Log In

OPEN: After Another Ho-Hum Quarter, the Six Lingering Questions We’re Thinking About

November 2nd, 2012

Heading into the company’s 3Q12 earnings release, OPEN shares had rallied 31.8% over the past 3-months compared to a meager 3.4% gain for the Nasdaq.  Clearly investor enthusiasm for OPEN shares continued to increase over the past...

READ MORE >

OPEN: Another OPEX Driven Beat Aside, the Signposts of Growth Maturation and Competitive Pressures Continue to Pile Up

August 3rd, 2012

With OPEN shares down 24% in the past month and now trading at what some might think is an attractive 18.7x consensus EPS for 2013 we shouldn’t be completely surprised by the strength in the stock...

READ MORE >

OPEN: This is Not a “Blocking and Tackling” Exercise

June 12th, 2012

If you were to listen solely to OPEN management, the company’s path to market dominance in the online restaurant reservation space is merely an exercise in “blocking and tackling”.  Management continues to execute on the same strategy the company had in...

READ MORE >

OPEN: As Growth Metrics Collapse Investors Are Left to Wonder: Where is the Vision?

May 2nd, 2012

Was it really just only 12-months ago that OPEN was the darling of Wall Street?  It seems like another lifetime.  Approximately one year ago to the day, OPEN reported another quarter of 40%+ YOY organic revenue growth and handily...

READ MORE >

OPEN: When Did This Become a Cost-Cutting Story? Peak EPS Could Be Closer Than You Think

February 8th, 2012

At the highest level here are the headlines about OPEN’s 4Q11 earnings results and subsequent earnings conference call: 1) the company delivered a low quality beat, 2) underlying operating metrics for the most part were...

READ MORE >

OPEN: Stock Rips As the Company Loses Share in Euro., Faces Increased Competition in the US, 4Q11 Should Show More Sign...

February 7th, 2012

Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: a heavily shorted stock, which was one of the worst performing names in its sector in 2011 has now rallied more than 20% to start the year.  Of course in...

READ MORE >

OPEN: The Growth Story Unravels Just As Competition Appears Poised to Step Up, Lowering Price Objective to $30

November 2nd, 2011

In the lengthy report we published on OPEN on Monday (backed by a survey of 110-120 restaurant owners) we outlined a number key issues that we expected to become discounted in the stock over the next...

READ MORE >

OPEN: The NA Moat Is More Vulnerable Than You Think – A More Realistic TAM Analysis, Lowering Price Objective to $37

October 31st, 2011

In the 7+ months since we introduced OPEN as a short idea, we have been in a position where the stock has gained more than 40% against us and now trades more than 40% below where we initiated our...

READ MORE >

OPEN: The North American “Moat” Looks to be Increasingly Under Siege

September 8th, 2011

OPEN shares traded off sharply today in response to GOOG’s announcement that it had acquired Zagat, a worldwide publisher of ratings and reviews of restaurants and other businesses.  The Zagat restaurant surveys, launched more than 30 years...

READ MORE >

OPEN: The Growth Story Is Cracking Sooner Than Expected, Lowering Price Objective to $48

August 2nd, 2011

Approximately 5-months ago, we introduced OPEN as a short idea based on the following thesis: 1. OPEN’s electronic reservation booking system (ERB) in many respects is a solution without a problem 2. Restaurants view the...

READ MORE >

OPEN: 2Q11 Preview, Competition Matters

August 1st, 2011

If you happen to be looking at OPEN for the first time, you might be wondering: what’s the big deal about the stock from a pure performance perspective?  Year-to date the stock has gained a measly 0.5%, compared to a 2.8% gain for the S&P 500.  Obviously, OPEN has been...

READ MORE >

OPEN: Competition Continues to Eat Away at OPEN’s Total Addressable Market (TAM)

June 24th, 2011

Approximately 12-weeks ago, we introduced OPEN as a short idea.  You can read our original 40-page report by clicking here.  The principal elements of our short thesis are as follows: 1. OPEN’s electronic reservation booking system...

READ MORE >

OPEN: Unassailable OPEN? We Don’t Think So, 1Q11 Preview

May 3rd, 2011

Approximately 8-weeks ago, we introduced OPEN as a short idea.  You can read our original 40-page report by clicking here.  The principal elements of our short thesis are as follows: 1. OPEN’s electronic reservation booking system (ERB) in many respects...

READ MORE >

OPEN: Evaluating OPEN’s Competitive Challenges in Europe – Is Market Leadership in Europe “Fait Accompli”?

March 17th, 2011

Approximately 2-weeks ago, we introduced OPEN as a short idea.  You can read our original 40-page report by clicking here.  The principal elements of our short thesis are as follows: 1. OPEN’s...

READ MORE >

OPEN: The “TAM” Fallacy and the Implications of a Solution without a Problem – Time to Get Short

March 2nd, 2011

Let’s get this out of the way early on – we are firm believers in the concept that valuation is not a short thesis, or more simply stated valuation is not a thesis.  Ask any hedge fund manager who has relied on...

READ MORE >

Current Ideas

EXPI

SELL/SHORT

$4

HUSQ.B

SELL

$50

UFPI

SELL/SHORT

$45

TREX

SHORT

$18

PRDO

SELL/SHORT

$5

STRA

SELL/SHORT

$42

CWH

LONG

$75

OSTK

LONG

$128

CM

SELL/SHORT

$50

RY

SELL/SHORT

$50

ARC

LONG

$5.50

AYI

SHORT

$50

BIG

SHORT

$28

WWE

LONG

$65

XOXO

LONG

$37

RLGY

PAIR TRADE

$10

RDFN

PAIR TRADE

$30

BCO

LONG

$35

ING.PA

SHORT

$35

TRUP

SELL/SHORT

$10

CTC

SHORT

$101

ATGE

SHORT

$15

HCG.TO

SHORT

$0

RON.TO

SHORT

$9

ESI

SHORT

$0

BGG

PAIR - LONG BGG/SHORT TTC

25%

TTC

PAIR - LONG BGG/SHORT TTC

25%

Z

SHORT

$14.00

NA.TO

SHORT

$22

ZU

SHORT

$15

TRLA

SHORT

$20

MCRS

SHORT

$31

APOL

SHORT

$35

OPEN

SHORT

$30

KNL

PAIR - LONG KNL/SHORT MLHR

25%

CSGP

SHORT

$100

GCA

LONG

$8

IPSU

LONG

$20

MLHR

SHORT

$22

LOOP

PAIR - LONG CSGP/SHORT LOOP

40%

THQI

LONG

$35

WPO

SHORT

$275

COCO

SHORT

$0

HNI

SIG

RGR