Cantor Fitzgerald initiates Martek coverage with a BUY

Cantor Fitzgerald initiates coverage on Martek Biosciences (Nasdaq: MATK) with a Buy rating. Price target $33.

Cantor analyst says, "We think Martek has entered a dynamic growth phase with a five-year revenue CAGR of 18%, increasing gross margins and EPS up 63% yoy. We expect this financial trend to continue as new packaged food/beverage products fortified with Martek's omega-3 DHA oil launch into a market that increasingly understands/looks for functionally/nutritionally enhanced foods — a business we think is recession-proof. Martek is uniquely positioned in the DHA market, in our view, as the global provider of DHA derived from its proprietary algal technology production process that yields nearly odorless/colorless DHA — a significant advantage for packaged food/beverage companies — and importantly, a fully controlled production process under cGMP, a long-term advantage, we think, as the "Obama effect" impacts food regulation and safety...We expect 25% yoy earnings growth underpinned by increasing revenue with accelerating gross margins as production increases in combination with ongoing biomanufacturing process optimization — a key advantage of biotechnology platform technologies — that we anticipate will translate into solid appreciation of MATK."