Showcase Introduction
Eighteen new analysts joined us in April, with two of them receiving Editors’ Picks on their first publication. We’ve got folks joining with over two decades of investment experience, including a former fund manager. Some are joining as current analysts or aspiring ones, like the new analyst with a PhD in Geoenvironmental Engineering pursuing a CFA. And we continue to welcome international perspectives with analysts based in Sweden, the Czech Republic, and elsewhere joining.
That said, I’ll turn my rightful focus over to these new folks. If you are one of these new analysts, welcome to the community! And if you feel there are other things you’d like to share, please feel free to hit the comments and introduce yourself further.
Costco: The Stock Is A Buy After Recent Correction
Areas of Interest: Industrials, Healthcare, Tech, Long-Term Horizon
Offering a background in healthcare, GP Sigma Analytics shifted focus to being a research analyst and is pursuing their CFA currently, having completed their Level I exam. In their search for companies with “growth potential and stable profits“, Costco Wholesale Corporation (COST) received a Buy due to “the company’s superior financial metrics, profitability ratios, and robust top-line growth prospect, driven by its unique membership-only model, outperforming its rivals.”
CAVA Group Is Overextended At Current Valuation, Expect A Significant Stock Price Decline
Areas of Interest: Long Only, Deep Value, Value, Growth
Mr. Shields has been investing “for over 7 years with a focus on long-term wealth creation through value growth investing, value investing, and dividend investing.” Out of four articles so far, three have been Sells, including CAVA Group, Inc. (CAVA), with The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated (CAKE) being their only Buy. CAVA was seen as “currently overvalued, and there is a risk of permanent loss of capital at its current price.“
Areas of Interest: Biotech, Healthcare, Hedge Fund Manager
Pivotal Biotech is a “former Fund Manager of a Hedge Fund focused on Biotech and Pharmaceutical companies” with +20 years of experience, and that skill set shows in their first article, which received an Editors’ Pick. Aurinia Pharmaceuticals Inc. (AUPH) was their first of two Buy ratings so far. They “see a potential upside of 80-115% by next January’s JPM meeting” for the company.
Digging Into Peabody Energy: Unearthing The Value Beneath The Surface
Areas of Interest: Value, Medium-Term Horizon, Options
Vladimir focuses on fundamental analysis and “the strategic use of stock options to improve portfolio performance“. Mr. Romasenko started by reviewing Peabody Energy Corporation (BTU) and gave a Buy rating. In their words, “What makes Peabody Energy so appealing to me is its unequivocal undervaluation and, at the same time, strategic resilience in view of the energy transition, paired with really solid financial health.“
BYD Is Unlikely To Withstand Cut-Throat Price Competition
Areas of Interest: Long Only, Growth
With four articles in their first month, Theme Catcher Invest is digging in. They offer twenty years of experience in stock analysis to borrow from and they “strive to provide valuable insights and recommendations to investors, and help them unearth some simple and obvious investment opportunities.” The analysts’ initial coverage of Chinese electric vehicle (“EV”) maker BYD Company Limited (OTCPK:BYDDF) (OTCPK:BYDDY) recommended a Sell as “the Chinese EV sector is experiencing an intense price war, declining margins, and a slowdown in growth.“
Areas of Interest: Long Only, Growth At A Reasonable Price, Internet, Energy
Sweden is the base of operations for Sandeep, where they work as an R&D automotive battery engineer. Mr. David has also been investing his own capital for seven years and looks for asymmetric opportunities in the small-to-mid-cap space. With four bullish articles published, Perion Network Ltd. (PERI) received their sole Strong Buy rating due to what they see as a market overreaction to the business’s search advertising headwinds.
Areas of Interest: Long/Short Equity, Growth At A Reasonable Price, Tech, Industrials
A former portfolio manager with fifteen years of experience, Dynamis Cap “invests mostly in Software, Semiconductors, Video Games, and opportunistically outside of Tech.” Axcelis Technologies, Inc. (ACLS), a tool manufacturer for semiconductors, is rated a Buy in their first: “At <15x LTM Earnings, a price implying no FCF growth in the next 10y, and an analyst day in July, I think the upside trumps the downside at these levels.“
Areas of Interest: Long Only, Special Situations, Long-Term Horizon, Event Driven
A PhD in GeoEnvironmental Engineering and a desire to obtain a CFA are two things that may not often go together, but that’s Mohsen. His focus is on small-caps and special situations. With a rather different focus in their first article, Mohsen offered a Hold rating on Tower Semiconductor Ltd. (TSEM) stating “Overall, I believe this thesis has a long time to play out, and although I wouldn’t buy Tower now, there is a chance for a great opportunity in the future.“
Areas of Interest: CFA, Long-Term Horizon
Bas van den Broek is a “senior analyst and valuation expert for a corporate finance boutique” focusing mostly on small caps and searching for companies with “a strong business model at a reasonable valuation.” In their take on Vonovia SE (OTCPK:VNNVF) (OTCPK:VONOY) they saw that the “main upside potential lies in a decline of the interest rate, this is, however, very difficult, if not, impossible to predict“, and with other elements of the business not looking attractive, a Hold rating was offered.
