Report
Valens Research

Valens Equity Insights and Inflections - 2020 11 03

MCO currently trades at a historical high relative to Uniform earnings, with a 26.1x Uniform
P/E (Fwd V/E'). At these levels, the market is pricing in expectations for Uniform ROA to
expand from 54% in 2019 to 68% in 2024, accompanied by 4% Uniform asset growth going
forward. Meanwhile, analysts have less bullish expectations, projecting Uniform ROA to
improve to just 58% levels through 2021, accompanied by 1% Uniform asset growth. However, management appears concerned about sales, credit ratings, and Moody's Analytics. Current valuations appear to be pricing in overly bullish expectations for MCO, and if the company is not able to improve profitability levels in the next five years, material downside may be warranted.

PETQ Q2 2020 Embedded Expectations Analysis – Market expectations are for Uniform ROA to decline, but management is confident about their clinics, performance, and consumer demand

HUBB Q2 2020 Embedded Expectations Analysis – Market expectations are for Uniform ROA to remain stable, and management is optimistic about demand, benefits, and strategies

IPGP Q2 2020 Embedded Expectations Analysis – Market expectations are for Uniform ROA to improve, but management may have concerns about sales, demand, and handheld laser welding

MCO, HUBB, IPGP, PETQ, BLK, BLKB, COTY, DBX, FRT, LFUS, NTCT, RBC, SAFM, SFM, STZ, TGNA, UTHR, WHR, YELP
Underlyings
Beazer Homes USA Inc.

Beazer Homes USA is engaged as a homebuilder. The company's homebuilding operations consist of the design, sale, and construction of single-family and multi-family homes. The company purchases land or obtains an option to purchase land, which, in either case, requires certain site improvements prior to home construction. When available in certain markets, the company also buys finished lots that are ready for home construction. The company has investments with land developers, other homebuilders and financial partners to acquire land positions, to manage its risk profile and to utilize its capital base. The company also acts as the general contractor for the construction of its new home communities.

Blackbaud Inc.

Blackbaud is a cloud software company. The company is engaged in providing software solutions in cloud and hosted environments, providing payment and transaction services, providing software maintenance and support services, and providing services, including implementation, consulting, training, analytic and other services. The company's portfolio provides fundraising and relationship management, marketing and engagement, financial management, grant and award management, organizational and program management (such as education management, church management and ticketing), social responsibility, payment services and analytics.

BLACKROCK INC.

BlackRock is an investment management firm. The company provides a range of investment and technology services to institutional and retail clients worldwide. Products are provided directly and through intermediaries in a variety of vehicles, including open-end and closed-end mutual funds, iShares? exchange-traded funds, separate accounts, collective investment trusts and other pooled investment vehicles. The company also provides technology services, including the investment and risk management technology platform, Aladdin?, Aladdin Wealth, eFront, Cachematrix and FutureAdvisor, as well as advisory services and solutions to a base of institutional and wealth management clients.

Constellation Brands Inc. Class A

Constellation Brands is an international beverage alcohol company. The company is a producer and marketer of beer, wine and spirits with operations in the U.S., Mexico, New Zealand, Italy and Canada. The company has two segments: Beer, in which the company is engaged in the U.S. beer market that includes the imported, craft, domestic super premium, and alternative beverage alcohol categories and it has the right to import, market and sell these Mexican beer brands in the U.S.; and Wine and Spirits, in which its wine portfolio is supported by grapes purchased from independent growers, primarily in the U.S., New Zealand and Chile, and vineyard holdings in the U.S., New Zealand and Italy.

Coty Inc. Class A

Coty and its subsidiaries are a beauty company. The company manufactures, markets, sells and distributes beauty products, including fragrances, color cosmetics, hair care products and skin and body related products. The company is organized into three divisions, which is also its operating and reportable segments: Consumer Beauty, Luxury and Professional Beauty. Consumer Beauty is primarily focused on color cosmetics, retail hair coloring and styling products, body care and mass fragrances. Luxury is primarily focused on fragrances, skincare and cosmetics. Professional Beauty is primarily focused on hair and nail care products for salon personnel.

