First and foremost we wanted to wish everyone a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year and thank you for your continued interest in our research. 2015 will certainly not be remembered as an...
READ MORE >At DeVry Brasil, executing our game plan continues to be about adding valued acquisitions, launching new programs, marketing effectiveness and achieving operating leverage. By the way, we expect FX to moderate over the planning...
READ MORE >We spent much of last week reading, listening, and analyzing the slew of earnings releases, financial supplements, and conference calls from the largest banks across Canada. Had we known the results and...
READ MORE >Over the past few weeks, we conducted a survey of more than 50 rental property managers across the country. Overall the feedback from our survey suggests that CSGP management's assertions about the company's...
READ MORE >A company has finally surpassed the Maple Leafs as the worst run organization in Toronto… The latest development in the mortgage origination fraud scandal at HCG is both remarkable and...
READ MORE >Where were you on that fateful day, July 28, 2014 when Zillow announced its intention to acquire Trulia in a purchase that was valued at $3.5B at that time? It was a brutal time for short sellers as...
READ MORE >It truly is remarkable. Quarter after quarter, CSGP management talks about phenomenal traffic gains for its flagship properties and explosive growth in bookings. Yet, when the rhetoric melts away and questions are asking about organic or “core” revenue growth the answers are considerably...
READ MORE >A few things have become clear about HCG over the past several months: Management refuses to “clear the air” surrounding the extent of the company’s involvement in and potential exposure to mortgages...
READ MORE >In a letter released today, the Department of Education informed ESI that the company will be placed on a form of delayed disbursement of Title IV funds and become subject to even more stringent reporting requirements...
READ MORE >“By the minute I was getting paid like a hot line, Servin' rollin' fiends was calling, we was dot com, Well connected, well respected and well protected.”- Meek Mill/Wale....
READ MORE >On the surface everything in the Canadian housing market seems fine: home price appreciation nationally continues its unprecedented and meteoric run, housing starts remain a source of economic growth, and non-farm payrolls continue...
READ MORE >Let’s play a little game called “guess the country with a pending demographic crisis”. Here are some hints to start out with, for this country: 1) the median age has increased from 32.9 in 1990 to 40.5 in 2015, 2) the percentage of population...
READ MORE >After the close, National Bank of Canada announced that it plans to raise $300MM through a common equity offering of 7.2MM shares at a price of $41.90. The deal is “bought” and is expected to close on 10/9/15. Considering that much...
READ MORE >Recently in one of our research notes about Zillow we wrote the following:“Investors love anecdotes about companies; they represent the “broth” in the mosaic theory “soup” we create on any...
READ MORE >Investors love anecdotes about companies; they represent the “broth” in the mosaic theory “soup” we create on any given investment idea. Industry statistics and company specific filings...
READ MORE >Each year, for the past six we have conducted a survey of real estate agents across the country. We find that the feedback from agents at the local level gives us a much more informed view of the state...
READ MORE >Following a conference call that sounded 50% like a deposition and 50% like an advertisement (it was 100% strange), we can’t help but wonder if this could be the last time we might here from ESI...
READ MORE >“My pain…. Is self chosen At least so the prophet saysI could either burnOr cut off my pride and buy some timeA head full of lies is the weightTied to my waistThe river of deceit pulls downThe...
READ MORE >“…the hedge funds tend not to do the due diligence. They don’t take the deeper dive and understand.”SAID NO ONE EVER. Wait a minute, someone actually did say this and very recently. This...
READ MORE >“The vulnerability associated with household indebtedness remains important and is edging higher, owing to an increase in the level of household debt and the ongoing negative impact on incomes from...
READ MORE >Was it only two years ago that HCG management triumphantly trumpeted its conquest of short sellers? Make no mistake the fact pattern surrounding the company over the past six months has been...
READ MORE >From our perspective, within the walls of Zillow Chad Cohen has been the fourth most important person in the company’s empire building efforts over the past decade behind Spencer Rascoff, Greg Schwartz, and Richard Barton. This is why we think...
READ MORE >Now that was a press release straight out of the late 1990’s tech company playbook. Even for a management team that’s renown for its constant self-promotion and “smoke and mirrors” games with growth metrics,...
READ MORE >It’s as if the SEC never filed suit against ESI, the CEO, and the CFO….The 100%+ rally in shares of ESI over the past three trading days has been truly something to behold. The stock has been acting like the typical villain in a horror...
READ MORE >“Beware the the “tions” of 2015, Especially Those Related to Project Upstream….”- PAA Research, 1/29/15“There’s something brewing here that really makes me think that...
READ MORE >Heading into the company’s 1Q15 earnings call we thought we might get the following from Zillow: Messy 1Q15 results - check New metrics that would be impossible to reconcile with historical...
READ MORE >“You shouldn’t talk to that guy, he’s a liar”You might be thinking that’s a quote from someone talking about Kevin Modany, but in fact this is a quote FROM Kevin Modany which was said to a reporter when he was...
READ MORE >Among Canadian financial services companies Home Capital Group has had a remarkable run of generating strong loan growth, 20%+ ROE, and most importantly for investors, significant shareholder returns. The stock is up 40 fold over the past 15 years! ...
READ MORE >“Yeah. I'm not buying that stock [Apartment finder] at that price [14x EBITDA]. I will buy that stock at half that price.”- Andy Florance, CEO CoStar Group, Inc. 4/30/15Just an...
READ MORE >In general as a public company, WWE has done a poor job of managing investor expectations. Management has yet to fully figure out how to play the game of underpromising and overdelivering. This dynamic was particularly problematic in 2014 when...
READ MORE >SELL
$50
LONG
$110
SELL/SHORT
$230
SELL/SHORT
$55
LONG
$70
SELL/SHORT
$4
SELL/SHORT
$45
SHORT
$18
SELL/SHORT
$5
SELL/SHORT
$42
LONG
$75
SELL/SHORT
$50
SELL/SHORT
$50
LONG
$5.50
SHORT
$50
SHORT
$28
LONG
$65
LONG
$37
PAIR TRADE
$10
PAIR TRADE
$30
LONG
$35
SHORT
$35
SELL/SHORT
$10
SHORT
$101
SHORT
$15
SHORT
$0
SHORT
$9
SHORT
$0
PAIR - LONG BGG/SHORT TTC
25%
SHORT
$14.00
SHORT
$22
SHORT
$15
SHORT
$20
SHORT
$31
SHORT
$35
SHORT
$30
PAIR - LONG KNL/SHORT MLHR
25%
SHORT
$100
LONG
$8
LONG
$20
SHORT
$22
PAIR - LONG CSGP/SHORT LOOP
40%
LONG
$35
SHORT
$275
SHORT
$0