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>Saint-Gobain delivered strong financial results in the first half of 2025, characterized by record operating margins and a robust earnings performance.</li>
<li>The company's sales grew by 3.4% in local currencies, reaching EUR 23.9 billion, while EBITDA climbed by 7% compared to the same period in 2024.</li>
<li>Notably, the operating margin reached a new high of 11.8%, and recurring earnings per share were stable at EUR 3.63.</li>
</ul>


Saint-Gobain delivered strong financial results in the first half of 2025, characterized by record operating margins and a robust earnings performance.
The company's sales grew by 3.4% in local currencies, reaching EUR 23.9 billion, while EBITDA climbed by 7% compared to the same period in 2024.
Notably, the operating margin reached a new high of 11.8%, and recurring earnings per share were stable at EUR 3.63.


Compagnie Saint-Gobain: Expansion in Asia Pacific & Margin Improvement to Up Their Game!

Pan-Asia Index Rebalances/ Events/ Delta One, Periscope Analytics

Brian Freitas

Pan-Asia Index Rebalances/ Events/ Delta One

Periscope Analytics

Periscope Analytics focuses on event-driven trades across Asia Pacific and provides comprehensive, timely and systematic coverage of index changes to major Asia Pacific indices in a structured manner.

The analysis includes forecasted inclusions and exclusions to all major Asian indices that have significant amount of tracking assets, including estimates of passive buy/sell flow on the stocks. The service also provides commentary and impact of market consultations, ground rule changes, and other events (IPOs, spin-offs, M&A) that could lead to index changes and passive flow.

Periscope Analytics works with multi-strategy hedge funds, proprietary trading firms, stat arb trading groups and long-only investors that invest and trade in the Asia Pacific region with the data being used to trade index rebalances, avoid pre-positioning and passive flow, and to time entry into and exit from stocks.

Event-Driven Trades Across Asia Pacific

Index Rebalance

<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/seven-group-holdings-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:803:1" rel="noopener">Seven Group Holdings (SVW AU)</a>'s holding in <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/boral-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:1487:1" rel="noopener">Boral Ltd (BLD AU)</a> continues to increase and that could lead to an index change at the June rebalance, if not earlier.</li>
<li>The <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/silver-lake-resources-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:6529:1" rel="noopener">Silver Lake Resources (SLR AU)</a>/ <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/red-5-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:7940:1" rel="noopener">Red 5 Ltd (RED AU)</a> merger could lead to an index change early June.</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/cie-de-saint-gobain" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:21547:1" rel="noopener">Cie De Saint-Gobain (SGO FP)</a>'s acquisition of <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/csr-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:17380:1" rel="noopener">CSR Ltd (CSR AU)</a> could lead to another index change just ahead of the regular June rebalance.</li>
</ul>



Seven Group Holdings (SVW AU)'s holding in Boral Ltd (BLD AU) continues to increase and that could lead to an index change at the June rebalance, if not earlier.
The Silver Lake Resources (SLR AU)/ Red 5 Ltd (RED AU) merger could lead to an index change early June.

Cie De Saint-Gobain (SGO FP)'s acquisition of CSR Ltd (CSR AU) could lead to another index change just ahead of the regular June rebalance.


ASX200 Index Rebalance Preview: Potential Changes Prior to the June Rebalance

Founder at Stock Spin-off Investing, Stock Spin-Off Investing

Richard Howe

Founder at Stock Spin-off Investing

Stock Spin-Off Investing

Generate attractive returns by taking advantage of inefficiencies in the stock spin-off market.

Stock Spin-offs

Event-Driven

<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/holcim-ltd-7f60ceaa-51af-4f85-ac5f-114595eb04f3" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:27916" rel="noopener">Holcim (HOLN SW)</a> spun off its construction materials and solutions business into a standalone company on Friday, June 20th.</li>
<li>The new company is called <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/amrize-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:45209" rel="noopener">Amrize (AMRZ US)</a>. </li>
<li>The first day of trading will be Monday, June 23, 2025.</li>
</ul>



Holcim (HOLN SW) spun off its construction materials and solutions business into a standalone company on Friday, June 20th.
The new company is called Amrize (AMRZ US). 
The first day of trading will be Monday, June 23, 2025.


Asset Allocation & Fund Positioning, Copley Fund Research

Steven Holden

Asset Allocation & Fund Positioning

Copley Fund Research

Copley Fund Research provide research and data on asset allocation among Global and Emerging Market equity funds.  The analysis details absolute and relative positioning across countries, sectors and industries together with highly granular data on single stock and single fund allocations.  The data is updated monthly with time series going back to January 2011.

