From TV to Futures – Fireside Chat with Steve Grasso
Summary by Michelle Rivas
Speaker: Steve Grasso, Chief Executive Officer, Grasso Global Inc.
Moderator: Ruth Venning, IRC, Executive Director, Investor Relations (Nasdaq: HZNP) and ESG at Horizon Therapeutics and 2023 NIRI Fellow
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Based on his experience as a serial entrepreneur, NYSE trader and CNBC pundit, Steve Grasso advised IR officers and CEOs alike to get to the point quickly and concisely. What did your company do well this quarter? Why are you better than the competition? If your company’s stock may not deserve a better valuation based on its overall business sectors and/or performance, what portion of your company does deserve a higher multiple? What have other investors missed about your company’s performance and potential?
- Grasso, other traders and investors focus on why they should buy a stock today, versus the “steady growth potential” often emphasized instead by IR officers and management teams. Explain to investors why they should have a sense of urgency about buying your company’s stock based on something that’s going to happen in the near term. For example, focus the discussion on three things that will benefit next quarter’s performance. Consider using social media to promote these “buy now” points, such as via posting a five-minute video interview with your CEO.
- Investors also love market intelligence. Consider providing periodic emails to investors about what happened in your sector that moved the markets that day – and how and why your company’s stock performed well as a result. Include clear, concise data.
- Because so many investors now trade based on technical/momentum/index data, it’s helpful to get your company’s stock included in an index people care about. However, if your company’s stock is not in the index, you can leverage investors’ fear of missing out by explaining why your stock is similar to peer company stocks in the index.
- You don’t need to attend every investor conference (i.e., “speed dating” in breakout sessions). For example, you can host one-on-ones with your CEO and CFO at a nearby restaurant the day before/after a conference to reach the conference’s attendees.