Leerink Swann
Leerink Swann LLC
Leerink Swann was the name, from 1995 to 2014, of the Boston healthcare investment bank now called Leerink Partners. Founded by Jeffrey A. Leerink, it was known for specialist life-sciences equity research and its MEDACorp expert network.
Company history
Jeffrey Leerink and partners founded Leerink Swann in Boston in 1995 to serve the emerging biotechnology industry, and set up the MEDACorp expert network in 1996. The firm renamed itself Leerink Partners in January 2014. SVB Financial Group acquired it for $280 million in 2019, operating it as SVB Leerink and later SVB Securities; after SVB's 2023 collapse, a Baupost-backed management buyout restored its independence under the Leerink Partners name.
- 1995Founded in Boston as Leerink Swann
- 1996MEDACorp expert network established
- 2014Renamed Leerink Partners
- 2019Acquired by SVB Financial Group, becomes SVB Leerink
- 2023Management buyout restores independence as Leerink Partners
Research
Its research covered healthcare exclusively, including biopharma, medical technology, and healthcare providers and managed care. Stocks were rated Outperform, Market Perform or Underperform against a healthcare benchmark over 12 months, later the S&P 600 Health Care Index below $2 billion market capitalization and the S&P 500 Health Care Index above. Institutional Investor named three of its analysts 2013 Rising Stars; as Leerink Partners, the franchise rated 297 companies in January 2025.
Activity24M
Most covered24M
| Stock | Rating | Target |
|---|---|---|
 SRPTSarepta Therapeutics, Inc. | Market Perform | — |
Recent actions
| Stock | Rating action | Rating | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sarepta Therapeutics, Inc.SRPT | Downgrade | Outperform →Market Perform | Jul 21, 2025 |
| CICigna CorporationCI | Reiterate | Outperform | Nov 25, 2020 |
| CLCelldex Therapeutics, Inc.CLDX | Reiterate | Perform | Nov 25, 2020 |
| ALAlector, Inc.ALEC | Reiterate | Outperform | Mar 4, 2019 |
 Agios Pharmaceuticals, Inc.AGIO | Upgrade | Market Perform →Outperform | Feb 15, 2019 |
| SLSolid Biosciences Inc.SLDB | Downgrade | Outperform →Market Perform | Feb 8, 2019 |
| ASAscendis Pharma A/SASND | Upgrade | Market Perform →Outperform | Jan 24, 2019 |
| PBPuma Biotechnology, Inc.PBYI | Reiterate | Perform | Jan 17, 2019 |
| VEVeeva Systems Inc.VEEV | Reiterate | Outperform | Dec 4, 2018 |
 Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc.IONS | Reiterate | Perform | Nov 28, 2018 |
| RGREGENXBIO Inc.RGNX | Reiterate | Underperform | Nov 28, 2018 |
 Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc.ALNY | Reiterate | Perform | Nov 28, 2018 |
References
- Leerink Partners – Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org
- Leerink Swann Is Now Leerink Partners (Jan 6, 2014)leerink.com
- SVB Financial Group Completes Acquisition of Leerink Partners (Jan 2019)leerink.com
- Boston Globe – How Boston's biggest investment bank was reborn after SVB collapsed (July 2023)bostonglobe.com
- Leerink Partners Coverage List with rating definitions (Jan 2025)leerink.com
- Leerink research report with earlier rating benchmarks (Oct 2009)scribd.com