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>Dine Brands Global is entering 2026 with a clearer strategic identity and measurable operating traction after a year marked by cautious consumers, uneven casual-dining demand, and rising food costs.</li><li>The parent of Applebee’s and IHOP delivered improving traffic trends, stronger guest engagement, and a fourth-quarter adjusted earnings beat, even as same-restaurant sales remained modest and commodity inflation pressures loom.</li><li>Management has doubled down on a refined definition of value—combining price, portion size, food quality, and what CEO John Peyton calls the “vibe”—while tightening operational execution across its franchise-heavy system.</li></ul>

Dine Brands Global is entering 2026 with a clearer strategic identity and measurable operating traction after a year marked by cautious consumers, uneven casual-dining demand, and rising food costs.The parent of Applebee’s and IHOP delivered improving traffic trends, stronger guest engagement, and a fourth-quarter adjusted earnings beat, even as same-restaurant sales remained modest and commodity inflation pressures loom.Management has doubled down on a refined definition of value—combining price, portion size, food quality, and what CEO John Peyton calls the “vibe”—while tightening operational execution across its franchise-heavy system.

Dine Brands Is Winning Back Diners—Here’s How Applebee’s And IHOP Are Fighting Inflation With Value!

Technical Analyst, Vermilion Research

Joe Jasper

Technical Analyst

Technical and Quantitative Research

Vermilion Research

Vermilion’s objective is to deliver timely, actionable, and unique technical research to professional investors through the application of our various technical indicators.

Our research strategists seek to highlight securities which we believe are at major inflection points, based on our various technical and quantitative indicators, and offer asymmetric risk/return profiles. Our unique research methodology, centered on relative strength, enables our strategists to deliver superior investment recommendations.

Our process begins by organizing the universe of actively traded stocks into discrete sectors, then into industry groups. We then apply our technical and quantitative tools to identify developing price trends. Once attractive trends are identified within a selected sector or group, we screen for individual stocks which we believe offer the best risk/reward profile. We provide a historical perspective that often reveals, through our long-term charts, how price patterns often repeat themselves over time.

Technical Analysis

<ul>
<li>The SPX, Nasdaq 100 (QQQ), and Russell 2000 (IWM) continue to hold above short-term support at their respective 20-day MAs (currently 5966 on SPX, $526.50 on QQQ, $208.75 on IWM)</li>
<li>As long as 20-day MA supports hold, our near-term bullish outlook that we have had since our 4/22/25 Compass remains intact.</li>
<li>We will need to see breakdowns below 20-day MA supports in order to expect any meaningful near-term downside.</li>
</ul>


The SPX, Nasdaq 100 (QQQ), and Russell 2000 (IWM) continue to hold above short-term support at their respective 20-day MAs (currently 5966 on SPX, $526.50 on QQQ, $208.75 on IWM)
As long as 20-day MA supports hold, our near-term bullish outlook that we have had since our 4/22/25 Compass remains intact.
We will need to see breakdowns below 20-day MA supports in order to expect any meaningful near-term downside.


20-Day MA Supports Holding on SPX, QQQ, IWM; Bullish Outlook Intact

<p>Key Points:</p><ul>
<li>Consumer Discretionary retailers and restaurants continue to demonstrate leadership characteristics. Many are breaking to new price and RS highs.</li>
<li>A number of small-cap E&amp;P’s have developed bullish bases and continue to have constructive RS trends.</li>
<li>A few semi supplier stocks are breaking price and RS downtrends.</li>
</ul>

Key Points:
Consumer Discretionary retailers and restaurants continue to demonstrate leadership characteristics. Many are breaking to new price and RS highs.
A number of small-cap E&amp;P’s have developed bullish bases and continue to have constructive RS trends.
A few semi supplier stocks are breaking price and RS downtrends.


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>There are 3 changes for the <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/s-p-500-index" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:22886:1" rel="noopener">S&amp;P 500 INDEX</a>, 8 changes for the S&amp;P Midcap400 Index and 15 changes for the S&amp;P SmallCap600 Index at the September rebalance.</li>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/dell-technologies-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:32189:1" rel="noopener">Dell Technologies (DELL US)</a> and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/palantir-technologies-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:27728:1" rel="noopener">Palantir Technologies (PLTR US)</a> were finally added to the <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/s-p-500-index" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:22886:1" rel="noopener">S&amp;P 500 INDEX (SPX INDEX)</a> and there is huge size to trade in the stocks.</li>
<li>There will also be big buying in <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/apple-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:666:1" rel="noopener">Apple (AAPL US)</a> following a float increase driven by <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/berkshire-hathaway-inc-cl-a" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:1044:1" rel="noopener">Berkshire Hathaway Inc Cl A (BRK/A US)</a> selling last quarter.</li>
</ul>


There are 3 changes for the S&amp;P 500 INDEX, 8 changes for the S&amp;P Midcap400 Index and 15 changes for the S&amp;P SmallCap600 Index at the September rebalance.

Dell Technologies (DELL US) and Palantir Technologies (PLTR US) were finally added to the S&amp;P 500 INDEX (SPX INDEX) and there is huge size to trade in the stocks.
There will also be big buying in Apple (AAPL US) following a float increase driven by Berkshire Hathaway Inc Cl A (BRK/A US) selling last quarter.


S&P500/400/600 Index Rebalance: Dell, Palantir Make It (Finally!); Apple Upweight

United States

DineEquity, Inc. and its subsidiaries develop, operate, and franchise family restaurants.  The Company's restaurants feature pancakes, omelets, and other breakfast specialties, as well as lunch and dinner items.  The restaurants are primarily operated by franchisees in the United States, Canada, and Japan.

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Dineequity Inc (DIN US)

Dine Brands Is Winning Back Diners—Here’s How Applebee’s And IHOP Are Fighting Inflation With Value!

Dine Brands Global is entering 2026 with a clearer strategic identity and measurable operating traction after a year marked by cautious consumers,...

Baptista Research

20-Day MA Supports Holding on SPX, QQQ, IWM; Bullish Outlook Intact

20-Day MA Supports Holding on $SPX, $QQQ, and $IWM. As long as 20-day MA supports hold, our near-term bullish outlook that we have had since our 4...

Vermilion Research

Vital Signs: Actionable U.S. Stocks

Key Points: Consumer Discretionary retailers and restaurants continue to demonstrate leadership characteristics. Many are breaking to new price and...

Vermilion Research

S&P500/400/600 Index Rebalance: Dell, Palantir Make It (Finally!); Apple Upweight

There are 3 changes for the SnP500, 8 for the SnP400 and 15 for the SnP600 Index. Dell and Palantir have finally been added. There is huge size to...

Brian Freitas

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