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>Pearson PLC's 2024 performance showcased a blend of strategic advancements and financial resilience.</li><li>The company reported a robust financial outcome, aligning with market expectations.</li><li>A key highlight was the sales growth of 3% and a significant profit increase of 10%, resulting in an EBIT margin of 16.9%.</li></ul>

Pearson PLC's 2024 performance showcased a blend of strategic advancements and financial resilience.The company reported a robust financial outcome, aligning with market expectations.A key highlight was the sales growth of 3% and a significant profit increase of 10%, resulting in an EBIT margin of 16.9%.

Pearson Plc: Initiation of Coverage- Could U.S. Policy Shifts Be the Secret Catalyst Behind Its Growth Surge?

Analyst, Schoolhouse Solutions

Daniel Su

Analyst

Schoolhouse Solutions

Schoolhouse is a strategy and research provider for the Education sector. We publish differentiated reports and bespoke research on the sector, focused on private and public companies in Asia-Pacific. Our team has decades of experience working with Education companies ranging from K-12 to Tertiary and Edtech.

Strategy and Research Provider

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

<ul>
<li>The education sector remains resilient despite headline privatisations, with market cap only slightly down to US$142bn after the removal of <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/powerschool-holdings-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:36946:1" rel="noopener">PowerSchool Holdings (PWSC US)</a> and <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/instructure-holdings-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:26502:1" rel="noopener">Instructure Holdings (INST US)</a>.</li>
<li>AI disruption is reshaping the landscape, with key players like <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/chegg-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:10114:1" rel="noopener">Chegg Inc (CHGG US)</a> collapsing while innovators like <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/duolingo-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:33531:1" rel="noopener">Duolingo (DUOL US)</a> surge, highlighting a potential shift in investor focus.</li>
<li>M&amp;A and IPO activity is reawakening, with <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/kindercare-learning-cos-inc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:35721:1" rel="noopener">KinderCare Learning (KLC US)</a> 's IPO, India's robust upcoming pipeline, and renewed private equity interest pointing to a cyclical upturn.</li>
</ul>


The education sector remains resilient despite headline privatisations, with market cap only slightly down to US$142bn after the removal of PowerSchool Holdings (PWSC US) and Instructure Holdings (INST US).
AI disruption is reshaping the landscape, with key players like Chegg Inc (CHGG US) collapsing while innovators like Duolingo (DUOL US) surge, highlighting a potential shift in investor focus.
M&amp;A and IPO activity is reawakening, with KinderCare Learning (KLC US) 's IPO, India's robust upcoming pipeline, and renewed private equity interest pointing to a cyclical upturn.


Valuations, Visas & Venture Pullback: An Equity + M&A Overview of the Education Sector in Q1 2025

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 latest recessionary signal we see: WTI and Brent crude oil prices violating 1.5-year supports, only adding to our prior concerns about a weakening labor market (Sahm rule, SRI triggered)</li>
<li>We also discussed last week (August 29) how we were expecting the S&amp;P 500, Japan's TOPIX, and Europe's EURO STOXX 50 to "roll over near current or marginally higher levels."</li>
<li>Ongoing belief (since July 25) is that $ACWI is going through a 1- to 4-month pullback/consolidation that could end up being a topping pattern. All have since reacted lower.</li>
</ul>


The latest recessionary signal we see: WTI and Brent crude oil prices violating 1.5-year supports, only adding to our prior concerns about a weakening labor market (Sahm rule, SRI triggered)
We also discussed last week (August 29) how we were expecting the S&amp;P 500, Japan's TOPIX, and Europe's EURO STOXX 50 to "roll over near current or marginally higher levels."
Ongoing belief (since July 25) is that $ACWI is going through a 1- to 4-month pullback/consolidation that could end up being a topping pattern. All have since reacted lower.


Crude Oil Breaking 1.5-Year Support, Failed Breakouts on $EFA $ACWX; Still Expecting More Downside

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

Avanse Financial Services / Equity Capital Markets

<ul>
<li>
<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/avanse-financial-services" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:43688:1" rel="noopener">Avanse Financial Services</a> is looking to raise up to US$419m in its upcoming India IPO.</li>
<li>Avanse Financial Services (AFS) is an education focused non-banking financial company (NBFC) operating in India.</li>
<li>In this note, we look at the company’s past performance.</li>
</ul>



Avanse Financial Services is looking to raise up to US$419m in its upcoming India IPO.
Avanse Financial Services (AFS) is an education focused non-banking financial company (NBFC) operating in India.
In this note, we look at the company’s past performance.


