It seems almost predictable. Bentley periodically goes through the Inovio pipeline and favorable news which could lead to success, and then there are a wave of angry naysayers who accuse him of every high crime and misdemeanor imaginable. They trash Bentley and trash Inovio relentlessly, some bitterly complaining about the continuous decline of the stock price. Bentley retaliates with equal vigor, so the rest of us can get a glass of wine and some popcorn and enjoy our evening entertainment.
Meanwhile, Inovio management sits there in relatively abject silence, while shareholders watch their investment nosedive. In defense of Inovio, Bentley also points out that the majority of shares are held by "tutes" who are beyond diligent in researching investments prior to making them are not dumping shares, in fact, many have increased holdings. Like most other shareholders, they have suffered large losses in shareholder value. In fact, it is reported that some bought in at $6, or $8 or even higher.
Bentley's detractors quite predictably forecast doom and gloom as they gleefully take a bow for their prescient forewarnings in the face of the falling stock values. Surely they know that most of us do not enjoy hearing someone say, "I told you so" when something is not going as well as we had hoped. Meanwhile, it does not seem to add up. Bentley's factual accounts are spot on even if his exuberance appears a bit overblown at times. Why does Inovio management publicly put on a "business as usual" face, appear at conferences exuding confidence, and all the while appear completely oblivious to the tanking fortunes of shareholders and dwindling reserves? Is it possible that aside from some premature celebrations, Bentley has been right all along? Why isn't management in a state of panic as most people would expect?
Some of us wonder whether the best course of action for management at this point in time would be to deal out the company's successful ventures in pieces, perhaps selling some and licensing out some or entering into partnerships or joint ventures with large pharmaceuticals who are also fishing in the same waters. The best example is Regeneron, but there are others such as Ebola and Zika and let's face it, large pharmaceuticals have the financial ability to corner the market but might jump at the chance to use something like Inovio's vaccine boosters under their banner. It is not difficult to see that if Inovio products are parceled out in some manner, the company valuation would be markedly different.
Of course Inovio management is well aware of the value issues and most likely has been actively in pursuit of one or more megadeals, and perhaps we are on the precipice of a monumental announcement. That most certainly would explain a lot of seemingly disparate behavior.
How often do we read, "Someone knows something", and nod our heads in approval. Here is someone who could well know something but has been flying under radar for quite some time: Asli Gevgillili. She is the Chief Human Resources Officer at Inovio. Perhaps you may recall that she was brought in a few years ago amid a lot of fanfare about her very polished credentials. This has nothing to do with her physical stature, but she most certainly had the looks of a heavyweight hire. After all, if Inovio is going to get into some major transactions, it would take a lot of time and effort and who would be better to undertake perhaps multiple transactions of that nature? As I understand it, she was a central figure in the multibillion dollar large pharmaceutical deal involving Allergan. Does anyone really believe that she has simply been relegated to some backroom desk to sit and twiddle her thumbs and accomplish nothing? Nonsense! I suspect that she is a giant on a mission: prove that Bentley was right after all! Take heed naysayers.
5
2
2
