Posted on April 24th, 2014. Posted by ICR Westwicke
Management teams often hear this advice when communicating with Wall Street — under promise, over deliver. While under promising and over delivering is one of the most effective ways your company can build trust and credibility with the Street, it is much easier said than done.
Why are trust and credibility so important? In large part, the long-term value of your stock hinges on how Wall Street feels about your company and how much they can trust what your management team says. Yet building trust doesn’t come easily, and promising more than can be delivered happens to companies of all sizes and stature.
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Posted on April 10th, 2014. Posted by John Woolford, MBA
Private companies often tell us about the considerable time and effort they spend meeting with investment bankers and sharing insights on their business, out of hope that these bankers will take an interest in underwriting their IPO. Yet when we ask which sell-side research analysts they’ve met, we are typically met with a blank stare.
Many executives don’t understand the importance and value of meeting with sell-side analysts while still a private company. In fact, most management teams don’t realize that research analysts actually want to meet management teams of private companies. For sell-side analysts, meeting with private companies enables them to build an early relationship with promising companies and gain valuable insights on the industry and products.
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Posted on March 14th, 2014. Posted by Asher Dewhurst
Senior management teams are very thoughtful about the financial guidance they provide the Street. Internal and external factors are considered and result in ranges that reflect the management team’s best estimates at the time they are provided. Given the amount of brainpower that goes into crafting the guidance, management teams often become frustrated when their analysts go “rogue” by publishing estimates outside of the guidance range. As a former analyst, I can tell you this happens for a variety of reasons.
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Posted on March 5th, 2014. Posted by ICR Westwicke
This time of year, Wall Street is abuzz with opportunities to meet, greet, and hear firsthand from you and your management team about what’s happening with your company. There are requests to “go on the road” with virtually every sell-side firm, whether an analyst from the firm covers your company or not. There are also countless investor conferences, bus trips, and industry events — all of which you will be asked to participate in.
The buy side values access to the C-suite probably more than anything else. In fact, many of the major investment firms base the commission they pay brokers on how many management teams they provide access to each quarter. A great deal of money is tied up in these events, so they are important.
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Posted on February 19th, 2014. Posted by Bob East
Right after you report earnings is the ideal time to get out on the road and tell your story to the Street. Sell-side analysts are incentivized to market with management teams, so they are always willing to sponsor a non-deal road show (NDRS). It’s critical, however, to pinpoint the right city and sponsoring analyst to make the most of the trip.
Non-deal road shows involve planning and work but can deliver meaningful results. Below are what we consider the top 10 benefits.
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Posted on January 29th, 2014. Posted by ICR Westwicke
2013 was an incredible year for the United States initial public offering (IPO) market — the best since 2000. Of the 222 companies that went public, a record 55 companies (or 24.7 percent) were from healthcare, which experienced more IPOs than any other sector. Will healthcare break the 55 IPOs record in 2014? Time will tell.
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Posted on January 15th, 2014. Posted by Mark Klausner
How can you align your investor relations (IR) efforts with your overall corporate strategy and messaging? How do you balance IR activities with other demands on your time as a management team? Here are several tips from the Westwicke team to help ensure that the strategic investor relations plan you create at the beginning of the year delivers the desired results.
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Posted on December 18th, 2013. Posted by Bob East
Preparing for an initial public offering can be a daunting task. Once the process kicks off, the wheels spin faster and faster, with deadlines and opinions flying around from everyone involved. What can ease the burden and streamline the process?
Collectively, our team has helped hundreds of companies prepare for their IPOs, and seen the best and worst of what can happen during the process. We consider the year before the transaction critical and recommend these 10 must-do steps.
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Posted on December 5th, 2013. Posted by ICR Westwicke
Not long ago, I had the enjoyable task of serving as moderator for the recent evening program of the San Diego National Investor Relations Institute (NIRI) Chapter titled “Do’s and Don’ts from the Buy Side and Sell Side.” The panel of two buy-side investors and two sell-side analysts, who cover the technology and life sciences sectors, provided a lively discussion and an abundance of practical advice on the art of practicing effective investor relations (IR). We touched on just about every aspect of IR, from non-deal road shows to the corporate website, and even the perfect length of time for the safe harbor statement on a conference call. Here are some of what the panel considered the top do’s and don’ts for investor relations.
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Posted on November 20th, 2013. Posted by Asher Dewhurst
For 31 years running, the mosh-pit that is J.P. Morgan’s Healthcare Conference kicks off the new year. In addition to the more than 400 companies that officially present, the conference attracts countless other healthcare companies looking to meet with the investment community. It is also the only event that attracts sell-side analysts and investment bankers from all corners of Wall Street.
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