Report
Valens Research

Valens Equity Insights and Inflections - 2021 09 28

Current expectations for Aramark (ARMK) don't seem to understand the company from a
macro or strategic perspective. At current valuations, the market expects the food, facilities,
and uniform outsourcing business to never fully recover from the pandemic, and to have
sustained operational issues.

Investors do not appear to recognize the extent to which the world is re-opening, nor the economic tailwind that will be for Aramark's business. More companies may be looking to outsource these offerings in a more uncertain world, and many of its smaller competitors have struggled to survive, providing an opportunity to consolidate the space. On top of that, the company's smart investments in innovations give it competitive advantages that help it retain and build business, and the market isn't recognizing this.

Markets expect UAFRS-based (Uniform) ROA to never recover to historically average 20%
levels, sitting at weak 12% levels going forward, with Uniform asset growth at the low end of its historical range.

The company's compensation framework also aligns management to focus on growing the business and taking share, doing so in ways that improve the company's returns, exactly as investors would want to see. And management confidence in the Q3 earnings call about both the secular recovery in the business and their execution on winning and maintaining customers highlights the company is executing well.

Considering low market expectations, positive strategic and macro tailwinds, and
management's favorable alignment and execution, there appears to be material near-term and long-term equity upside for ARMK

FEYE Q2 2021 Embedded Expectations Analysis – Market expectations are for Uniform ROA expansion, but management may have concerns about demand, Mandiant Advantage, and competition

SWKS Q3 2021 Embedded Expectations Analysis – Market expectations are for Uniform ROA to slightly improve, but management may have concerns about their supply chain, 5G competition, and the A&I acquisition

VMW Q2 2022 Embedded Expectations Analysis – Market expectations are for Uniform ROA to decline, but management is confident about their SaaS offerings, VMware Cloud, and Workspace solutions

ARMK, FEYE, SWKS, VMW, ADI, ANET, BWA, CAH, ENR, ETN, GLW, HLT, LAUR, LKQ, MPWR, PANW, PINC, REGN, TPR, TTD, XYL
Underlyings
Analog Devices Inc.

Analog Devices is an analog technology company. The company designs, manufactures, and markets a portfolio of solutions, including integrated circuits, algorithms, software, and subsystems. The company's analog products include data converter that translate real-world analog signals into digital data and also translate digital data into analog signals, amplifiers that condition analog signals, and power management and reference products that include functions such as power conversion, driver monitoring, sequencing and energy management. The company's digital signal processing products are designed to execute software programs, or algorithms, associated with processing digitized real-time, real-world data.

Aramark

Aramark is a provider of food, facilities and uniform services. The company manages its Food and Support Services (FSS) business in segments split between its United States and International operations. The company's FSS segments manage a number of interrelated services-including food, hospitality, procurement and facility services-for school districts, colleges and universities, healthcare facilities, businesses, sports, entertainment and recreational venues, conference and convention centers, national and state parks and correctional institutions. The company's Uniform and Career Apparel segment provides employee uniform solution, including design, sourcing and manufacturing, delivery, cleaning and maintenance.

Arista Networks Inc.

Arista Networks is engaged in providing cloud networking solutions, which consist of its Extensible Operating System (EOS), a set of network applications and its Ethernet switching and routing platforms. The programmability of EOS enable the company to create a set of software applications that address the requirements of cloud networking, including workflow automation, network visibility and analytics, and enable the company to integrate with third-party applications for virtualization, management, automation, orchestration and network services. EOS supports cloud and virtualization solutions, including VMware NSX, Microsoft System Center, OpenStack and other cloud management frameworks.

BorgWarner Inc.

BorgWarner is a holding company. Through its subsidiaries, the company is a global product provider in technology solutions for combustion, hybrid and electric vehicles. The company manufactures and sells these products worldwide, primarily to original equipment manufacturers of light vehicles (passenger cars, sport-utility vehicles, vans and light trucks). The company's segments are: Engine, which provides turbochargers, eBoosters, timing systems, emissions systems, thermal systems, gasoline ignition technology, cabin heaters, battery heaters and battery charging; and Drivetrain, which provides rotating electrical components, power electronics, clutching systems, control modules and all-wheel drive systems.

Cardinal Health Inc.

