Description

Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. develops and commercializes various therapeutic products. The company offers ULTOMIRIS (ALXN1210/ravulizumab-cwvz), a C5 inhibitor for the treatment of paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) and atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS); and SOLIRIS (eculizumab), a monoclonal antibody for the treatment of PNH, aHUS, generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG), and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD). It also provides Strensiq (asfotase alfa), a targeted enzyme replacement therapy for patients with hypophosphatasia; and Kanuma (sebelipase alfa) for the treatment of patients with lysosomal acid lipase deficiency. In addition, the company is developing ALXN1210 (Intravenous) that is in Phase III clinical trials for the treatment of gMG and NMOSD; ALXN1210 (Subcutaneous), which is in Phase III clinical trials for PNH and aHUS; ALXN1810 (Subcutaneous) that is in Phase I clinical trial for renal diseases; and ALXN1720 (Subcutaneous), which is in Phase I clinical trial for the treatment of disease states involving dysregulated terminal complement activity. Further, it is developing ALXN1840 (WTX101) that is in Phase III clinical trials for the treatment of Wilson disease; and ALXN1830 and ABY-039, which are in Phase I clinical trials for neonatal Fc receptor. The company serves distributors, pharmacies, hospitals, hospital buying groups, and other healthcare providers in the United States and internationally. Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc. has collaboration and license agreement with Halozyme Therapeutics, Inc.; collaborations with Caelum Biosciences, Inc., Dicerna Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and Zealand Pharma A/S; strategic agreement with Caelum Biosciences, Inc.; agreement with Stealth BioTherapeutics Corp.; and a partnership with Affibody AB. The company was founded in 1992 and is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts.

Statistics (YTD)

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TotalReturn:

'Total return, when measuring performance, is the actual rate of return of an investment or a pool of investments over a given evaluation period. Total return includes interest, capital gains, dividends and distributions realized over a given period of time. Total return accounts for two categories of return: income including interest paid by fixed-income investments, distributions or dividends and capital appreciation, representing the change in the market price of an asset.'

Applying this definition to our asset in some examples:
  • Looking at the total return, or increase in value of 43.4% in the last 5 years of Alexion Pharmaceuticals, we see it is relatively lower, thus worse in comparison to the benchmark SPY (107.1%)
  • During the last 3 years, the total return, or performance is 35%, which is smaller, thus worse than the value of 38.2% from the benchmark.

CAGR:

'The compound annual growth rate isn't a true return rate, but rather a representational figure. It is essentially a number that describes the rate at which an investment would have grown if it had grown the same rate every year and the profits were reinvested at the end of each year. In reality, this sort of performance is unlikely. However, CAGR can be used to smooth returns so that they may be more easily understood when compared to alternative investments.'

Using this definition on our asset we see for example:
  • The compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) over 5 years of Alexion Pharmaceuticals is 7.5%, which is lower, thus worse compared to the benchmark SPY (15.7%) in the same period.
  • Compared with SPY (11.4%) in the period of the last 3 years, the compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.5% is lower, thus worse.

Volatility:

'In finance, volatility (symbol σ) is the degree of variation of a trading price series over time as measured by the standard deviation of logarithmic returns. Historic volatility measures a time series of past market prices. Implied volatility looks forward in time, being derived from the market price of a market-traded derivative (in particular, an option). Commonly, the higher the volatility, the riskier the security.'

Applying this definition to our asset in some examples:
  • Compared with the benchmark SPY (20.9%) in the period of the last 5 years, the volatility of 38.3% of Alexion Pharmaceuticals is higher, thus worse.
  • During the last 3 years, the 30 days standard deviation is 39%, which is larger, thus worse than the value of 17.5% from the benchmark.

DownVol:

'Downside risk is the financial risk associated with losses. That is, it is the risk of the actual return being below the expected return, or the uncertainty about the magnitude of that difference. Risk measures typically quantify the downside risk, whereas the standard deviation (an example of a deviation risk measure) measures both the upside and downside risk. Specifically, downside risk in our definition is the semi-deviation, that is the standard deviation of all negative returns.'

Which means for our asset as example:
  • Looking at the downside deviation of 25.1% in the last 5 years of Alexion Pharmaceuticals, we see it is relatively higher, thus worse in comparison to the benchmark SPY (14.9%)
  • During the last 3 years, the downside risk is 24.9%, which is greater, thus worse than the value of 12.2% from the benchmark.

Sharpe:

'The Sharpe ratio was developed by Nobel laureate William F. Sharpe, and is used to help investors understand the return of an investment compared to its risk. The ratio is the average return earned in excess of the risk-free rate per unit of volatility or total risk. Subtracting the risk-free rate from the mean return allows an investor to better isolate the profits associated with risk-taking activities. One intuition of this calculation is that a portfolio engaging in 'zero risk' investments, such as the purchase of U.S. Treasury bills (for which the expected return is the risk-free rate), has a Sharpe ratio of exactly zero. Generally, the greater the value of the Sharpe ratio, the more attractive the risk-adjusted return.'

