Research from Water Tower Research, Water Tower Research

Water Tower Research

Research from Water Tower Research

Water Tower Research is a leading equity research firm that provides research on micro, small and mid cap companies.

Water Tower Research was founded by Wall Street veterans after witnessing a fundamental shift in the investment research industry with the result being a declining knowledge base among investors, a lack of awareness and a shrinking pool of fundamental research being conducted on companies across the small-cap and micro-cap spectrum. The same issues are now increasingly occurring in the mid-cap space. This sea change within the investment community is impacting not only the companies themselves but also current shareholders and potential investors. With significantly less active sell-side sponsorship by Wall Street, a substantial information gap has developed between companies and various constituents in the financial community. The net result is fewer channels for insight and information to flow between companies and investors.

Equity Research Firm

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

<ul><li>After two years of working through the excessive growth witnessed in 2020, the $6 trillion e- commerce market is expected to accelerate modestly to ~11% in 2024.</li><li>Major secular trends such as mobile commerce (m-commerce) and buy now, pay later (BNPL) should help drive the market forward.</li><li>Digital advertising is expected to grow 9% to $719 billion, with a potential major boost from the fast- growing free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) as major players such as Netflix, Amazon, and Google introduced new content and services to draw increased consumer adoption.</li></ul>

After two years of working through the excessive growth witnessed in 2020, the $6 trillion e- commerce market is expected to accelerate modestly to ~11% in 2024.Major secular trends such as mobile commerce (m-commerce) and buy now, pay later (BNPL) should help drive the market forward.Digital advertising is expected to grow 9% to $719 billion, with a potential major boost from the fast- growing free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) as major players such as Netflix, Amazon, and Google introduced new content and services to draw increased consumer adoption.

Five Trends in Technology for 2024 - Outlook for Key Markets in Tech

Covering IPOs, Healthcare and Technology Stocks

Andrei Zakharov

Equity Bottom-Up

<ul>
<li>I remain bullish on the stock and reiterate a $37 PT. <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/confluent-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:33443:1" rel="noopener">Confluent (CFLT US)</a> delivered upside to total revenue, gross margin, and non-GAAP operating margin estimates.</li>
<li>The company raised guidance for CY23 total revenue and profitability. There were plenty of positives, including cloud momentum and customer demand.</li>
<li>The US-based data streaming pioneer appears well positioned to outperform my estimates, and I see a path to profitability (non-GAAP) in CY24 at the earliest.</li>
</ul>


I remain bullish on the stock and reiterate a $37 PT. Confluent (CFLT US) delivered upside to total revenue, gross margin, and non-GAAP operating margin estimates.
The company raised guidance for CY23 total revenue and profitability. There were plenty of positives, including cloud momentum and customer demand.
The US-based data streaming pioneer appears well positioned to outperform my estimates, and I see a path to profitability (non-GAAP) in CY24 at the earliest.


Confluent. 2Q Wrap: Solid Results and Leadership Position In a $60B+ TAM

Value Investing

Vladimir Dimitrov, CFA

<ul>
<li>The main focus will remain on Direct-to-Consumer profitability, but areas such as the recently announced restructuring plan and pricing power in parks &amp; experiences also deserve attention.</li>
<li>The main focus is on the company's Direct- to- consumer profitability.</li>
<li>It has been three months since my latest update on <strong>The Walt Disney Company (<span class="ticker-hover-wrapper">NYSE:DIS</span>)</strong> when I highlighted a number of reasons why the company is finally in a good position to deliver on its bottom line figures.</li>
</ul>


The main focus will remain on Direct-to-Consumer profitability, but areas such as the recently announced restructuring plan and pricing power in parks &amp; experiences also deserve attention.
The main focus is on the company's Direct- to- consumer profitability.
It has been three months since my latest update on The Walt Disney Company (NYSE:DIS) when I highlighted a number of reasons why the company is finally in a good position to deliver on its bottom line figures.


