupled with skilled manpower, Plethico has emerged as an excellent healthcare institution committed to deliver high quality sustainable healthcare products. Social transformation, lifestyle changes, higher disposable incomes, health consciousness and regulatory changes have boosted the consumer healthcare segments significantly in India. Plethico has forayed in these market segments and identified consumer healthcare as a major growth area. The Consumer Product Division today has an established range of products in sports nutrition, confectionary, lozenges, pharma OTC and herbal supplements marketed across the country with a vibrant supply-chain network. Plethico is swiftly moving towards basic research driven undertaking with a vast portfolio of quality products and healthcare services. 

Global Operations

At Plethico believes that going forward a successful global company will be the one that enters into business-enhancing alliances and acquisitions with International companies that have established competencies. Recognizing this philosophy, the company had made initial beginnings of entering the International market through acquisitions, joint ventures and strategic alliances that has led to quicker growth, better capital allocation and plugging of business gaps. In 2003-04, the company decided to stretch its wings into new geographies and acquired controlling stake in CIS based Rezlov Group of Companies. In early 2008, the company acquired US$100million US based leading nutraceutical company Natrol Inc. having a portfolio of premium health and wellness brands with predominant presence in the US, UK and Hong Kong. Within the course of five years, the company has concluded major acquisitions across the globe that enabled the company better positioning in the global markets. Plethico has evolved from an Indian pharmaceutical company to a global organization with an international footprint in terms of outlook, focus, presence, customers and employment. The acquisitions gave the company a strong foothold not only in CIS, Africa, South East Asia, Latin America and GCC but also in other regulated markets like US, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong. 

Today, Plethico has operations in 25 countries, exports to over 40 countries and presence in almost 20 therapeutic segments with more than 500 product approvals. The extensive distribution and marketing network successfully established the company as a dominant player in many regions across the globe. Internationally, the company is now on an exponential growth path, continuously expanding the target markets to add new countries to its operational business map.

Manufacturing

The company has two ultra-modern, fully integrated, state of the art, WHO-GMP certified units located in the lush green, pollution free surroundings of Indore, in the state of Madhya Pradesh, in Central India. Both the plants conform to the regulatory requirements of USFDA, UKMHRA & the CEU guidelines. The manufacturing unit at Kandla also complies with the WHO-GMP specifications. In order to expand its manufacturing capacities, the Company plans to setup an ultra-modern manufacturing unit at UAE. All the plants are well equipped with the most modern and validated manufacturing and analytical equipment and detailed SOPs are in place, with respect to Quality management, Personnel, Premises, Equipment, Documentation, Production, Complaints and Self Inspection / Audits. All the plants are eco-friendly in design and operations, in conformity with Indian and International standards for effluent treatment.

Product Portfolio

Sustained growth is the quest of every enterprise, more so in pharmaceuticals, where newer product registrations and effective marketing of products, adds buoyancy to the product stability. In order to widen the product spread, Plethico has successfully diversified its product profile over pharmaceutical formulations, OTC drugs, nutraceuticals, herbals and sports supplements. A coordinated effort between market research, product development and product launch teams, ensures a continuous flow of new products in our pipeline thereby feeding the respective market segments to ensure sustained growth in volumes and margins. 

With over 400 different formulation in more than 20 therapeutic segments, Plathico has a strong presence in Cardiac, Anti--Malarial, Anti-tubercular, Anti-infectives, Pain, Gastro, Cough  & Cold and other nutraceutical segments. Identification of new therapeutic categories, products, innovation in Novel Drug Delivery Systems & Patient compliance is the basis of its product selection. A range of clinically proven herbal products, developed from scientifically validated herbal extracts offers a safe and natural alternative in treating lifestyle related disorders like diabetes, high cholesterol, sleep disorders, digestive disorders and pain management. 

Research and Development

Its R&D is a manifestation of its belief in quality and innovation. Commitment of channelizing substantial revenues into R&D has always made sound business sense of Plethico. "As we sow, so shall we reap", is the research and development philosophy it follows. Over 400 product approvals and an innovation team of 40 research personnel in two separate R&D centers, is testimony to its focus on R&D. The company's team consists of committed scientists with expertise in botany, pharmacognosy, analytics and pharmacology as well as consultants having long associations with the herbal drug industry. Procuring authentic material, pharmacological evaluation in laboratory models, formulation development and modern clinical trials are integral processes of the herbal product development cycles. It is presently strengthening development in the areas of effervescent products, finger printed herbal extracts, range of medicated/center filled lozenges, sustained release formulations, fast melt tablets and use of pelletization technology.

Key Developments during 2009-12

• Company's Kalaria - Indore Unit got approval from the Medicine andHealthcare Products Regulatory Agency of UK (UKMHRA).
• Company's Kandla SEZ Unit have been awarded highest export  award consecutively for the fifth year.
• Formation of a new step-down subsidiary in UAE - Natrol Global FZE, LLC to strengthen marketing of nutraceutical and herbal brands in UAE, CIS, south East Asia and African Countries.
• Successful business integration with Tricon LLC, UAE in which company acquired 20% equity stake during 2008.
• Successful commencement of business operation by UAE subsidiary Plethico International Limited through outsourcing at large scale.
• Company's Kalaria-Indore Unit got approval from TGA Australia.

Financials

On a consolidated basis, in Q3FY14, the total income of the company came out to be Rs.364.04 Cr as against Rs.471.63 Cr in the same period previous year. The net profit of the company for Q3FY14 came out to be Rs.44.07 Cr as against a net loss of Rs.75.23 Cr in Q3FY13. The EPS of the company came out to be Rs.12.94 in Q3FY14 as against Rs.(-) 22.09 in the same period previous year. 

The consolidated financial results comprise unaudited results of its wholly owned subsidiary Plethico International Ltd and Plethico Global Holdings B.V., Netherlands having different step-down subsidiaries particularly Plethico US Holding KFT Hungary, Natrol Inc., USA. and Natrol Global UAE., The financial results of subsidiary companies have been regrouped and / or rearranged wherever necessary due to Indian GAPP audit conducted.

Conclusion 
Buy the scrip of Plethico Pharmaceuticals Ltd at the CMP of Rs.39 .05, for a target of Rs.47-48 in the short term. Now, HUGE MONEY is likely to chase good companies, whose shares fell due to some extraneous factors. The 52-week high and low of the scrip are Rs.236 and Rs.31.25.