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 — Q3 2022 call → NOWe need to determine if management repeatedly redirects attention away from the conventional yardstick (steel business, steel prices, etc.) toward a different part of the business that is already earning today, and indicates that the record has not caught up. Let's analyze the transcript. The call is for POSCO Holdings, a steel and green materials company. The conventional yardstick is steel business performance, steel prices, demand, etc. Management discusses Q3 results, flood impact, recovery plans, and then talks about lithium-ion battery materials business, investments in Argentina, nickel refinery, etc. Key points: - Management discusses steel business performance, flood impact, recovery. - Then they talk about lithium-ion battery materials business process, investments in Argentina, nickel refinery. - They mention that POSCO Chemical (cathode, anode) saw revenue and operating profit growth, sales volume increase, etc. - They also mention that the steel business is facing difficulties due to flood and market conditions. But does management set aside the conventional yardstick? They do discuss steel extensively, but they also highlight the growth in green materials. However, they don't explicitly say "the steel business is no longer the right thing to watch" or that the conventional metric is not what determines results. They present both. They talk about the flood impact and recovery, and then talk about lithium investments. They don't seem to be redirecting attention away from steel; they are just reporting on both. The question asks: "does management REPEATEDLY REDIRECT ATTENTION AWAY FROM THE MEASURE OR STORYLINE BY WHICH THE COMPANY IS CONVENTIONALLY JUDGED and toward a DIFFERENT PART OF THE BUSINESS that it says is ALREADY EARNING TODAY?" In the transcript, management does highlight the growth in lithium-ion battery materials, but they also spend a lot of time on steel recovery and steel market conditions. They don't set aside the steel yardstick; they are still discussing it as the main business. They mention that the steel business had a difficult quarter due to flood, but they don't say that the steel business is no longer the focus. They also talk about investments in new growth businesses, but they don't say that the reported results are not reflecting the new part.
| 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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