Archive

One Semiconductor Equipment Manufacturer Is Poised to Benefit From Trade War Tensions

By Joel Litman

Tuesday, October 13, 2020

The Trump administration recently escalated the trade war… In late September, the White House added China’s largest semiconductor manufacturer, Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (“SMIC”), to a restricted list. U.S. suppliers will now need special permission to work with the firm – similar to the recent restrictions placed on Huawei Technologies. The Trump administration claims that […]

Insider Selling Is Up... Here's Why You Shouldn't Panic About It

By Joel Litman

Monday, October 12, 2020

Management teams know their businesses better than anyone… This is why one tool in every smart investor’s “tool kit” is checking whether executives are trading their companies’ stock. With their innate knowledge of operations, management’s trading patterns can be insightful. Late last month, Bloomberg examined stock activity by management. Executives of companies in the S&P […]

Digital Payments Are Booming... And This High-Return Processor Is Poised to Benefit

By Joel Litman

Friday, October 9, 2020

Here at Altimetry, each week, we host an all-hands internal call… More than 100 people across the globe work behind the scenes to power our analysis, in-house databases, client-facing software, and reports that go out to the world of investors every day.  With so many teams and so many different projects and initiatives, it can […]

A Major Hedge Fund Has Issues... and a Mislabeled 'SaaS' Operator Could Have the Solution

By Rob Spivey

Thursday, October 8, 2020

Hedge funds and asset managers are competitive businesses… Fund managers are always trying to beat the market and outperform each other. However, there may be more to running an asset management business than superior returns… There’s an old adage among asset managers that goes: If your client likes you, he’ll keep you around forever. However, […]

A Major Hotel REIT Is Being Priced for an Unwarranted Recovery in the Wake of the Pandemic

By Rob Spivey

Wednesday, October 7, 2020

The coronavirus pandemic has hit many hotels hard… Over the past few months, we’ve seen steep declines in international tourism and business travel. As the Los Angeles Times reported last month, one in four hotel properties is already struggling to pay its mortgage, thus risking potential foreclosure. Demand still hasn’t recovered, and expenses continue to […]

This Real Estate Brokerage Is Riding a Tight Market to Strong Profitability

By Joel Litman

Tuesday, October 6, 2020

Housing demand is huge… but supply hasn’t kept up. It’s a problem we haven’t see in decades. As the Wall Street Journal recently explained, at the end of July, 1.3 million single-family homes were for sale. This is the lowest amount in July since at least 1982. This shortage has driven prices higher, with the […]

The Market Is Still Benefitting From the Fed's 'SWAT Team' Preparation Before the Pandemic

By Joel Litman

Monday, October 5, 2020

The U.S. Federal Reserve realized the need for a finance SWAT team as it reassessed its role in the economy following the financial crisis… In the buildup to the Great Recession, the Fed suffered from the oversight of disaster myopia and wasn’t properly prepared for the crisis. Former Chairman Alan Greenspan and others made the […]

The Market Is Betting Two Iconic Sports Franchises Will See Brighter Days... But They Likely Need to Be in Better Hands

By Rob Spivey

Friday, October 2, 2020

The coronavirus pandemic has altered nearly every industry… The sports industry is certainly no exception. Professional leagues suspended games for months, and fans still aren’t allowed in most stadiums… both in the U.S. and internationally. But as market-research firm PitchBook explained in late July, this financial pressure might be providing private-equity (“PE”) investors with an […]

Here's Why Investors Should Avoid This Popular 'Learn From Home' Stock

By Joel Litman

Thursday, October 1, 2020

Many students are taking online classes for the first time this year…  With 15 of the biggest 20 public school districts starting online this fall, children are being forced to adapt to a new learning environment.  This shift could potentially cause students to lose ground in their learning. The most obvious effect of online or […]

Investors Are Too Bullish on This Company at the Heart of the Semiconductor Supply Chain

By Joel Litman

Wednesday, September 30, 2020

At Valens Research – the firm that powers Altimetry – we have a close relationship with MBO Partners… MBO is a consulting firm for independent professionals and companies looking to match up. Just recently, we had a conversation with the company’s leadership about economist Ronald Coase’s “Theory of the Firm.” This theory states that companies […]