Independent research on the U.S. markets, Baptista Research

Baptista Research

Independent research on the U.S. markets

Baptista Research is an independent financial research house focused on the U.S. markets. We provide equity research as well as credit research reports on the top-listed U.S. companies with most of our focus on technology, consumer goods and services, automobiles, industrials, oil and gas, pharma, and healthcare. Our research has served more than 3000 institutional investors including mutual funds, hedge funds, banks, family offices, and various buy-side firms. We operate a research subscription service where institutions, as well as retail investors, can have priority access to all our research. We also have a wide distribution of our research reports across some of the top global financial platforms. Apart from equity research and credit research, we also provide advisory services with respect to mergers & acquisitions (M&A), private equity/ venture capital fundraising, valuation reports, and investment management services for corporates.
Baptista Research is owned and managed by Ishan Majumdar, an ex-Venture Capitalist/ Investment Banker, a Chartered Accountant, and a Masters’ degree holder in Management from HEC Paris. Ishan has nearly a decade of experience in Mergers and Acquisitions, Leveraged Buyouts (LBOs), Venture Capital Investing, Corporate Strategy, and Valuation in front-office roles at the likes of BNP Paribas CIB, Credit Agricole CIB, Groupe Danone, and TIW Private Equity. He has worked on and closed multiple acquisition deals, leveraged buyouts, and start-up investment transactions.

Equity Bottom-Up

Altria Group, Inc. is a holding company.  The Company, through subsidiaries, manufactures and sells cigarettes and other tobacco products, including cigars and pipe tobacco.  Altria holds an interest in a brewery company.

<ul><li>Altria Group's third-quarter 2024 earnings call revealed a company in transition, managing both resilience in traditional segments and growth in new areas, weighted against challenges such as regulatory pressures and changing market dynamics.</li><li>The company affirmed financial strength through robust earnings, ongoing share repurchases, and commitment to a progressive dividend, although its future hinges on regulatory landscapes and consumer shifts towards reduced-risk products.</li><li>Baptista Research looks to evaluate the different factors that could influence the company's price in the near future and attempts to carry out an independent valuation of the company using a Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) methodology.</li></ul>

Altria Group's third-quarter 2024 earnings call revealed a company in transition, managing both resilience in traditional segments and growth in new areas, weighted against challenges such as regulatory pressures and changing market dynamics.The company affirmed financial strength through robust earnings, ongoing share repurchases, and commitment to a progressive dividend, although its future hinges on regulatory landscapes and consumer shifts towards reduced-risk products.Baptista Research looks to evaluate the different factors that could influence the company's price in the near future and attempts to carry out an independent valuation of the company using a Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) methodology.

Altria Group Inc.: E-Vapor Division Expansion (NJOY) As A Critical Growth Lever! - Major Drivers

Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events, Quiddity Advisors

Travis Lundy

Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events

Quiddity Advisors

Event-Driven

Dongwon Industries Co., Ltd. is a deep-sea fishing company.  The Company produces and distributes fish can goods and processed seafood products including tuna sashimi.

<ul>
<li>The December 2024 index review results for the KOSPI Indices were announced after the close on Thursday 21st November 2024.</li>
<li>There will be four ADDs and five DELs for KOSPI 200 during the December 2024 index rebal event. </li>
<li>We predicted 8 out of 9 changes correctly. We missed one of the DELs and we expected a couple extra changes which did not materialize.</li>
</ul>


The December 2024 index review results for the KOSPI Indices were announced after the close on Thursday 21st November 2024.
There will be four ADDs and five DELs for KOSPI 200 during the December 2024 index rebal event. 
We predicted 8 out of 9 changes correctly. We missed one of the DELs and we expected a couple extra changes which did not materialize.


KOSPI200 Dec24 Rebal: 4 ADDs, 5 DELs, Big ADV on Small Stocks

Executive Director, Metrical Inc

Aki Matsumoto

Executive Director

Independent Leading Corporate Governance Research

Metrical Inc

METRICAL INC. is an independent leading Corporate Governance research firm in Japan where Corporate Governance is increasingly recognized as an important element on corporate management in these days. Thus, CG research and solutions would become an essential component of global capital markets and play important to contribute to transparency of the markets and maximize shareholders’ value in Japan. 

METRICAL INC. provides Corporate Governance research and analysis including rating services, and  also offers investment research and IR services with solutions and customized profound research on CG and IR issues.

The TOPIX, also known as the Tokyo Stock Price Index, is a capitalization-weighted index of all companies listed on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange. The index is supplemented by the subindices of the 33 industry sectors. The index calculation excludes temporary issues and preferred stocks, and has a base value of 100 as of January 4, 1968.

<ul>
<li>Even the companies with US type 3 committees, which is expected to have higher awareness of corporate governance, there're differences in the status of nominating committee activities among the companies.</li>
<li>While doubts about whether the nominating committee is fulfilling its function have not been dispelled, there have been cases of low approval rates for proposals for the election of directors.</li>
<li>Since discussions in voluntary nominating committees are only advisory, more companies are expected to move to Company with US type 3 Committees, which have statutory nominating committees.</li>
</ul>


Even the companies with US type 3 committees, which is expected to have higher awareness of corporate governance, there're differences in the status of nominating committee activities among the companies.
While doubts about whether the nominating committee is fulfilling its function have not been dispelled, there have been cases of low approval rates for proposals for the election of directors.
Since discussions in voluntary nominating committees are only advisory, more companies are expected to move to Company with US type 3 Committees, which have statutory nominating committees.


Nominating Committee Is Becoming More Active in a Few Companies, but No Sign yet of Spreading to All

Korea / Special Sits, Pairs, Index Rebalancing, Clepsydra Capital

Sanghyun Park

Korea / Special Sits, Pairs, Index Rebalancing

Clepsydra Capital

Investigate special situations, pairs, and index rebalancing trades in Korea.

