By Thom CalandraTIBURON, Calif. (TC) -- I am giving thanks these days for all things Illumina. The genomic tools company's shares reached, I believe, an all-time high, and for that, I and my family and my left foot give great thanks.
(This is a photo of a recent speaking spot in Phoenix. The fellow with the washed-out look is moi.)
My only ThomInAtor Bullet today is Illumina, which we have owned for four years, two months and five days; it sure is something, this business of personalizing medicine and cracking the genomic code. Makes one wonder whether Jay Flatley in San Diego is going to start thinking about using some of his company's $5 billion of market capitalization, thanks to rapidly accelerating sales of next-gen machines, on some bargain purchase: Affymetrix perhaps? Affy is a $1 billion company and used to be a lot bigger before Illumina started making bead-array genomic tools and gene sequencers and such.
I am buying Affymetrix shares because I believe the company, also in California, looks cheap on earnings and looks dirt-cheap compared with next generation Illumina. Affymetrix might according to some genomic and personalized medicine aficionados be yesterday's warehouse, but the company was a pioneer, and plenty of laboratories on this planet still need the so-called Affy solution for deciphering their respective genetic codes. I think both companies have fine scientists and products and what would seem to be another five or more years of market leadership, led mostly but not entirely by Illumina's technologists, developers and the company's executive suite and sales force.
Anyway, aside from the DNA-bead beat, we all watched the Academy Awards at Papa's house last night whilst eating angel hair pasta and shrimp. The kids loved the show and the shrimp. I think Tilda Swinton is terrific; now she is an actor worth acting up for!
Later, Voldies!
-- Thom Calandra of ThomCalandra.com
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