Disney's Q3 2023 Earnings: A Pivotal Quarter To Appease Investors And Analysts

Global Multi-Asset Investment Strategist, True Insights

Jeroen Blokland

Global Multi-Asset Investment Strategist

Build Well-Diversified Multi-Asset Portfolios

True Insights

Our research helps investors build well-diversified multi-asset portfolios and profit from market developments. In addition, our unique and proven Macro – Sentiment – Valuation (MSV) investment framework ensures a consistent flow of new investment opportunities. Together with our market views, these opportunities will be reflected in our live ETF-based Global Multi-Asset Portfolios.

Cross Asset Strategy

<ul>
<li>Unlike many suggest, the downgrade of the US credit rating by Fitch, resulting in the US losing its Triple-A status, will have significant impact on markets.</li>
<li>The disappointing ISM Manufacturing Index comes with massive downside for Equities in all regions.</li>
<li>While the Big Tech earnings dream get to live another day, the risks of a further and more significant slowdown in company earnings remain abundant.</li>
</ul>


Unlike many suggest, the downgrade of the US credit rating by Fitch, resulting in the US losing its Triple-A status, will have significant impact on markets.
The disappointing ISM Manufacturing Index comes with massive downside for Equities in all regions.
While the Big Tech earnings dream get to live another day, the risks of a further and more significant slowdown in company earnings remain abundant.


The Weekly Market Monitor (31) – Bye, Bye, Triple-A

High Quality Stock Setups, Weekly Stock Bull Finder

Weekly Stock Bull Finder

High Quality Stock Setups

Finding high potential stock setups on quality companies

<ul><li>So far in 2023, mega-cap growth names such as Meta, Nvidia, Microsoft, and Netflix have continued to provide market leadership resulting in a 41% YTD gain in the QQQ ETF.</li><li>However, last week saw notable rotation away from technology (XLK) to the healthcare, energy, and financial sectors.</li><li>This came off the backs of notable technology heavyweights Tesla and Netflix earnings reports and investors selling off these names after their earnings prints this week.</li></ul>

So far in 2023, mega-cap growth names such as Meta, Nvidia, Microsoft, and Netflix have continued to provide market leadership resulting in a 41% YTD gain in the QQQ ETF.However, last week saw notable rotation away from technology (XLK) to the healthcare, energy, and financial sectors.This came off the backs of notable technology heavyweights Tesla and Netflix earnings reports and investors selling off these names after their earnings prints this week.

United States

Expedia Group, Inc. provides branded online travel services for leisure and small business travelers. The Company offers a wide range of travel shopping and reservation services, providing real-time access to schedule, pricing and availability information for airlines, hotels, and car rental companies.

Booking Holdings Inc. operates as an online travel company. The Company offers a platform that allows to make travel reservations with providers of travel services, as well as provides accommodation reservations, rentals cars, airline tickets, and vacation packages. Booking Holdings serves customers worldwide.

Etsy, Inc. provides e-commerce services. The Company offers handmade and vintage items, art, and supplies, as well as regular items such as clothing, housewares, paper goods, candles, bags and purses, music, and wood working items. Etsy serves users throughout the United States.

Wayfair Inc. retails household goods online. The Company offers bedroom, living room, kitchen and dining, home entertainment, home office, game room and bar, patio, hallway and entryway, and bathroom furniture. Wayfair offers products and services in the United States.

TripAdvisor Inc. is an online travel research company. The Company's travel research platform aggregates reviews and opinions of members about destinations, accommodations (including hotels, bed and breakfasts ("B&Bs"), specialty lodging and vacation rentals), restaurants and activities throughout the world.

1-800-FLOWERS.COM, Inc. is an e-commerce provider of floral products and gifts. The Company's product offerings, including fresh-cut and seasonal flowers, plants, floral arrangements, and home and garden merchandise, can be purchased online or by calling its toll-free telephone number.

