Michael Hakes - CFA, MBA

Believes recent earnings season in the USA is pointing towards a strong economy. 1) Price Stability and 2) Full Employment appears to have come to fruition. Inflation and wage growth does not appear to be a problem. Overall, the markets appear strong, with a firm base for continued economic strength. Upcoming US election will be interesting to watch, but doesn't think it will affect strong companies with durable competitive advantages, and strong economic attributes.  

Very strong brand name with growing footprint in USA. Excellent price to value proposition on the stock markets. Recent meeting with CEO very positive. Share price below pre Covid-19 levels. Expecting 8-10 new stores in the US annually. Earnings projected to grow with expanded margins. EPS growth also projected to rise as more sales roll in. Would recommend to long term shareholders. 

One of two large players in global commercial airline business. French business with strong business prospects. Overall macro theme is very strong. Oligopoly style business with excellent market share. Expected middle class growth globally will keep growth and earnings growing. Would recommend at current share price. Good long term hold. Excellent brand name with near global recognition. 

Very strong R&D pipeline, with new products expected. Off recent share price highs, which is a good time to buy. Margins very strong on new products. Expecting earnings to rise in the immediate future. Low double digit EPS @ 16x earnings a very strong value proposition. Will continue to hold for the long term. 

Added about 1.5 years ago based on quality name that had been priced at a discount (post Covid-19 sell off). Since then, has sold shares. Believes share price is fully valued. Would invest more if share price fell. 

Excellent company that has owned for ~10 years. Will continue ownership. Very high quality business with strong balance sheet, and ability to generate profits. Management very strong with good capital allocation skills. 

Still owns business. Excellent business. Expecting earnings to grow. Ability to grow in USA very good. Slow and steady growth - defensive name. Very good for a long term investor. 

Business has done a great job YTD (~20% share price appreciation this year). Earnings growth this year very good. New CEO doing a good job. Share price has been flat - hard to grow in the USA. Would hold at current share price level. Not buying, or selling. 

Company under pressure - recent announcements to raise debt and equity. Working capital has fallen short lately. Recent union negotiations time consuming. However, demand for products high. Will depend on how well company executes in the next 1-2 years. Time will tell. Would recommend watching for now. 

Very good company, strong earnings and excellent share price to buy at. Company investing into A.I. technology and data center storage. Large product offering with rising user base. Company has over 3 billion users/month. Excellent advertising margins with low capital requirements. Would recommend buying and holding for the long term. 

Does not own shares in the company. Recent hiccups with production. Lots of competition in the markets. Very hard to differentiate. Would not recommend buying right now. 

3rd largest pharmacy distributor in the USA. Good job at new products and pricing strategy. Has recently streamlined operations. However, stock price fully valued. Would recommend buying on weakness (below $95/share). 

Capital structure not great, but company appears to be growing. Capacity to China/Asia growing. Fuel costs coming down. Would recommend buying - price could reach ~$40/share. Overall, is positive on the business. 

Excellent business - continues to own. Very strong margins with dominant position in internet "search" business. Margins very high with advertising. New technology in A.I. will add further product offerings, and better search results. Expecting share price to continue to rise - currently priced very well. Earnings expected to rise. 

Competitor to NVIDIA - demand for products high. Also has exposure to gaming sector. Company benefiting to growth in A.I. even though chips not as good as NVIDIA's. Overall, sector expected to grow well into the future. Would recommend buying and holding.