Equity Research

MKM Partners’ equity research team has been designed to address the unmet needs of institutional investors. Our mission is to provide proprietary insights into institutional-grade companies which our analysts accomplish by relying on their well-established networks of industry contacts, and through extensive visits to stores, restaurants, and corporate headquarters. At MKM, we understand that the way to help our clients beat their benchmarks is to constantly gather and share new, pertinent information before it hits the tape.

In an effort to become an integral part of our clients' decision-making process we have assembled a team of analysts that are respected for their research and have extensive knowledge within their respective industries. Mr. Richard Sherman, our Managing Director of Equity Research, has been recognized by Zacks and Starmine for his stock picking and earnings estimating skills. Mr. Sherman has also been ranked as one of The Wall Street Journal’s “Best of the Street” software analysts, as has Software-as-a-Service analyst Brad Mook. Our Discount and Off-Price Retailing analyst, Patrick McKeever, has been awarded "Top Stock Picker in Multiline Retail" by Starmine, has been recognized in the Institutional Investor poll and has performed well in the Greenwich Survey.

Technology - MKM’s technology coverage is driven by both top-down and bottom-up research. Each of our analysts has spent more than a decade covering their industries, and they rely on well-established networks of technology experts, which include industry consultants, IT purchasers, salespeople, competitors, resellers, systems integrators, and other personnel influential in building or buying products. We strive to identify which technologies are (or soon will be) at the forefront of the IT landscape, and to understand not only what is selling, but why certain vendors are winning and losing. We believe understanding the “why” is critical to making better investment decisions. Mr. Sherman currently provides research coverage on Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) Infrastructure companies while Mr. Mook covers Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) firms for MKM.

Retail – Restaurants - MKM’s sector research begins with traditional bottom-up analysis augmented by extensive visits to restaurants throughout the country. Mr. Anderson relies on MKM’s Chief Economist for the firm’s forward-looking macro perspective in order to gauge the overall health of the restaurant sector. This analysis is supplemented with weekly restaurant checks (both in-person and through our nationwide network of channel checkers) where we gather information on menu, pricing, and traffic trends at individual chains. In addition, we consult suppliers and distributors on a regular basis to determine the effects of price changes and other factors on purchasing patterns. By providing these additional data points, we aim to help clients more effectively navigate the competitive landscape of the restaurant sector.

Retail - Teen and Children’s Apparel - In addition to the analysis of company fundamentals, Ms. Tsai augments her research with weekly store checks. The store checks are completed in local malls and around the country utilizing a team of regional store checkers. These checks baseline customer demand and help to assess inventory and discounting levels across store chains. Ms. Tsai is also responsible for the creation of MKM Partners’ proprietary weather maps, a unique product which helps assess the impact of weather changes before monthly same store sales reports. These endeavors, in conjunction with Ms. Tsai’s insights into the competitive landscape of teen and children’s retailing, helps our clients make informed investment decisions.

Retail – Discount and Off-Price - Mr. McKeever has followed the discount and off-price sector for more than a decade. His analysis relies heavily on frequent store visits, an extensive network of industry contacts, and his long-standing relationships with senior managers, both within and outside his coverage universe. He devotes several days each month to store visits and takes his observations directly to management in an effort to get a better feel for trends and inflections. Mr. McKeever’s analysis also includes consumer behavior studies that focus particularly on lower and lower-middle income consumers as this demographic group is critical to his coverage universe.

As with all of MKM’s research products, the dissemination of the information is timely and actionable. Please contact your salesperson for current research and/or to schedule a call with one of MKM’s analysts.