Lands' End, Inc. manufactures men's, women's and children's apparel and accessories. The Company produces and distributes swimwear, clothing, bedding, totes, furniture, bath accessories, uniforms, outter wear and various related products. Lands' End offers its products through its catalog and website around the world.

Overstock.com, Inc. offers discounted brand-name merchandise for sale over the Internet. Products include bed-and-bath goods, kitchenware, jewelry, sporting goods, electronics, and designer accessories.

Stitch Fix, Inc. operates as an online subscription and personal shopping platform. The Company offers shirts, jackets, sweaters, blazers, leggings, vests, scarfs, jeans, loafers, and boots for men and women. Stitch Fix serves customers in the United States.

Porter Holding International, Inc. operates online to offline (O2O) business platforms for consumer manufacturing enterprises. The Company operates cloud platforms that provide Internet-based intelligent e-commerce information services.

Trip.com Group Ltd. provides online travel agency services. The Company offers mobile applications, hotel reservations, flight ticketing, package tours, corporate travel management, and train ticketing services.

JD.com Inc is an online direct sales company in China.  The Company offers a wide selection of products through its website and mobile applications.  JD.com sells appliances, computers, digital products, communication products, garments, books, and household items to consumers and vendors.

Zomato Limited is an online restaurant guide and food ordering platform. The Company offers platform connects customers, restaurant partners and delivery partners to search and discover restaurants, read and write customer generated reviews, order food delivery, book a table, and make payments while dining-out at restaurants. Zomato serves customers worldwide.

Vipshop Holdings Ltd. retails branded products at discount over the Internet. The Company retails through flash sales, in which limited quantities of an item are sold at deep discount for a specified period of time.

ZOZO Inc operates internet shopping sites for apparel.  The Company also provides communication services relating to apparel such as blogs by fashion moguls and internet chat room for users.

Mango Excellent Media Co.,Ltd. offers television based services. The Company provides television shopping, online shopping, outbound shopping, and other services. Mango Excellent Media also operates new media platform operation.

Momo.com Inc is an e-commerce services company. The Company offers TV shopping and Internet shopping services, including beauty products, clothing, leather goods and food shops.

Webjet Limited provides branded online travel services for travelers.  The Company offers one-stop travel shopping and reservation services, providing real-time access to schedule, pricing, and availability information for airlines hotels, and major car rental companies.

Ocado Group PLC distributes a wide range of retail consumer products.  The Company provides home delivery of a wide range of products including food and drink, toiletries and baby, household, pet care, and holiday products.

zooplus AG retails pet supplies over the Internet.

Netflix Inc. is an Internet subscription service for watching tv shows and movies. Subscribers can instantly watch unlimited TV shows and movies streamed over the Internet to their TVs, computers and mobile devices and in the United States, subscribers can receive standard definition DVDs and Blu-ray Discs delivered to their homes.

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Netflix Inc (NFLX US)

Five Trends in Technology for 2024 - Outlook for Key Markets in Tech

After two years of working through the excessive growth witnessed in 2020, the $6 trillion e- commerce market is expected to accelerate modestly to...

Water Tower Research

Confluent. 2Q Wrap: Solid Results and Leadership Position In a $60B+ TAM

Confluent reported solid results and achieved sustained high growth despite a choppy macro environment and smaller average deal sizes. The company...

Andrei Zakharov

Disney's Q3 2023 Earnings: A Pivotal Quarter To Appease Investors And Analysts

The main focus will remain on Direct-to-Consumer profitability, but areas such as the recently announced restructuring plan and pricing power in...

Vladimir Dimitrov, CFA

The Weekly Market Monitor (31) – Bye, Bye, Triple-A

The US has lost the Triple A-rating, which, unlike many suggest, will have major implications. If not in the short run, then definitely in the long...

Jeroen Blokland

Weekly Stock Bullfinder - Week of 7/24

So far in 2023, mega-cap growth names such as Meta, Nvidia, Microsoft, and Netflix have continued to provide market leadership resulting in a 41%...

Weekly Stock Bull Finder

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