Report
Valens Research

WDR - Embedded Expectations Analysis - 2019 02 25

Waddell & Reed Financial, Inc. (WDR:USA) currently trades below corporate averages relative to UAFRS-based (Uniform) Earnings, with an 8.9x Uniform P/E, implying bearish expectations for the firm. Moreover, management may have concerns about macro volatility, institutional outflows, and progress on their initiatives

Specifically, management may be concerned about market volatility, and may lack confidence in their ability to decrease operating costs, and distribute information to investors. Moreover, they may be concerned about institutional outflows, their compensation structure, and their long-term competitive positioning. Additionally, management may be exaggerating the progress of platform enhancements, workflow consolidation, and pipeline changes aimed at attracting higher-producing advisors.
Underlying
Waddell & Reed Financial Inc. Class A

Waddell & Reed Financial is a holding company. Through its subsidiaries, the company provides investment management and advisory services, investment product underwriting and distribution, and shareholder services administration to the Ivy Funds,Ivy Variable Insurance Portfolios, InvestEd Portfolios, Ivy High Income Opportunities Fund, and institutional accounts. The company also provides wealth management services, primarily to retail clients through Waddell & Reed, Inc. (W&R), and independent financial advisors associated with W&R, who provide financial planning and advice to their clients.

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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
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  • Utter lack of willingness of major research firms to employ the the most advanced forensic analysis available

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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
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  • The governing accounting bodies have created more leeway for mis-estimates and mis-classifications as financials have become unwieldy and overwhelming

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