Episode 0014: Entellus Medical: Is this Broken IPO a niche leader in balloon sinus dilation that could gain market share and grow for many years?

Entellus Medical came public in January 2015 under the premise that it was the leader in office-based balloon sinus dilation, which was a small but increasingly preferred niche compares to FESS operations performed in hospitals.  The investment research discussed in this podcast examines whether changes in medicare reimbursement may have been a setback that favored hybrid-FESS procedures, and how steroid implants may have temporarily affected what seemed to be an inevitable shift to treating chronic sinusitis in a dentist-like procedure.  We also discuss complications that arise, and the suitability of dealing with these outside of the operating room.

Episode 0013: Plantronics: Will Skype for Business succeed, and will unified communications adoption expand beyond its presently low level?

Institutional investors have heard the story that unified communications is under-penetrated, and that soon most businesses will want to buy Plantronics’ headsets that incorporate software compatible with Microsoft’s Skype for Business cloud-based platform for office workers.  Why has penetration stalled at a fraction of where consultants thought it would have been already?  This stock research podcast provides equity analysis of Plantronics, and discusses why the penetration rate of unified communications might leap higher at some point in the next few years.  The competitive position of Plantronics and GN Store Nord / GN Netcom is explored fully.  There are high barriers to entry, for there are over 3 million lines of encrypted code in headsets.  These two players are duopolistic competitors, and they are both intensely focused upon returning cash to shareholders rather than destroying shareholder wealth.

Episode 0012: Trimble Navigation: Maturing competition in precision navigation and the growth in building information modeling (BIM)

Three players are preeminent in the field of precision navigation: Trimble, Hexagon, and Topcon.  Is the competitive dynamic stabilizing?  How are managements dealing with slower revenue growth, and does this mean that end markets are much more penetrated than before?  How rapidly can adoption of building information management (BIM) take place?  What are the implications for profitability going forward?