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 — Q2 2022 call → NOWe need to determine if management repeatedly redirects attention away from the conventional measure and toward a different part of the business that is already earning, and indicates the record hasn't caught up. Let's analyze the transcript. The call is about Brookline Bancorp's Q2 2022 earnings. The conventional yardstick for a bank is net interest margin, loan growth, deposit growth, etc. Management discusses these. But is there a redirection? They mention "Clarendon private" - a private banking group. Let's see. In the Q&A, Mark Fitzgibbon asks: "And then finally, if any update... Paul Perrault I was just going to fill it in Mark a little bit. It's probably on stuff like a little different approach and a little more exhaustive stress testing than we currently do and there's probably... Carl Carlson It was a little bit more on the audit side. It was a little bit more on being top of the regulatory side... Paul Perrault Yes it's pretty incremental. Carl Carlson So it's a little bit here and there, but not significant. Mark Fitzgibbon Okay. Great. And then lastly any updates on Clarendon private, what assets are up to or are we getting close to breakeven? Carl Carlson It's funny. We do expect this to breakeven in three years that would be 2.5 years. They're right on track with where we expected. Of course, I always wish that they are more than on track but they're right on track and doing excellent. I think the clients that we're bringing in and the types of assets and clientele that we're attracting is exactly what we wanted. And it's working extremely well with the banks. Our lenders our branch managers have really embraced them and the teams have been doing a great job together. So extremely pleased with how things have started out pretty quickly quite honestly, right out of the gates because it does take time to build that. You meet with clients it doesn't happen overnight, right? So, it's something that we're really seeing a lot of great traction on. Mark Fitzgibbon But would you be able to give us a number of how much the group has in assets under management or advisory at this point? Carl Carlson I could but I'm not going to. We do file public reports but it's -- I don't think it's really that meaningful." So, the question about Clarendon private is from an analyst. Management responds positively but doesn't give numbers.
| 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+ |
SPT · Q2 2023 → YESThe question is whether management repeatedly redirects attention away from the conventional measure toward a different part of the business that's already earning today, and indicates that this diffe...YES The transcript shows management repeatedly reframing away from the conventional total ARR/revenue growth metric (which is being distorted by unpredictable low-end non-core ARR) toward the higher-quality up-market/enterprise segment that is already delivering record new business ACVs, 50%+ YoY growth, and 43% of 2023 ARR. They explicitly set the low-end aside by removing it from forecasts and modeling to give “greatest visibility,” note that Q2 ARR growth will be the lowest pace of the year because of this change, and indicate the reported figures still reflect the old mix while the new up-market story is already earning today (with Tagger adding further upside not yet reflected). This creates the coherent posture of redirecting attention from the headline growth number outsiders watch to the part of the business that is already producing real results.
WD · Q2 2022 → YESThe question is about whether management repeatedly redirects attention away from the conventional measure to a different part of the business that's already earning today, and indicates that this isn...YES The transcript shows management repeatedly reframing the discussion away from the conventional multifamily agency lender yardstick (origination volumes, GSE lending, MSR-driven EPS) toward the diversified services and asset-management businesses that are already generating substantial cash revenue and EBITDA today. They explicitly set the old metric aside by introducing adjusted EPS to “strip out non-cash mortgage servicing rights,” highlight the shift from “lending-centric” to “broader technology-enabled financial services,” and note that segment results now provide “more transparency into our operating structure.” They point to debt brokerage, property sales, SAM (Alliant, Zelman), small-balance lending, and appraisals as the new earning engines, describing their concrete contributions (e.g.
CALX · Q1 2023 → YESThe question is about whether management repeatedly redirects attention away from the conventional measure to a different part of the business that's already earning today, and indicates that this isn...YES The transcript shows management repeatedly framing the company as operating in a "new market" centered on platforms, clouds, and managed services—distinct from the legacy hardware/cyclical model—while highlighting real earnings from these areas (e.g., 988 BSPs deploying platforms, 865 cloud customers, 334 with 41 new managed services in Q1, record Intelligent Access EDGE revenue). They indicate this is already producing revenue and customer adoption but remains early-stage ("this is the beginning," "early stage of where we are in this new market"), with reported results still reflecting the prior hardware-focused picture.