Global Research - Analysis of 165 prominent Global equity funds, combined AUM $335bn
GEM Research - Analysis of 127 prominent global EM equity funds, combined AUM $250bn

Asset Allocation - Global and GEM Equity

Cross Asset Strategy

<ul>
<li>68.2% of global equity funds are positioned ahead of the benchmark in France, with an average overweight of 2%, making it the second largest country overweight after the UK.</li>
<li>France is currently the second largest country overweight after the UK, effectively offsetting some of the underweights in the USA, China &amp; Hong Kong, and Australia.</li>
<li>Overweights driven by by Schneider Electric, L'Oreal, and LVMH, whilst Pernod Ricard and Sanofi see investor outflows.</li>
</ul>


68.2% of global equity funds are positioned ahead of the benchmark in France, with an average overweight of 2%, making it the second largest country overweight after the UK.
France is currently the second largest country overweight after the UK, effectively offsetting some of the underweights in the USA, China &amp; Hong Kong, and Australia.
Overweights driven by by Schneider Electric, L'Oreal, and LVMH, whilst Pernod Ricard and Sanofi see investor outflows.


France:  Global Funds Overweight Ahead of Snap Election

IPOs and Catalysts/Events, Global Equity Research Ltd

Arun George

IPOs and Catalysts/Events

Uncompromised, Independent, Conflict-Free Research

Global Equity Research Ltd

Global Equity Research was started in 2017 by a group of experienced research professionals. It was founded on a passionate belief in the importance and the need for uncompromised, independent, conflict-free research. We aim to provide differentiated and actionable primary and bottom up fundamental research.

<ul>
<li>We summarise the latest spreads and newsflow of merger arb situations we cover across Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Chinese ADRs.</li>
<li>Highest spreads: <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/yichang-hec-changjiang-pharmaceutical" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:21040:1" rel="noopener">Yichang HEC Changjiang Pharma (1558 HK)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/hollysys-automation-technologies" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:26078:1" rel="noopener">Hollysys Automation Technologies (HOLI US)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/fancl-corp" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:15862:1" rel="noopener">Fancl Corp (4921 JP)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/asia-cement-china-holdings" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:3374:1" rel="noopener">Asia Cement China (743 HK)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/ansarada-group-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:30718:1" rel="noopener">Ansarada Group Ltd (AND AU)</a>. </li>
<li>Lowest spreads: <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/tatsuta-electric-wire-cable-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:12509:1" rel="noopener">Tatsuta Electric Wire &amp; Cable (5809 JP)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/mma-offshore-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:594:1" rel="noopener">Mma Offshore (MRM AU)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/great-eastern-holdings-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:13993:1" rel="noopener">Great Eastern Holdings (GE SP)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/alumina-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:939:1" rel="noopener">Alumina Ltd (AWC AU)</a>, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/nagatanien-holdings-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:8059:1" rel="noopener">Nagatanien Holdings (2899 JP)</a>.
</li>
</ul>


We summarise the latest spreads and newsflow of merger arb situations we cover across Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Chinese ADRs.
Highest spreads: Yichang HEC Changjiang Pharma (1558 HK), Hollysys Automation Technologies (HOLI US), Fancl Corp (4921 JP), Asia Cement China (743 HK), Ansarada Group Ltd (AND AU). 
Lowest spreads: Tatsuta Electric Wire &amp; Cable (5809 JP), Mma Offshore (MRM AU), Great Eastern Holdings (GE SP), Alumina Ltd (AWC AU), Nagatanien Holdings (2899 JP).



Merger Arb Mondays (17 Jun) - Fancl, Tatsuta, A8, China TCM, GAPack, CPMC, Malaysia Airports, Bapcor

France

Compagnie de Saint-Gobain manufactures glass products, high-performance materials, and construction materials.  The Company produces flat glass, insulation, and glass containers, high-performance ceramics, plastics, and abrasives, and building materials such as roofing, wall facings, mortars, and ductile cast iron pipe.  Saint-Gobain also retails building materials.

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Cie De Saint-Gobain (SGO FP)

Compagnie Saint-Gobain: Expansion in Asia Pacific & Margin Improvement to Up Their Game!

Saint-Gobain delivered strong financial results in the first half of 2025, characterized by record operating margins and a robust earnings...

Baptista Research

ASX200 Index Rebalance Preview: Potential Changes Prior to the June Rebalance

Upcoming M&A activity will result in ad hoc inclusions to the ASX200 prior to the June rebal. There could be 2-3 adds in the first few weeks of...

Brian Freitas

Weekly Update (AMRZ, LION, FTV)

The AMRZ spin-off aims to capitalize on the higher valuation multiples of US building supply companies compared to their European counterparts.

Richard Howe

France: Global Funds Overweight Ahead of Snap Election

Global equity fund managers are entering the French election with an overweight position compared to the SPDRs MSCI ACWI ETF benchmark

Steven Holden

Merger Arb Mondays (17 Jun) - Fancl, Tatsuta, A8, China TCM, GAPack, CPMC, Malaysia Airports, Bapcor

This week, the highest gross spreads are HEC Pharma (127.1%), Hollysys (26.1%), Fancl (17.8%), Asia Cement China (13.4%), Ansarada (11.1%),...

Arun George

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