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

<ul><li>Meta Platforms, Inc.'s first-quarter results of 2025 reflect a complex landscape of opportunities and challenges, driven significantly by the integration and expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) across its platforms.</li><li>The company reported strong financial performance with total revenue reaching $42.3 billion, a 16% increase year over-year.</li><li>This growth was driven largely by its Family of Apps, which includes Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, contributing $41.9 billion to total revenue.</li></ul>

Meta Platforms, Inc.'s first-quarter results of 2025 reflect a complex landscape of opportunities and challenges, driven significantly by the integration and expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) across its platforms.The company reported strong financial performance with total revenue reaching $42.3 billion, a 16% increase year over-year.This growth was driven largely by its Family of Apps, which includes Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, contributing $41.9 billion to total revenue.

Meta’s $14.8 Billion AI Power Play: Can Zuckerberg’s “Founder Mode” Save Its Superintelligence Bet?

Asia and Global Semiconductor and Tech Research

Andrew Lu

<ul>
<li>Post 35% price gain in a quarter, many good news we expected and other analysts expected already factored into the share price. We believe the risk/reward not attractive here.</li>
<li>TSMC guides stronger 1Q24 and 2024, helped by Nvidia and copy cat AI GPU/ASIC orders. We see greater opportunities for alternative copy cat solutions like AMD and Alchip.</li>
<li>We attribute Nvidia customers' sales discrepancy to AI server is cannibalizing non-AI server and Nvidia is allocating more GPUs to premium price paying customers in 1H24 and reverse in 2H24.</li>
</ul>


Post 35% price gain in a quarter, many good news we expected and other analysts expected already factored into the share price. We believe the risk/reward not attractive here.
TSMC guides stronger 1Q24 and 2024, helped by Nvidia and copy cat AI GPU/ASIC orders. We see greater opportunities for alternative copy cat solutions like AMD and Alchip.
We attribute Nvidia customers' sales discrepancy to AI server is cannibalizing non-AI server and Nvidia is allocating more GPUs to premium price paying customers in 1H24 and reverse in 2H24.


From Nvidia Results to See Supply Chain Stories?

Equity Long-Short, Semiconductors, Fabricated Knowledge

Douglas O'Laughlin

Equity Long-Short, Semiconductors

Fabricated Knowledge

Learn more about the world's most important manufactured product. Meaningful insight, timely analysis, and an occasional investment idea.

<ul><li>KLA had a rare miss. The guidance was a bit light for the inspection execution machine.</li><li>KLA rarely misses and is by far the best financially managed of the large-cap semicap companies.</li><li>KLA reports Q2 EPS $6.16 ex-items vs FactSet $5.91</li></ul>

KLA had a rare miss. The guidance was a bit light for the inspection execution machine.KLA rarely misses and is by far the best financially managed of the large-cap semicap companies.KLA reports Q2 EPS $6.16 ex-items vs FactSet $5.91

KLA & LaserTec, AMD, Hyperscaler Capex, SK Hynix, SWKS and QRVO, WOLF, MCHP

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

<ul>
<li>After our global server market model update, we see 3Q23 server market decline and data center vendors' capex cut not consistent with Nvidia's robust y/y sales growth of over 200%;</li>
<li>Discrepancy: 1. Nvidia gaining value on AI server, losing zero on non AI; 2. AI servers grow at the expenses of non AI; 3. most vendors not only in server;</li>
<li>Different from  consensus view, we expect general (non AI) server market to decline 16% y/y in 2024 and 29% in 2025 and suggest to avoid general server supply chain vendors.</li>
</ul>


After our global server market model update, we see 3Q23 server market decline and data center vendors' capex cut not consistent with Nvidia's robust y/y sales growth of over 200%;
Discrepancy: 1. Nvidia gaining value on AI server, losing zero on non AI; 2. AI servers grow at the expenses of non AI; 3. most vendors not only in server;
Different from  consensus view, we expect general (non AI) server market to decline 16% y/y in 2024 and 29% in 2025 and suggest to avoid general server supply chain vendors.


What to Avoid if AI Server Will Continue to Squeeze General Server Market in 2024-2025?

Event-Driven

<ul>
<li>Last week the best show in semiconductors was the Maxlinear and SIMO merger news. I will catalog the entire saga and outline my thoughts on where things go.</li>
<li>Before we talk about SIMO, let’s talk about Maxlinear’s acquisitions. MaxLinear acquired an asset in April 2020 that was almost the perfect fit.</li>
<li>As Intel shed assets, <a href="https://link.sbstck.com/redirect/db2d9597-2061-468b-ba34-a12146ed7e62?j=eyJ1IjoiMmh6Z2Z6In0.muIDtmM5oyqUKBSSZiLNsipOMwhSsKSSacAB3JlN14Y" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://link.sbstck.com/redirect/db2d9597-2061-468b-ba34-a12146ed7e62?j%3DeyJ1IjoiMmh6Z2Z6In0.muIDtmM5oyqUKBSSZiLNsipOMwhSsKSSacAB3JlN14Y&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1691025954853000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1XwVvbW4r4yPuTojiMtbQH" rel="noopener">they sold their home gateway platform</a>, which makes the semiconductors that go in-home modems and routers.</li>
</ul>


Last week the best show in semiconductors was the Maxlinear and SIMO merger news. I will catalog the entire saga and outline my thoughts on where things go.
Before we talk about SIMO, let’s talk about Maxlinear’s acquisitions. MaxLinear acquired an asset in April 2020 that was almost the perfect fit.
As Intel shed assets, they sold their home gateway platform, which makes the semiconductors that go in-home modems and routers.


Maxlinear and Silicon Motion, Vicor and Monolithic Power and New Product Launches

United States

Meta Platforms Inc. operates as a social technology company. The Company builds applications and technologies that help people connect, find communities, and grow businesses. meta Platform is also involved in advertisements, augmented and virtual reality.

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Meta (META US)

Meta’s $14.8 Billion AI Power Play: Can Zuckerberg’s “Founder Mode” Save Its Superintelligence Bet?

Meta Platforms, Inc.'s first-quarter results of 2025 reflect a complex landscape of opportunities and challenges, driven significantly by the...

Baptista Research

From Nvidia Results to See Supply Chain Stories?

From Nvidia Results to See Supply Chain Stories? Post 35% price gain in a quarter, many good news already factored into the share price. We...

Andrew Lu

KLA & LaserTec, AMD, Hyperscaler Capex, SK Hynix, SWKS and QRVO, WOLF, MCHP

Another week of earnings, with KLA having a rare miss and the guidance being a bit light for the inspection execution machine.

Fabricated Knowledge

What to Avoid if AI Server Will Continue to Squeeze General Server Market in 2024-2025?

Names to Avoid if AI Server Will Continue to Squeeze General Server Market in 2024-2025? Different from consensus, we expect non AI server market...

Andrew Lu

Maxlinear and Silicon Motion, Vicor and Monolithic Power and New Product Launches

Maxlinear has a legal battle on it's hands, and what's the new product Vicor is talking about? Last week the best show in semiconductors was the...

Fabricated Knowledge

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