Equity Capital Markets

LG Energy Solution / Equity Capital Markets

LG Energy Solution produces and sells batteries. The Company manufactures and sells automobile batteries, small batteries, energy storage system batteries, and other products. LG Energy Solution markets its products worldwide.

<ul>
<li>The local market’s buzzing that LG Chem could face a 200-300 billion KRW tax hit from Pillar Two next year, with LGES ramping up U.S. production.</li>
<li>LG Chem may be reconsidering its plan to sell 2% of its LGES stake, dropping ownership below 80%, shifting the tax burden to LGES instead of itself.</li>
<li>Flagging this now—LG Chem’s tax burden looms. Consider shorting LGES or a long-short with LG Chem, plus prep for the 2T KRW block deal with the pre-disclosure process.</li>
</ul>


The local market’s buzzing that LG Chem could face a 200-300 billion KRW tax hit from Pillar Two next year, with LGES ramping up U.S. production.
LG Chem may be reconsidering its plan to sell 2% of its LGES stake, dropping ownership below 80%, shifting the tax burden to LGES instead of itself.
Flagging this now—LG Chem’s tax burden looms. Consider shorting LGES or a long-short with LG Chem, plus prep for the 2T KRW block deal with the pre-disclosure process.


LG Chem's Tax Alarm: Pillar Two Tax Could Soar Next Year + LGES Block Deal on the Horizon

Research Coverage on Small and Micro-Cap Companies, Zacks Small Cap Research

Zacks Small Cap Research

Research Coverage on Small and Micro-Cap Companies

Zacks Small Cap Research provides research coverage on small- and micro-cap companies that are “under-followed” or “under-valued” by Wall Street. We produce high quality equity research for the institutional and retail investor on microcap firms we believe are well positioned for future growth. The Zacks SCR analyst team has an average of 20 years of experience in investment research. We conduct significant due diligence in an effort to maintain the highest quality small-cap universe.

Sadot Group Inc. operates as a global food supply chain group company. The Company offers services in sustainable farm operations, agri-commodity origination and trading operations for food and feed products such as soybean meal, wheat, and corn, and managing food service operations with a chain of restaurants. Sadot Group serves customers in the United States.

<ul><li>In late 2022, the company began its evolution from a consumer-focused, U.S. restaurant business into a global, food-focused organization with two distinct business units.</li><li>The company's largest operating unit is Sadot Agri-Foods, which is a vertically integrated international food supply chain company engaged in trading and shipping sustainable food and commodities such as soybeans, wheat and corn.</li><li>Sadot's legacy restaurant business is currently in the process of being divested.</li></ul>

In late 2022, the company began its evolution from a consumer-focused, U.S. restaurant business into a global, food-focused organization with two distinct business units.The company's largest operating unit is Sadot Agri-Foods, which is a vertically integrated international food supply chain company engaged in trading and shipping sustainable food and commodities such as soybeans, wheat and corn.Sadot's legacy restaurant business is currently in the process of being divested.

SDOT: Sadot Group reports 3rd quarter 2024 financial and operating results which showed strong growth in commodity related revenues.

Consumer Staples
Insights in the Consumer Staples Space

Altria Group Inc.: E-Vapor Division Expansion (NJOY) As A Critical Growth Lever! - Major Drivers

Altria Group's third-quarter 2024 earnings call revealed a company in transition, managing both resilience in traditional segments and growth in...

Baptista Research

KOSPI200 Dec24 Rebal: 4 ADDs, 5 DELs, Big ADV on Small Stocks

The KOSPI 200 December 2024 rebal has been announced. We got 8/9 right. One was borderline. One false positive is an issue we are checking, but the...

Travis Lundy

Nominating Committee Is Becoming More Active in a Few Companies, but No Sign yet of Spreading to All

I would like to discuss the October 22 Nikkei Shimbun article, ““Nominating Committee Holds 80% of Meetings to Discuss Top Management Appointments,...

Metrical Inc

LG Chem's Tax Alarm: Pillar Two Tax Could Soar Next Year + LGES Block Deal on the Horizon

LG Chem's tax situation is on the radar: Pillar Two tax hit could explode next year, and a LGES stake block deal appears to be coming down the...

Sanghyun Park

Altria Group Inc.: E-Vapor Division Expansion (NJOY) As A Critical Growth Lever! - Major Drivers

Altria Group's third-quarter 2024 earnings call revealed a company in transition, managing both resilience in traditional segments and growth in...

Baptista Research

KOSPI200 Dec24 Rebal: 4 ADDs, 5 DELs, Big ADV on Small Stocks

The KOSPI 200 December 2024 rebal has been announced. We got 8/9 right. One was borderline. One false positive is an issue we are checking, but the...

Travis Lundy

Nominating Committee Is Becoming More Active in a Few Companies, but No Sign yet of Spreading to All

I would like to discuss the October 22 Nikkei Shimbun article, ““Nominating Committee Holds 80% of Meetings to Discuss Top Management Appointments,...

Metrical Inc

LG Chem's Tax Alarm: Pillar Two Tax Could Soar Next Year + LGES Block Deal on the Horizon

LG Chem's tax situation is on the radar: Pillar Two tax hit could explode next year, and a LGES stake block deal appears to be coming down the...

Sanghyun Park

SDOT: Sadot Group reports 3rd quarter 2024 financial and operating results which showed strong growth in commodity related revenues.

In late 2022, the company began its evolution from a consumer-focused, U.S. restaurant business into a global, food-focused organization with two...

Zacks Small Cap Research