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>Block, Inc.'s latest earnings report for the second quarter of 2025 provided key insights into the company's ongoing strategies, progress, and operational challenges.</li>
<li>Showing signs of a return to growth mode, the company reported a gross profit of $2.5 billion, up 14% year-over-year, and an adjusted operating income of $550 million, reflecting a 38% increase.</li>
<li>This indicates an expansion in margins to a new peak of 22%.</li>
</ul>


Block, Inc.'s latest earnings report for the second quarter of 2025 provided key insights into the company's ongoing strategies, progress, and operational challenges.
Showing signs of a return to growth mode, the company reported a gross profit of $2.5 billion, up 14% year-over-year, and an adjusted operating income of $550 million, reflecting a 38% increase.
This indicates an expansion in margins to a new peak of 22%.


Block Inc.: Inside the Borrow Platform’s Surge to 6 Million Users & What’s Next!

Head of Research, IPOs & Placements, Aequitas Research

Sumeet Singh

Head of Research, IPOs & Placements

IPOs and Placements coverage across Asia Pacific

Aequitas Research

We cover all listing across the Asia Pacific along with follow-up placements. As of Dec 2020, our team had covered 539 IPOs with a hit rate of 73.5% and 685 placements with a hit rate of 66.8%.

We combine fundamental bottom-up views with our proprietary quantitative framework to provide a holistic coverage across new listings and placements. Our coverage includes pre-IPO notes before the deal is launched, follow-up analysis once the deal is live and post-listing trading analysis as well.

Equity Capital Markets

<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/pine-labs-pvt-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:33472:1" rel="noopener">Pine Labs</a> is looking to raise up to US$1bn in its upcoming India IPO.</li>
<li>Pine Labs (PL) is a fintech firm focused on digitizing commerce through digital payments and issuing solutions for merchants, consumer brands and enterprises, and financial institutions.</li>
<li>In this note, we talk about the not-so-positive aspects of the deal.</li>
</ul>



Pine Labs is looking to raise up to US$1bn in its upcoming India IPO.
Pine Labs (PL) is a fintech firm focused on digitizing commerce through digital payments and issuing solutions for merchants, consumer brands and enterprises, and financial institutions.
In this note, we talk about the not-so-positive aspects of the deal.


Pine Labs Pre-IPO - The Negatives - ...some Segments Slowing, Lots Unexplained

<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/pine-labs-pvt-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:33472:1" rel="noopener">Pine Labs</a> is looking to raise up to US$1bn in its upcoming India IPO.</li>
<li>Pine Labs (PL) is a fintech firm focused on digitizing commerce through digital payments and issuing solutions for merchants, consumer brands and enterprises, and financial institutions.</li>
<li>In this note, we talk about the positive aspects of the deal.</li>
</ul>



Pine Labs is looking to raise up to US$1bn in its upcoming India IPO.
Pine Labs (PL) is a fintech firm focused on digitizing commerce through digital payments and issuing solutions for merchants, consumer brands and enterprises, and financial institutions.
In this note, we talk about the positive aspects of the deal.


Pine Labs Pre-IPO - The Positives - Some Segments Growing..

Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events, Quiddity Advisors

David Blennerhassett

Pan-Asia Catalysts/Events

Quiddity Advisors

Event-Driven

<ul>
<li>In December 2021, buy-now, pay-later outfit <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/humm-group" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:35366:1" rel="noopener">humm (HUM AU)</a> announced approaches from third parties to acquire all/part of the company. This was discussed in<a href="https://skr.ma/CkbrE" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> BNPL Play Hummgroup Fields Proposals</a>. </li>
<li>Six months later, a proposed sale of Humm Consumer Finance business to <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/latitude-group-holdings-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:26740:1" rel="noopener">Latitude (LFS AU)</a> was terminated, before the scheduled vote, due to opposition from founder/chairman Andrew Abercrombie. </li>
<li>Now the Abercrombie Group (TAG), the family office of Andrew Abercrombie, has tabled a A$0.58/share non-binding Offer, in cash, by way of a Scheme. Abercrombie hold 26.6%.</li>
</ul>


In December 2021, buy-now, pay-later outfit humm (HUM AU) announced approaches from third parties to acquire all/part of the company. This was discussed in BNPL Play Hummgroup Fields Proposals. 
Six months later, a proposed sale of Humm Consumer Finance business to Latitude (LFS AU) was terminated, before the scheduled vote, due to opposition from founder/chairman Andrew Abercrombie. 
Now the Abercrombie Group (TAG), the family office of Andrew Abercrombie, has tabled a A$0.58/share non-binding Offer, in cash, by way of a Scheme. Abercrombie hold 26.6%.


<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/xero-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:390:1" rel="noopener">Xero Ltd (XRO AU)</a>  plans to raise around US$1.2bn via an institutional placement to partly fund the US$2.5bn acquisition for Melio.</li>
<li>The US market has been a growth dampener for Xero for a while. The acquisition is large but might not be a game changer.</li>
<li>In this note, we will talk about the deal dynamics and run the deal through our ECM framework.</li>
</ul>



Xero Ltd (XRO AU)  plans to raise around US$1.2bn via an institutional placement to partly fund the US$2.5bn acquisition for Melio.
The US market has been a growth dampener for Xero for a while. The acquisition is large but might not be a game changer.
In this note, we will talk about the deal dynamics and run the deal through our ECM framework.


Xero US1.2bn Placement - Trying to Jump Start US, Again. Might Not Be a Game Changer.

United States

Block, Inc. operates as a financial services and digital payments company. The Company develops a payments platform aimed at small and medium businesses that allows them to accept credit card payments and use tablet computers as payment registers for a point-of-sale system. Block also provides financial and marketing services.

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Block (XYZ US)

Block Inc.: Inside the Borrow Platform’s Surge to 6 Million Users & What’s Next!

Block, Inc.'s latest earnings report for the second quarter of 2025 provided key insights into the company's ongoing strategies, progress, and...

Baptista Research

Pine Labs Pre-IPO - The Negatives - ...some Segments Slowing, Lots Unexplained

Pine Labs is looking to raise up to US$1bn in its upcoming India IPO. In this note, we talk about the not-so-positive aspects of the deal.

Sumeet Singh

Pine Labs Pre-IPO - The Positives - Some Segments Growing..

Pine Labs is looking to raise up to US$1bn in its upcoming India IPO. In this note, we talk about the positive aspects of the deal.

Sumeet Singh

Humm Group (HUM AU): Chairman's NBIO

humm is engaged. Yet terms remain indicative. If small, illiquid arbs are your thing, I might pay up to A$0.54/share, assuming payment around the...

David Blennerhassett

Xero US1.2bn Placement - Trying to Jump Start US, Again. Might Not Be a Game Changer.

Xero Ltd (XRO AU) plans to raise around US$1.2bn via an institutional placement to partly fund the US$2.5bn acquisition for Melio.

Sumeet Singh

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