BUZZ-View from the buyside: SLI's Nimmo backing UK small-cap pharma stocks

** Standard Life Investments' Harry Nimmo cites small-cap pharma stocks as one of his highest conviction ideas in his SLI UK Smaller Companies investment trust

** Manager bought into Skyepharma (LSE: SKP.L - news) in the six months ending 31 December, according to his trust's half-yearly report released on Monday

** SLI now third largest shareholder in co at 5.2 pct, according to latest filings

** Nimmo cites asthma drug Flutiform as major reason for purchase

** Added to existing positions in BTG (LSE: BTG.L - news) , Clinigen , CVS and Dechra Pharmaceuticals (LSE: DPH.L - news) over the same period

** Small cap pharma valuation: http://link.reuters.com/gek24w

** Small cap pharma growth/ profitability: http://link.reuters.com/pek24w

** European fund managers still underweight healthcare sector, according to latest BAML buy-side survey, despite positive earnings momentum for small cap stocks

** Mean EPS for small/micro cap UK healthcare companies in the next 12 months is up 6.4 pct vs down 5.3 pct for 674 small/microcap UK companies tracked by StarMine

** Nimmo's £1.2 bln ($1.86 bln) Smaller Companies fund has returned 249.6 pct over ten years, nearly double the peer group return of 132 pct

($1 = 0.6467 pounds) (RM (LSE: RM.L - news) : alasdair.pal.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net)