Using this definition on our asset we see for example:
  • Compared with the benchmark SPY (0.63) in the period of the last 5 years, the ratio of return and volatility (Sharpe) of 0.13 of Alexion Pharmaceuticals is lower, thus worse.
  • Looking at Sharpe Ratio in of 0.21 in the period of the last 3 years, we see it is relatively lower, thus worse in comparison to SPY (0.51).

Sortino:

'The Sortino ratio, a variation of the Sharpe ratio only factors in the downside, or negative volatility, rather than the total volatility used in calculating the Sharpe ratio. The theory behind the Sortino variation is that upside volatility is a plus for the investment, and it, therefore, should not be included in the risk calculation. Therefore, the Sortino ratio takes upside volatility out of the equation and uses only the downside standard deviation in its calculation instead of the total standard deviation that is used in calculating the Sharpe ratio.'

Applying this definition to our asset in some examples:
  • Compared with the benchmark SPY (0.88) in the period of the last 5 years, the ratio of annual return and downside deviation of 0.2 of Alexion Pharmaceuticals is smaller, thus worse.
  • During the last 3 years, the ratio of annual return and downside deviation is 0.32, which is lower, thus worse than the value of 0.73 from the benchmark.

Ulcer:

'Ulcer Index is a method for measuring investment risk that addresses the real concerns of investors, unlike the widely used standard deviation of return. UI is a measure of the depth and duration of drawdowns in prices from earlier highs. Using Ulcer Index instead of standard deviation can lead to very different conclusions about investment risk and risk-adjusted return, especially when evaluating strategies that seek to avoid major declines in portfolio value (market timing, dynamic asset allocation, hedge funds, etc.). The Ulcer Index was originally developed in 1987. Since then, it has been widely recognized and adopted by the investment community. According to Nelson Freeburg, editor of Formula Research, Ulcer Index is “perhaps the most fully realized statistical portrait of risk there is.'

Which means for our asset as example:
  • Compared with the benchmark SPY (9.32 ) in the period of the last 5 years, the Downside risk index of 19 of Alexion Pharmaceuticals is larger, thus worse.
  • Compared with SPY (10 ) in the period of the last 3 years, the Downside risk index of 19 is larger, thus worse.

MaxDD:

'A maximum drawdown is the maximum loss from a peak to a trough of a portfolio, before a new peak is attained. Maximum Drawdown is an indicator of downside risk over a specified time period. It can be used both as a stand-alone measure or as an input into other metrics such as 'Return over Maximum Drawdown' and the Calmar Ratio. Maximum Drawdown is expressed in percentage terms.'

Applying this definition to our asset in some examples:
  • Looking at the maximum reduction from previous high of -48.5 days in the last 5 years of Alexion Pharmaceuticals, we see it is relatively smaller, thus worse in comparison to the benchmark SPY (-33.7 days)
  • Compared with SPY (-24.5 days) in the period of the last 3 years, the maximum DrawDown of -46.5 days is lower, thus worse.

MaxDuration:

'The Drawdown Duration is the length of any peak to peak period, or the time between new equity highs. The Max Drawdown Duration is the worst (the maximum/longest) amount of time an investment has seen between peaks (equity highs). Many assume Max DD Duration is the length of time between new highs during which the Max DD (magnitude) occurred. But that isn’t always the case. The Max DD duration is the longest time between peaks, period. So it could be the time when the program also had its biggest peak to valley loss (and usually is, because the program needs a long time to recover from the largest loss), but it doesn’t have to be'

Which means for our asset as example:
  • Looking at the maximum days under water of 816 days in the last 5 years of Alexion Pharmaceuticals, we see it is relatively larger, thus worse in comparison to the benchmark SPY (488 days)
  • Looking at maximum days below previous high in of 423 days in the period of the last 3 years, we see it is relatively lower, thus better in comparison to SPY (488 days).

AveDuration:

'The Average Drawdown Duration is an extension of the Maximum Drawdown. However, this metric does not explain the drawdown in dollars or percentages, rather in days, weeks, or months. The Avg Drawdown Duration is the average amount of time an investment has seen between peaks (equity highs), or in other terms the average of time under water of all drawdowns. So in contrast to the Maximum duration it does not measure only one drawdown event but calculates the average of all.'

Using this definition on our asset we see for example:
  • Compared with the benchmark SPY (123 days) in the period of the last 5 years, the average time in days below previous high water mark of 292 days of Alexion Pharmaceuticals is larger, thus worse.
  • Looking at average days under water in of 140 days in the period of the last 3 years, we see it is relatively smaller, thus better in comparison to SPY (178 days).

Performance (YTD)

Historical returns have been extended using synthetic data.

Allocations ()

Allocations

Returns (%)

  • Note that yearly returns do not equal the sum of monthly returns due to compounding.
  • Performance results of Alexion Pharmaceuticals are hypothetical and do not account for slippage, fees or taxes.