Cardinal Health is a healthcare services and products company providing customized solutions for hospitals, healthcare systems, pharmacies, ambulatory surgery centers, clinical laboratories and physician offices. The company's segments include: Pharmaceutical and Medical. The company's Pharmaceutical segment distributes branded and generic pharmaceutical, specialty pharmaceutical and over-the-counter healthcare and consumer products in the United States. The company's Medical segment manufactures, sources and distributes Cardinal Health branded medical, surgical and laboratory products, which are sold in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia and other markets.

Corning Inc

Corning is a provider of glass for notebook computers, flat panel desktop monitors, display televisions, and other information display applications; carrier network and enterprise network products for the telecommunications industry; ceramic substrates for gasoline and diesel engines in automotive and heavy duty vehicle markets; laboratory products for the scientific community and specialized polymer products for biotechnology applications; optical materials for the semiconductor industry and the scientific community; and other technologies. The company reportable segments are: Display Technologies, Optical Communications, Environmental Technologies, Specialty Materials and Life Sciences.

Eaton Corp. Plc

Energizer Holdings Inc.

Energizer Holdings is a manufacturer, marketer and distributor of household and specialty batteries, portable lights, and automotive appearance, performance, refrigerants and freshener products. The company provides batteries using various technologies including lithium, alkaline, carbon zinc, nickel metal hydride, zinc air, and silver oxide. The company manufactures, distributes and markets lighting products including headlights, lanterns, children's lights and area lights. The company also provides auto care products in the appearance and fragrance categories including protectants, wipes, tire and wheel care products, glass cleaners, leather care products, air fresheners and washes.

FireEye Inc.

FireEye provides intelligence-based cybersecurity solutions that allow organizations to prepare for, prevent, respond to and remediate cyber attacks. The company's portfolio of cybersecurity products and services is designed to minimize the risk of cyber security breaches by detecting and preventing advanced, targeted and other evasive attacks, as well as enabling management of security operations, including alert management, investigation and response when a breach occurs. The company provides threat detection and prevention solutions, security orchestration, analytics and management solutions, threat intelligence subscriptions, on-demand and managed service subscriptions, and other services.

Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc

Hilton Worldwide Holdings is a holding company. Through its subsidiaries, the company is engaged in hospitality with operations organized in two operating segments: management and franchise, which includes all of the hotels the company manages for third-party owners, as well as all franchised hotels operated or managed by someone other than the company; and Ownership, which includes hotels that the company owned or leased or that are owned or leased by entities in which the company owns a noncontrolling financial interest. Hilton Honors is the company's guest loyalty program that rewards guests with points for each stay at nearly all of its properties, which are then redeemable for free nights and other goods and services.

Laureate Education Inc. Class A

Laureate Education is engaged in providing higher education programs and services to students through an international network of licensed universities and higher education institutions (institutions). The company's programs are provided through institutions that are campus-based and internet-based, or through electronically distributed educational programs. The company has five reportable segments: Brazil; Mexico; Andean; Rest of World; and Online and Partnerships. The company's Online and Partnerships segment principally consists of Walden University.

LKQ Corporation

LKQ is a holding company. Through its subsidiaries, the company provides alternative vehicle collision replacement products and alternative vehicle mechanical replacement products. The company is also a provider of alternative vehicle replacement and maintenance products in the United Kingdom, Germany, the Benelux region (Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg), Italy, Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, Austria, and other European countries. In addition to its wholesale operations, the company operates self service retail facilities across the United States that sell recycled automotive products from end-of-life-vehicles. The company is also a distributor of specialty vehicle aftermarket equipment and accessories.

Monolithic Power Systems Inc.

Monolithic Power Systems is a fabless semiconductor company. The company designs, develops and markets power solutions for systems found in consumer, computing and storage, automotive, industrial, communications and consumer applications. The company's primary product families include the following: Direct Current (DC) to DC products, which are used to convert and control voltages within a range of electronic systems such as portable electronic devices, wireless Local Area Network access points, computers, and monitors, automobiles and medical equipment; and Lighting Control Products, which include lighting control integrated circuits that are used in backlighting and general illumination products.

Palo Alto Networks Inc.

