Tom McDonald is a Managing Director and Westwicke's Head of Business Development. He is responsible for marketing the firm’s capabilities to potential new clients as well as the institutional investment community.
Guidance has long been a key component of any investor relations program. However, due to the coronavirus outbreak, companies in different industries are now in very different positions in regards to their ability to provide guidance. Some companies may be opting to make changes to their disclosures and areas of focus; others are choosing to suspend guidance until things return to some level of normalcy and predictability.
Over the past few weeks, cities, states, and businesses have begun taking measures to help slow the spread of COVID-19. For many companies, that means encouraging or requiring employees to work from home. For others, it means cancelling conferences, meetings, and investor days.
During the year (or more) before your company goes public, you’ll be in a constant state of activity, from building relationships with investors, bankers, and sell-side analysts, to engaging in test-the-waters meetings. However, once your S-1 flips public, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) requires that you wait 15 days before your road show begins. That doesn’t mean you should sit back and relax, though. Use this checklist to maintain your company’s momentum and progress during this time.
Financial markets are notoriously difficult to predict. However, armed with decades of Wall Street experience, our investor relations professionals know what can create a strong IPO market — and what can close that window of opportunity.
As we enter the new year, there are several factors to consider for companies that may be considering an IPO. Based on our experience, here are our predictions for the life sciences IPO market in 2020.
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Finding out how others view your company can be intimidating, but to make sure your business is headed in the right direction, it’s necessary. A perception audit — an independent investigation into investor and analyst impressions of a company — can help you benchmark your progress over time, identify ways to improve your investor relations plan, and pinpoint any misperceptions in market views. Learn the basics of how to conduct a successful perception audit with this checklist.
Earnings calls are your opportunity to communicate your company’s story to the world. These calls give analysts and investors insight into the progress you’re making on financial metrics and clues about future performance. It’s critical to make these calls count.
When your company issues a press release, it shouldn’t catch anyone in your company by surprise. If it does, your leaders won’t be able to properly prepare for incoming analyst questions — and that could be disastrous. That’s why it’s essential to have an established internal process for issuing public information. If you don’t have a process — or find that it often breaks down and becomes ineffective — here are five strategies to implement.
The relationships you build with investors are crucial to your overall business strategy. But as you develop a strong investor relations (IR) plan, consider the following core elements that will help you build a credible reputation with the right audience. From fine-tuning your messaging to nurturing shareholder relationships to selecting the right partner, the investments you make now, will pay off over the long-term.
Your earnings calls are more than just numbers – they present an important opportunity to make a favorable impression and add context to your financials while establishing expectations for investors. Prepare your team and set yourself up for a successful earnings call with these eight, simple best practices.
“Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.”
— Thomas Jefferson
Just as honesty fuels wisdom on life’s great matters, candid thoughts from outsiders can prove invaluable for corporate executives seeking to learn how key market participants view their company. A perception study can play a vital role in gathering these opinions.