Areas of Interest: Long Only, Deep Value, Value, Growth
Three years of experience supporting Intrinsic Eagle in their value investing journey. The Eagle is “passionate about unearthing high-quality companies with long-term potential“, and so far, that passion has been channeled into writing up semiconductor-focused ASML Holding N.V. (ASML) (OTCPK:ASMLF) as a Buy writing, “I believe that ASML is a pure monopoly company, that has excellent long-term opportunities.“
Areas of Interest: Long/Short Equity, Value, Macro, Currencies
Wen Ping Yaw brings 7-years of experience and a clear focus: “My analysis will concentrate on unique trading opportunities influenced by the macroeconomic landscape and in-depth fundamental research on companies exhibiting signs of dislocation or potential perception gaps ripe for us to capitalize on.” In looking at Vital Farms, Inc. (VITL), Wen Ping saw “strong foundation and performance” but “the current valuation presents a barrier for potential investors, with much of the anticipated future growth already priced in.” This led to their Hold rating.
FinVolution Q4 2023: Striking A Balance Between Growth And Shareholder Returns
Areas of Interest: Deep Value, Growth At A Reasonable Price, Long-Term Horizon, Dividend Growth Investing
Bullish Insights joins “with a background in finance and a passion for investing“, a specialization in fundamental analysis, and areas of interest including technology, healthcare, and consumer goods. China-based fintech FinVolution Group (FINV) received a Strong Buy in their first article as they expect “the compelling growth trajectory will be sustained and hence reflect a stronger capital return to shareholders.“
Areas of Interest: Long/Short Equity
Peak One Analytics received an Editors’ Pick with their Strong Buy article on Nasdaq, Inc. (NDAQ) arguing that the “business model is geared for meaningful operating margin expansion over the medium term and the shift in its business mix over this timeframe warrants multiple expansion.” This author joins us as “a former sell-side / buy-side equities analyst” with a focus on “exchanges and brokers with a long/short fundamental approach.“
Areas of Interest: Long/Short Equity, Momentum, Growth, Short-Term Horizon
Eleceed Capital focuses on “buying quality companies at a discount to their intrinsic value and holding them for the long haul, allowing them to compound their earnings and shareholder returns.” GitLab Inc. (GTLB) was their first and only Buy so far, given “I believe its land-and-expand strategy has multiple levers of growth that should support very healthy growth rates in the near term.“
Areas of Interest: Long Only, Growth At A Reasonable Price, REITs, Portfolio Strategy
Tomas joins us from Prague, where they are studying Economics and Management. Mr. Cverna manages his own portfolio with a “focus on mid- and large-cap growth companies, mainly from the US market.” Their first article recommended a Buy for alternative investment manager KKR & Co. Inc. (KKR) with an expectation of growth in their Japanese insurance market business.
Areas of Interest: Dividend Investing, Dividend Growth Investing, Mega-cap, Large-cap
John-Paul Lake joins us with 30 years of investing experience and since 2018 they have been “managing a private foundation endowment and small family office as well as a venture capital firm.” With their first article, they offered a Sell take on “undercovered” Graham Holdings Company (GHC) as they investigated whether the company might become a dividend aristocrat in the years to come. Their conclusion: “Doubtful outlook for Graham’s ability to continue increasing dividends unless these issues are fixed.“
Areas of Interest: Growth, Income, Portfolio Strategy, ETF investing
“Advanced education in economics, business management and engineering” has helped Wise Bull in their investing journey, starting with growth companies in 1998. So far, Mr. Bull has provided analysis on four funds: Buys for DVY and NEA, Holds for TDV and TMV. Their piece on ProShares S&P Technology Dividend Aristocrats ETF (TDV) highlighted the challenges of building dividend-focused ETFs with tech companies, and the underperformance the fund has seen.
Areas of Interest: Long/Short Equity, Momentum, Growth, Short-Term Horizon
As an analyst at an alternative investment fund, Extra Substance tackling one of the new ETFs enabling Bitcoin USD (BTC-USD) spot exposure makes sense. In particular, they focused on VanEck’s Bitcoin Trust ETF (HODL) offering a Buy rating summarizing “if direct exposure to Bitcoin is not possible, HODL is a great alternative to gain Bitcoin exposure but should obviously not be seen as a substitute to Bitcoin.“
Showcase Conclusion
That concludes this month’s list. Please join me in welcoming these analysts into our community. We hope that our readers find this a useful resource for new ideas and analysts to follow.
And don’t hesitate to share thoughts on any of the picks or ask questions of the new analysts in the comments.
You can either follow me or the SA Editors’ Picks account for future editions. Thanks for the time!
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Editor’s Note: This article discusses one or more securities that do not trade on a major U.S. exchange. Please be aware of the risks associated with these stocks.