Avanse Financial Services Pre-IPO - The Positives - Fast Growth in an Expanding Industry

<ul>
<li>Crizac is looking to raise US$120m in its upcoming India IPO. The bookrunners on the deal are Equirus and Anand Rathi.</li>
<li>Crizac is an education platform offering international student recruitment solutions to global institutions of higher education in the United Kingdom, Canada, Republic of Ireland, Australia and New Zealand (ANZ).</li>
<li>Crizac is one of the largest student recruitment solutions providers from India to the UK with a market share of 13.0%, in terms of the number of students in 2023.</li>
</ul>


Crizac is looking to raise US$120m in its upcoming India IPO. The bookrunners on the deal are Equirus and Anand Rathi.
Crizac is an education platform offering international student recruitment solutions to global institutions of higher education in the United Kingdom, Canada, Republic of Ireland, Australia and New Zealand (ANZ).
Crizac is one of the largest student recruitment solutions providers from India to the UK with a market share of 13.0%, in terms of the number of students in 2023.


United Kingdom

Pearson plc provides education products and services to institutions, governments and individual learners in over 80 countries. The Company's major revenue markets are North America, 'Core' including the UK, Italy and Australia and 'Growth' including Brazil, China and South Africa. It also owns the Financial Times, 50% of the Economist and 47% of Penguin Random House.

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Pearson Plc (PSON LN)

Pearson Plc: Initiation of Coverage- Could U.S. Policy Shifts Be the Secret Catalyst Behind Its Growth Surge?

Pearson PLC's 2024 performance showcased a blend of strategic advancements and financial resilience. The company reported a robust financial...

Baptista Research

Valuations, Visas & Venture Pullback: An Equity + M&A Overview of the Education Sector in Q1 2025

Education sector resilient post-privatisations, AI disruption reshaping landscape, M&A/IPO activity reawakening - potential shift in investor focus.

Daniel Su

Crude Oil Breaking 1.5-Year Support, Failed Breakouts on $EFA $ACWX; Still Expecting More Downside

Crude Oil Breaking Below 1.5-Year Support, Yet Another Recessionary Signal; Bearish Failed Breakouts on $EFA $ACWX; Still Expecting More Downside;...

Vermilion Research

Avanse Financial Services Pre-IPO - The Positives - Fast Growth in an Expanding Industry

Avanse Financial Services is looking to raise up to US$419m in its upcoming India IPO. In this note, we talk about the positive aspects of the deal.

Sumeet Singh

Crizac Pre-IPO Tearsheet

Crizac Limited is looking to raise US$120m in its upcoming India IPO. The bookrunners on the deal are Equirus and Anand Rathi.

Sumeet Singh

Price Gauge

52-week Range

Market Cap (USDm)

P/E

Dividend (Yield)

Pearson Plc: Initiation of Coverage- Could U.S. Policy Shifts Be the Secret Catalyst Behind Its Growth Surge?

Pearson PLC's 2024 performance showcased a blend of strategic advancements and financial resilience. The company reported a robust financial...

Baptista Research

Valuations, Visas & Venture Pullback: An Equity + M&A Overview of the Education Sector in Q1 2025

​Education sector resilient post-privatisations, AI disruption reshaping landscape, M&A/IPO activity reawakening - potential shift in investor focus.

Daniel Su

Crude Oil Breaking 1.5-Year Support, Failed Breakouts on $EFA $ACWX; Still Expecting More Downside

Crude Oil Breaking Below 1.5-Year Support, Yet Another Recessionary Signal; Bearish Failed Breakouts on $EFA $ACWX; Still Expecting More Downside;...

Vermilion Research

Avanse Financial Services Pre-IPO - The Positives - Fast Growth in an Expanding Industry

Avanse Financial Services is looking to raise up to US$419m in its upcoming India IPO. In this note, we talk about the positive aspects of the deal.

Sumeet Singh

Crizac Pre-IPO Tearsheet

Crizac Limited is looking to raise US$120m in its upcoming India IPO. The bookrunners on the deal are Equirus and Anand Rathi.

Sumeet Singh

Education sector resilient post-privatisations, AI disruption reshaping landscape, M&A/IPO activity reawakening - potential shift in investor focus.