EVENTS:   Best Equity Short Ideas Conference Call 12 - Zach Shannon/Corto Capital Advisors & Craig Huber/Huber Research Partners & Thomas Beevers /Forensic Alpha & Ed Steele/Iron Blue Financials & Bill Campbell/Paragon Intel - 12 Nov 25   Will AI Deflate the World? Macro Lessons from Three Industrial Revolutions and China - Manoj Pradhan/Talking Heads Macro - 13 Nov 25     ROADSHOWS: Forest Products Sector Equity and Commodity Research With Expertise in Distressed Debt - Kevin Mason /ERA Research   •   London   12 - 14 Nov 25       Buyside to Buyside Forum and Expert Calls across TMT, Consumer, Healthcare and Fintech - Andrew Peters /Revelare Partners   •   London   17 - 19 Nov 25       Fundamental US Healthcare Short Ideas - Dr Elliot Favus /Favus Institutional Research   •   London   17 - 19 Nov 25      

Fortnightly Publication Highlighting Latest Insights From IRF Providers

Company Research

10Q / 10K filings analysis

280First

Utilising AI, NLP, data analytics and qualitative analyst oversight, 280First can rapidly glean material / actionable insights from a company's financial reports. Recent alerts include:

Guidewire Software (GWRE) - Contract modifications and customer in-sourcing concerns.
Thor Industries (THO) - Takeover target? More benign competition. Acquisitions outside RV business.
United Natural Foods (UNFI) - Customer retention concerns. Increased margin pressure. Activist shareholders. Less acquisitive.
Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA) - Dividends at risk. Business model changes. Strategic opportunities.

Edition: 172

- 27 October, 2023


Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA)

Consumer Staples

Paragon Intel

WBA’s strategy is stale and increasingly disintermediated. It requires a complete pivot to maintain relevancy, but new CEO Roz Brewer’s lack of strategic vision and relevant experience positions her poorly to implement such a change. She will continue the strategy set by domineering Chairman Stefano Pessina and multiple overly tenured executives/directors averse to change. WBA's stock has rallied 15% since the announcement of Brewer’s appointment and trades above CVS Health on both a PE and EV/EBITDA basis, despite slower growth, similar leverage and worse competitive positioning.

Edition: 113

- 25 June, 2021