Priced like the old business, running like a new one: management is redirecting the call away from the metric investors
The model's full reasoning — Q1 2017 call → NOWe need to determine if management repeatedly redirects attention away from the conventional yardstick and toward a different part of the business that is already earning, and indicates the record hasn't caught up. The call is about PPG's Q1 2017 results. The conventional yardstick for PPG is likely its earnings per share, sales growth, volumes, etc. Management discusses results, but also talks about AkzoNobel bid, raw materials, etc. Key points: Management discusses "aggregate coatings sales volume growth" and "performance coatings" and "industrial coatings". They mention "same store sales" in architectural coatings U.S. and Canada as a highlight. They say "we achieved a solid mid-single-digit sales volume increase in our company-owned stores, which marked our best performance to-date since the store revitalization efforts". They also mention "PPG Comex" growth, "automotive refinish" growth, etc. But is there a specific part of the business that they are redirecting attention to, saying it's already earning, and that the reported results don't reflect it? They talk about "same store sales" as a positive, but they also discuss overall results. They don't seem to set aside the conventional yardstick (EPS, sales growth) and point to a different part. They are discussing the whole business. They do mention that "our sales growth was driven in large part by higher aggregate coatings volumes at 2%, which is our strongest performance since the fourth quarter of 2016" and "we achieved these improved results despite the ongoing, unfavorable impacts in currency translation and moderate but uneven global demand." So they are explaining results. They also talk about "our focus on improving our organic growth rate" and "we remain committed to deploy at least $2.5 billion to $3.5 billion on acquisitions and share repurchases". That's not a redirection. They mention "we aspire to a higher EPS growth rate" - so they acknowledge the yardstick. They also discuss "our performance coatings segment" and "industrial coatings segment" but that's normal. The question is about a specific phenomenon: management setting aside the conventional measure and pointing to a different part that is already earning, and saying the record hasn't caught up. I don't see that here. They are not saying "ignore EPS, look at our same-store sales" or something like that.
| Ticker | Company | Call | Date | Call grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NOAH | Noah Holdings Limited | Q1 2024 | 2024-05-30 | D |
| DUOT | Duos Technologies Group, Inc. | Q4 2023 | 2024-04-01 | F |
| OPAD | Offerpad Solutions Inc. | Q3 2023 | 2023-11-01 | C |
| SPT | Sprout Social, Inc. | Q2 2023 | 2023-08-04 | B+ |
| PRPH | ProPhase Labs, Inc. | Q1 2023 | 2023-05-11 | F |
| CALX | Calix, Inc. | Q1 2023 | 2023-04-20 | C+ |
| WD | Walker & Dunlop, Inc. | Q2 2022 | 2022-08-09 | C+ |
| LC | LendingClub Corporation | Q4 2021 | 2022-01-26 | A |
| CYBR | CyberArk Software Ltd. | Q3 2021 | 2021-11-04 | B+ |
| LPTH | LightPath Technologies, Inc. | Q4 2021 | 2021-09-09 | D |
| LOB | Live Oak Bancshares, Inc. | Q3 2018 | 2018-10-25 | C+ |
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