Dropbox Inc. Class A

Dropbox is a global collaboration platform that centralizes the flow of information between the products and services its users prefer. Dropbox allows individuals, teams, and organizations to collaborate. Anyone can sign up for free via the company's website or app, and upgrade to a paid subscription plan for additional features. Dropbox is a digital workspace where individuals and teams can create content, access it from anywhere, and share it with collaborators. The company also utilizes Amazon Web Services (AWS), for the remainder of its users' storage needs and to help deliver its services. These AWS datacenters are in the United States and Europe, which allows the company to localize where content is stored.

Federal Realty Investment Trust

Federal Realty Investment Trust is an equity real estate investment trust that focuses on the ownership, management, and redevelopment of retail and mixed-use properties located primarily in communities in selected metropolitan markets in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States, as well as in California and South Florida. The company owns or has a majority interest in community and neighborhood shopping centers and mixed-use properties which are operated as predominantly retail real estate projects.

Hubbell Incorporated Class B

Hubbell is primarily engaged in the design, manufacture and sale of electrical and electronic products for a range of non-residential and residential construction, industrial and utility applications. The company has two segments: Electrical, which comprised of businesses that sell stock and custom products including application wiring device products, electrical products, connector and grounding products, lighting fixtures and controls, components and assemblies, as well as other electrical equipment; and Power, which consists of operations for the design, manufacture and sale of transmission and distribution components primarily for the electrical utilities industry.

IPG Photonics Corporation

IPG Photonics is a developer and manufacturer of a line of fiber lasers, fiber amplifiers and diode lasers that are used in various applications, primarily in materials processing. The company designs and manufactures a range of optical fiber-based lasers and amplifiers. The company also makes packaged diodes, direct diode lasers, laser systems and communications components and systems. A majority of the company's products are designed to be used as general-purpose energy or light sources.

Littelfuse Inc.

Littelfuse is a manufacturer of technologies in circuit protection, power control and sensing. The company has three segments: Electronics, which provides fuses and fuse accessories, positive temperature coefficient resettable fuses, polymer electrostatic discharge suppressors, varistors, and gas discharge tubes; Automotive, which consists of circuit protection, power control and sensing technologies for original equipment manufacturers, Tier-I suppliers and parts distributors in the passenger car, agricultural, construction and other commercial vehicle industries; and Industrial, which includes power fuses, protection relays and controls and other circuit protection products.

Moody's Corporation

Moody's is a provider of credit ratings and assessment services; credit, capital markets and economic research, data and analytical tools; software solutions that support financial risk management activities; quantitatively derived credit scores; learning solutions and certification services; and company information and business intelligence products. The company's segments are: Moody's Investors Service, which publishes credit ratings on a range of debt obligations and the entities that issue such obligations in markets worldwide; and Moody's Analytics, which provides financial intelligence and analytical tools to assist businesses in making decisions.

NetScout Systems Inc.

NetScout Systems provides service assurance and security solutions that are used by customers to assure their digital business services against disruption. Using its Adaptive Service Intelligence technology, the company's solutions convert network traffic data, often referred to as wire data, into metadata, or smart data, the company's offerings can help customers identify and troubleshoot network and application performance issues, defend their networks from distributed denial of service attacks, and find and isolate network threats. The company's products are categorized as service assurance solutions for network and application performance, and business intelligence analytics and cybersecurity solutions.

PetIQ Inc. Class A

PetIQ is a holding company. Through its subsidiaries, the company is a pet medication and wellness company providing veterinary products and services. The company's Rx pet medications include heartworm preventatives, arthritis, thyroid, diabetes and pain treatments, antibiotics and other specialty medications, all of which require a prescription from a veterinarian. The OTC medications the company sells are primarily comprised of flea and tick control products, which are available in multiple forms that consumers choose between, such as spot on (topical) treatments, chewables, and collars. The company's health and wellness products include treats and other pet products such as dental treats and nutritional supplements.

Regal Beloit Corp

Regal Beloit is a manufacturer of electric motors, electrical motion controls, power generation and power transmission products. The company is comprised of four operating segments: Commercial Systems, which produces AC and DC motors, electronic variable speed controls, fans, and blowers for commercial applications; Industrial Systems, which produces motors, generators, alternators and switchgear for industrial applications, along with aftermarket parts and kits to support such products; Climate Solutions, which produces small motors, electronic variable speed controls and air moving solutions; and Power Transmission Solutions, which produces, sells and services belt and chain drives.

Sanderson Farms Inc.

