Allegations Mallinckrodt Is Hiking Acthar Prices Called 'False'

In a new report, Northland Capital Markets analyst David Buck reiterates the firm’s bullish take on Mallinckrodt PLC MNK, despite unfavorable comparisons to the crashing Valeant Pharmaceuticals Intl Inc VRX in recent days.

The CNBC appearance by CEO Mark Trudeau on Tuesday night to defend the company’s pricing model has not been successful in convincing the market. After falling 14.5 percent in Tuesday’s session, the stock is down another 4.4 percent on Wednesday.

Buck sees comparisons to Valeant as unfair and even discredits reports of extreme price hikes in Mallinckrodt’s Acthar in recent years. According to Buck, the price of Acthar has been raised twice under Mallinckrodt ownership: a 5.5 percent increase in June 2015 and a 2.0 percent price hike in December 2014. Buck did not address the 2007 Acthar price hike from $1,650/vial to $23,000/vial prior to Mallinckrodt’s acquisition of Questcor.

Related Link: EXCLUSIVE: Mallinckrodt Continues To Cooperate With Questcor-Related Government Investigations

Buck believes that the Valeant-inspired selloff in Mallinckrodt has created a major buying opportunity for value investors.

“Our thesis of a cheaply valued stock with attractive growth is correct on the cheap side with an intra-day valuation of 7.2x EV/EBITDA and just under 8x our C2016E Adjusted EPS of $8.44 (F2016E EPS is $8.15) versus an expected 10%-11% EPS growth rate without further acquisitions,” Buck explains.

Northland maintains its Outperform rating and $95 price target on Mallinckrodt.