Research from Water Tower Research, Water Tower Research

Water Tower Research

Water Tower Research is a leading equity research firm that provides research on micro, small and mid cap companies.

Water Tower Research was founded by Wall Street veterans after witnessing a fundamental shift in the investment research industry with the result being a declining knowledge base among investors, a lack of awareness and a shrinking pool of fundamental research being conducted on companies across the small-cap and micro-cap spectrum. The same issues are now increasingly occurring in the mid-cap space. This sea change within the investment community is impacting not only the companies themselves but also current shareholders and potential investors. With significantly less active sell-side sponsorship by Wall Street, a substantial information gap has developed between companies and various constituents in the financial community. The net result is fewer channels for insight and information to flow between companies and investors.

Research from Water Tower Research

Equity Research Firm

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

United states Materials / Thematic (Sector/Industry)

<ul><li>WTR-CMI last week. In what was a mixed week for the market, with the Russell 2000 appreciating 0.6% and the S&amp;P 500 remaining virtually unchanged at (0.1%), our WTR-CMI index of 30 chemicals and materials technology stocks underperformed, declining 0.3%, as lithium stocks led by ALB suffered from Chile’s decision to nationalize its lithium mining industry, once existing contracts with private companies (mainly SQM and ALB) expire.</li><li>SHW exits another paint market. When the company acquired Valspar, it did not only shore up its presence in the North American big-box distribution channel and expand its industrial coatings business, but it also gained exposure to non-North American paint markets, specifically China and Australia.</li><li>SHW divested the Australian business<span style="font-size: var(--content-font-size);"> two years ago and now has also found a buyer (Akzo) for its </span>Chinese paint business<span style="font-size: var(--content-font-size);">, which may have contributed to SHW topping the list of WTR-CMI stocks appreciating last week.</span></li></ul>

WTR-CMI last week. In what was a mixed week for the market, with the Russell 2000 appreciating 0.6% and the S&amp;P 500 remaining virtually unchanged at (0.1%), our WTR-CMI index of 30 chemicals and materials technology stocks underperformed, declining 0.3%, as lithium stocks led by ALB suffered from Chile’s decision to nationalize its lithium mining industry, once existing contracts with private companies (mainly SQM and ALB) expire.SHW exits another paint market. When the company acquired Valspar, it did not only shore up its presence in the North American big-box distribution channel and expand its industrial coatings business, but it also gained exposure to non-North American paint markets, specifically China and Australia.SHW divested the Australian business two years ago and now has also found a buyer (Akzo) for its Chinese paint business, which may have contributed to SHW topping the list of WTR-CMI stocks appreciating last week.

Compass Minerals International, Inc (CMP US)

Mat-Chem Notes : For the Week Ended April 21, 2023