OptimizeRx Corporation (OPRX) is a tiny health care company that provides digital health messaging services with the goal of “closing the communication gap between pharma, payers, physicians, and patients.”
Trading at near 52-week lows, OptimizeRx is the most undervalued company in my digital transformation stock universe.
(Source: Yahoo Finance/MS Paint)
OptimizeRx had total revenue of $24.6 million for 2019, a 16% increase over 2018. This is one of the smallest stocks that I follow and its small customer base makes for a risky investment. For example, in Q3, the company missed on revenue by 30%, primarily due to two events:
First, one of our clients decided to stop supporting one of the brands about 12 months prior to their loss of exclusivity coming up in 2020, which in our experience was earlier than usual. The loss of this brand represented about $2 million in annual revenue or less than 10% of our revenue for the year
Secondly, the merger of 2 of our larger clients, which is now complete, pushed out about $3 million in revenue from the second half of ’19 into 2020.
While OptimizeRx is a risky investment, it may be a smart investment for the turbulent times that we find ourselves in. The company has no debt and is not burning cash. Its free cash flow margin is positive. OptimizeRx is in the process of diversifying its product offerings which should provide some future stability for revenue growth. For these reasons, I am giving this company a bullish rating.
Growth Strategy
OptimizeRx’s management believes that the company’s financial messaging products are mature and competition will start to influence product pricing. Financial messaging has been the primary revenue driver for the company.
For this reason, the company has made moves to expand into three new but related market segments: payers, medical devices and medical associations. In so doing, OptimizeRx launched an integrated platform:
The power of our platform lies in how we close the communication gap between pharma, payers, physicians and patients like no other solution on the market. Closing this gap with digital solutions has become increasingly important, especially with the wave of new specialty medications coming onto the market and the increasing value being placed on the patient journey when it comes to medication adherence. Better communication translates into better outcomes for patients, lower costs to payers, and for pharma a more engaged field of doctors and patients.
(Source: OptimizeRX)
If the new products get some traction and it appears that they will, then OptimizeRX will achieve more stable revenue growth into the future.
Stock Valuation
The following scatter plot of enterprise value/forward sales versus estimated forward Y-o-Y sales growth illustrates OptimizeRx’s stock valuation relative to the 152 stocks in my digital transformation stock universe.
(Source: Portfolio123/private software)
A best-fit line is drawn in red on the scatter plot and represents a typical valuation based on next year’s sales growth. As can be seen from the scatter plot, OptimizeRx is the most undervalued stock in the 152 stock universe based on forward sales multiple.
Free Cash Flow
OptimizeRx has a positive free cash flow margin of 3%.
(NOTE: the following chart is prior to the release of Q4 results on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2019.)
(Source: Portfolio123)
Cash Burn
In order to evaluate cash burn, I look at the SG&A expense margin which includes Sales and Marketing, General Administration expenses, and R&D.
(NOTE: the following chart is prior to the release of Q4 results on Thursday, Feb. 27, 2019.)
(Source: Portfolio123)
OptimizeRX’s SG&A expense margin is 62% which is pretty decent for a small but growing software company.
Investment Risks
Software stock valuations have been high on a historical basis. Uncertainties, such as the rising tension in the Middle East, trade disputes, and recently the coronavirus, could cause a market downturn. In fact, we are currently in the midst of a correction due to the coronavirus. Software stocks tend to get hit hard during any market turbulence.
OptimizeRx is a small company with a limited number of customers. Loss of as little as one customer could significantly impact revenues and profitability.
The company’s financial messaging products are mature. If the company is not successful with its expanded product offerings, then it will result in reduced revenue growth.
A company can be severely undervalued for a significant length of time and there may be an underlying reason that has not been exposed.
Summary and Conclusions
OptimizeRx is a small health care company that provides digital health messaging services. At the end of 2019, the company had revenue of $24.6 million and a market capitalization of $160 million. The company’s objective is to “more effectively address the need for greater patient-provider-pharma-payer collaboration and improvement in medication affordability and adherence.”
OptimizeRx has had strong revenue growth with 53% CAGR from 2011 to 2018.
(Source: OptimizeRx)
But the small number of customers means that growth can be lumpy and there will be times such as in Q3 2019 when revenue growth will be negative. This makes for a risky investment.
This being said, I believe that this company is well-positioned for the future with no significant debts or cash burn. The company has initiated a level of diversification away from financial messaging, but we do not know how that will play out yet. The company is severely undervalued based on its forward sales multiple. Therefore, I am giving OptimizeRx a bullish rating.
Join My Exclusive Service While the Price is Low …
Digital Transformation is a once-in-a-lifetime investment opportunity fueled by the need for businesses to convert to the new digital era or risk being left behind. You can take advantage of this opportunity by subscribing to the Digital Transformation marketplace service. Tap into three high-growth portfolios, industry/subindustry tracking spreadsheets, and three unique proprietary rating systems. Don’t miss out on the digital revolution. We are still in the early innings and there are plenty of high-growth investment opportunities out there waiting for you!
Disclosure: I/we have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.
Be the first to comment