Sanderson Farms is a poultry processing company engaged in the production, processing, marketing and distribution of frozen chicken products, including processed and minimally prepared chicken. The company sells ice-packed, chill-packed, bulk-packed and frozen chicken, in whole, cut-up and boneless form to retailers, distributors, and casual dining operators, and to customers who resell frozen chicken into export markets. The company operates through: Sanderson Farms, Inc. (Production Division), which is engaged in the production of chickens to the broiler stage; and Sanderson Farms, Inc. (Processing Division), which is engaged in the processing, sale and distribution of chicken products.

Sprouts Farmers Markets Inc.

Sprouts Farmers Market operates as a healthy grocery store. The company categorizes the varieties of products it sells as perishable and non-perishable. Perishable product categories include produce, meat, seafood, deli, bakery, floral and dairy and dairy alternatives. Non-perishable product categories include grocery, vitamins and supplements, bulk items, frozen foods, beer and wine, and natural health and body care. The company's stores include the following departments: packaged groceries, meat and seafood, deli, vitamins and supplements, dairy and dairy alternatives, bulk items, baked goods, frozen foods, natural health and body care, and beer and wine.

TEGNA Inc.

TEGNA is a media company. The company's business provides television programming and digital content. Each television station also has a digital presence across online, mobile and social platforms. The company provides advertising and marketing services, which include local and national non-political television advertising, digital marketing services, and advertising on stations' websites and tablet and mobile products; subscription by satellite, cable, Over the Top and telecommunications providers; political advertising; and other services, such as production of programming and advertising material. The company's portfolio of Big 4 NBC, CBS, ABC and FOX stations operate under long-term affiliation agreements.

United Therapeutics Corporation

United Therapeutics is a biotechnology company. The company markets and sells four commercial therapies to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH): Remodulin? (treprostinil) Injection; Tyvaso? (treprostinil) Inhalation Solution; Orenitram? (treprostinil) Extended-Release Tablets; and Adcirca? (tadalafil) Tablets. The company also markets and sells an oncology product, Unituxin? (dinutuximab) Injection for treatment of high-risk neuroblastoma. The company also engages in research and development of new indications and formulations and delivery devices for its existing products, as well as new products to treat PAH and other conditions. The company also engages in organ transplantation-related technologies.

WHIRLPOOL CORPORATION

Whirlpool is a home appliance company. The company manufactures and markets a line of home appliances and related products. The company's principal products are laundry appliances, refrigerators and freezers, cooking appliances, dishwashers, mixers and other small domestic appliances. The company manufactures and markets products under brand names such as Whirlpool, KitchenAid, Maytag, Consul, Brastemp, Amana, Bauknecht, JennAir, Indesit and Hotpoint. The company's operating and reportable segments consist of North America, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Latin America and Asia.

Yelp Inc

Yelp provides a platform to both consumers and businesses by helping each discover and interact with the other. The reviews contributed to the company's platform cover a set of local business categories, including restaurants, shopping, beauty and fitness, arts, entertainment and events, home and local services, health, nightlife, travel and hotel, auto and other categories. The company provides a range of free and paid advertising products to businesses of all sizes, including the ability to deliver targeted search advertising to large local audiences through its website and mobile app. The company also provides several features and consumer-interactive tools.

Provider
Valens Research
Valens Research

In 2009, just as the dust was settling from the last major equity and credit market crises, we launched a boutique research firm with the intention of breaking Wall Street’s biases and broken incentives:

  • GAAP and IFRS have failed to provide rules for reliable financial statement reporting
  • Stock analyst recommendations are not grounded in disciplined financial analysis
  • Credit agencies have been set up to grossly fail in their responsibilities to investors and the public markets
  • Utter lack of willingness of major research firms to employ the the most advanced forensic analysis available

We sought to provide investors and company analysts with a source of information that changed all that.
Many years later, our business model remains because little has changed on Wall Street.

  • Corporate credit ratings remain years behind the fundamental underpinnings of company performance
  • Stock analysts continue to make recommendations with deeply inherent biases
  • Research firms have failed to break down the walls between credit, equity, and macroeconomic research
  • The governing accounting bodies have created more leeway for mis-estimates and mis-classifications as financials have become unwieldy and overwhelming

The integrity of Valens Research is founded in our disciplined processes and analytics. No “star” analysts. No corporate advisory relationships. No-nonsense opinions and recommendations.

Analysts
Valens Research

Other Reports on these Companies
Other Reports from Valens Research

ResearchPool Subscriptions

Get the most out of your insights

Get in touch