Palo Alto Networks provides a platform that allows enterprises, service providers, and government entities to secure their organizations. The company's platform uses a traffic classification engine that identifies network traffic by application, user, and content and provides security across the network, endpoint, and cloud. The company's product, subscription, and support offerings include: firewall appliances and software; and Panorama, which is a centralized security management solution for global control of various firewall appliances and software deployed on an end-customer's network as well as in their instances in public or private cloud environments as a virtual appliance or a physical appliance.

Premier Inc. Class A

Premier is a holding company. The company, together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, is a healthcare performance improvement company. The company provides technology-enabled platform that provides supply chain services, clinical, financial, operational and value based care software-as-a-service informatics products, consulting services and performance improvement collaborative programs. The company has two business segments: Supply Chain Services, which assists its members in managing their non-labor expense and capital spend through a combination of products, services and technologies; and Performance Services, which provides information technology analytics and workflow automation and consulting services.

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Regeneron Pharmaceuticals is a biotechnology company that discovers, invents, develops, manufactures, and commercializes medicines for the treatment of diseases. The company's commercialized medicines and product candidates in development are designed to assist patients with eye disease, allergic and inflammatory diseases, cancer, cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, neuromuscular diseases, infectious diseases, and rare diseases. The company's products include: EYLEA (aflibercept) injection, which is used for the treatment of neovascular age-related macular degeneration, diabetic macular edema; and Dupixent (dupilumab) injection, which is used for the treatment of adult patients with atopic dermatitis.

Skyworks Solutions Inc.

Skyworks Solutions is a provider of analog semiconductors that connect people, places, and things, spanning a number of applications within the aerospace, automotive, broadband, cellular infrastructure, connected home, industrial, medical, military, smartphone, tablet and wearable markets. The company's product portfolio consists of various solutions, including: amplifiers, antenna tuners, attenuators, circulators/isolators, wireless analog system on chip, direct current (DC)/DC converters, demodulators, detectors, diodes, directional couplers, diversity receive modules, filters, front-end modules, hybrid, light emitting diode drivers, low noise amplifiers, mixers, and modulators.

Tapestry Inc.

Tapestry is a lifestyle company. The company's primary product offerings, manufactured by third-party suppliers, include women's and men's bags, small leather goods, footwear, ready-to-wear including outerwear, watches, weekend and travel accessories, scarves, eyewear, fragrance, jewelry and other lifestyle products. The company has three reportable segments: Coach, which includes sales of Coach brand products to customers through Coach operated stores; Kate Spade, which includes sales primarily of Kate Spade New York brand products to customers through Kate Spade operated stores; and Stuart Weitzman, which includes sales of Stuart Weitzman brand products primarily through Stuart Weitzman operated stores.

Trade Desk Inc. Class A

The Trade Desk is a technology company for buyers of advertising. Through the company's self-service, cloud-based platform, ad buyers can create, manage, and optimize data-driven digital advertising campaigns across ad formats, including display, video, audio, native and social, on a multitude of devices, such as computers, mobile devices, and connected TV. The company's platform's integrations with data, inventory, and publisher partners provides ad buyers reach and decisioning capabilities, and its enterprise application programming interfaces enable its customers to develop on top of the platform.

VMware Inc. Class A

VMware is engaged in the development and application of technologies with x86 server-based computing, separating application software from the underlying hardware. The company's product and service solutions are organized into three main product groups: Software-Defined Data Center, which is designed to transform the data center into an on-demand service that addresses application requirements; Hybrid Cloud Computing, which is comprised of VMware Cloud Provider Program and VMware Cloud Services; and End-User Computing solution, which consists of VMware Workspace ONE, its digital workspace platform, that includes Unified Endpoint Management and VMware Horizon application and desktop virtualization.

Xylem Inc.

Xylem is water technology company. The company designs, manufactures and services engineered solutions ranging across a variety of applications primarily in the water sector, but also in electric and gas. The company's business segments are: water infrastructure, which serves the water infrastructure sector with pump systems, filtration, ultraviolet and ozone systems and pumping solutions; Applied Water, which serves the usage applications sector with water pressure boosting systems; and Measurement and Control Solutions, which serves the utility infrastructure solutions and services sector by delivering communications, smart metering, measurement and control technologies and infrastructure technologies.

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Valens Research

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