This post is part of a 12-article feature on the best bets for investing in China. To see all the other recommendations in this special report, click here.
"One Chinese sector being relatively ignored by Wall Street is the biotech industry," notes Keith Fitz-Gerald. In The New China Trader, he looks to a biotech speculation -- Sinovac (AMEX: SVA).
"The government knows that the wheels could fall off the bike rather quickly if average Chinese citizens begin to see a dramatic reversal in their health and happiness.
"As a result the Chinese Central Government's is participating in a large-scale effort to improve public health. That leads us to our recommendation for Sinovac, a fully integrated, profitable China-based biopharmaceutical company.
"The company focuses on the research, development, manufacturing and commercialization of vaccines that protect against human infectious diseases.
"Their portfolio of regulatory-approved products consists of vaccines against the hepatitis A, hepatitis B and influenza viruses.
"In 2002, they launched their first product, Healive, which was the first inactivated hepatitis A vaccine developed, produced and marketed in China.
"In 2005, they received regulatory approvals in China for the production of Bilive, a combination hepatitis A and B vaccine, and Anflu, a split virus influenza vaccine.
"In April 2008, they received regulatory approvals in China for the production of their whole viron pandemic influenza vaccine.
"SVA is not a shot-in-the-dark biotech company that hasn't earned any money yet. The firm's recent filings indicate annual increase in sales on 38.62% which is in line with the type of increase that history suggests precede a very solid price gains.
"Looking at additional numbers reflects solid management as well, as is evidenced by a very healthy operating margin 33.51% and ROE of 20.1%.
"A quick glance at the amount of shares outstanding reflects that 14.02% of the shares are held by insiders, which is an indication that management has some skin in the game as well - and that's always good.
"SVA hasn't been sitting their hands with the existing products that are already profitable in the market. Their pipeline consists of vaccine candidates in the pre-clinical and clinical development phases in China, including human vaccines for the EV71, Japanese encephalitis and rabies currently in pre-clinical development.
"Sinovac also has a vaccine for the SARS virus that has completed a Phase I clinical trial and a split viron vaccine for the H5N1 influenza virus that has completed a Phase II clinical trial. Their pipeline also includes a vaccine for rabies in animals that is currently in field trials.
"We enphasize that investors should not chase this stock. Only buy it under $2.50 and plan to hold it for 12 months with no trailing stop. As recently as 18 months ago this stock was trading at $6.75.
"Even though the price was hammered during the global stock market sell-off, SVA has continued to increase sales and earnings. It might not be very long before SVA gets back on the radar of Wall Street - when it does, we could be off to the races."
Steven Halpern's TheStockAdvisors.com offers a free daily overview of the favorite stock picks and investment ideas from the nation's leading financial newsletter advisors.










