Investment Q&A

Q: I'm curious to learn more about evaluating valuation metrics such as fwd P/E and P/S when analyzing a company and its expected growth rates. You often mention that a company is trading at X fwd PE which is cheap or that it is expensive. How do you know this and what exactly does this mean in the context of looking at its rev and earnings growth rates? You often say if the E or S is rising faster than the P, then yes, over time the valuation can come down quickly with the stock rising fast as well, just like how NVDA has done over the last few years. I've heard maintaining a +30-50% growth rate is very hard over a long period of time and not many companies do it and growth rates will slow down.


For example, lets quickly compare PLTR vs CRWD vs VRT over the next few years:

PLTR shows 173x PE and 54x PS.
Rev growth is 25% and 22% for 25/26
EPS growth is 26% and 21% for 25/26

CRWD shows 99x PE and 21x PS.
Rev growth is 28%,21%,21% for 25/26/27
EPS growth is 21%,26%,25% for 25/26/27

VRT shows 34x PE and 5x PS
Rev growth is 18% and 14% for 25/26
EPS growth is 32$ and 25% for 25/26

Looking at these numbers, PLTR is by far the most expensive valuation wise and WAY above any other software name in the universe. So at the current valuation of PLTR, what kind of rev and eps growth rate does it have to maintain in order to justify this valuation? What is the relationship between the fwd PE/PS vs the EPS/Rev growth rates and how do you analyze this? Any color you can add to this would be great, thank you!

Q: Is TESLA Stll a buy?.

Q: Greetings 5i, for each of these 2 companies, what is the maximum percentage of the portfolio to which YOU would be comfortable letting them run. Thanks!

Q: TSLA had a huge move up after three years of flatlining. It just broke through its all time high. Do you think this move is largely related to the market starting to price in future growth from FSD, Robotaxi, energy and Optimus? Do you think these lines of business will start to contribute to revenue in 2025 in a meaningful way? Appreciate your take.

Thanks.

Q: Hi Team,
Is it just me or why do I get the feeling this market is getting a bit “out of whack” in some areas . It looks to me like people are selling the solid winners such as Nvda , for names such as Tesla and Bitcoin. Am I the only one that thinks some of the moves made since Trump got in will end up painful when the hype fades and there’s no real meat to back the valuations ? It’s almost like the irrational excuberance phase has kicked in like it did at the end of 2021 before the tech sector crashed. Except this time only in certain high flying names.

Just looking for your take on things as they stand today. Stay the course ? Join the Tesla party and fly into the sun ? Or buy the laggards perhaps in undervalued areas (Gsy , or even add to nvda dip for example, or trim nvda if the justification is there …which I don’t think it is) . Hard question perhaps!

Thanks ,
Shane

Q: Tesla or Magna if just one for the consumer discretionary sector?

Thx

Q: HI,
Is there a future for small EV manufacturers? Most of them are bankrupt or doing poorly (VMC, LEV, RIVN,NIO,LCID). I owned NFI in the past. Seems one of the last survivors, besides large American (TSLA, F, GM) or Chinese companies (LI, BYD). Would you invest in this sector, if somebody does not want to support chinese businesses? Which stocks would you find interesting right now, or post-Trump taking office? Could be stocks related to the sector, but less sensitive. Thanks a lot.

Q: Hi,
PLTR has had an incredible run but I believe the fundamentals are disconnected from the stock price. Trading at fwd P/E 150x and P/S 46x!! I believe this not sustainable with the estimated growth. What would PLTR have to grow rev and eps by for the next 5-10 years to get to this valuation? I'm looking to short PLTR and I know the risks of shorting stocks but I believe the risk/reward is good here and the stock will pullback. I am long the tech sector so this is somewhat of a hedge. Your thoughts?

Q: Hello
5is thoughts for a registered acct
3+ yr hold (assume usa 2028 election) recommendation & why ?

Q: I own an equal weight of UBER in my portfolio but none of TSLA. Could you please describe the correlation between UBER and TSLA. It seems that when TSLA rises UBER falls. Is this simply sentiment, anticipation of policy changes from the future US government, or is it related to actual fundamentals? Thanks as always for your excellent service.

Q: 5i, Looking to sell LLY TMDX stocks for loss harvesting , looking to buy TSLA, BRK.B to recover, for a 2 year hold, can you please share your opinion.
thanks

Q: So Elon's gamble of aligning himself with the Donald, appears to have been good for his stock. My 3% position in TSLA is now finally above even - which is the point I said I would sell and buy a tech ETF instead. But as TSLA might keep climbing, I'm now wondering if selling just my upside periodically, and keeping my position at 3%, might work - until the knife starts to fall again. In other words, is a bird in hand really worth two in the bush, and how hard is it to catch a falling knife?

Q: What are your thoughts on BITCOIN. What is best way to play it or is there one.? I do not understand the future of Bitcoin Who uses it ? Do countries use it, do Corporations use it. Do Banks use it ? What is benefit of using it,

I know criminals use it extortion payments Trump and Harris were backing it. Was this because 80,000,000 U S Residents use it so they were both saying Yes to get their vote ?

RAK

Q: Could you please comment on their results?

Thanks,
Milan

Q: I've never been inclined to invest in Tesla. Mostly because the stock price is largely influenced by what comes out of Elon's mouth. But there is no question the man is an innovator. And his new announcement of the Pi Phone looks like a game changer . I doubt if Apple or Samsung can pop up a satellite network anytime soon ..... Not to mention a low price point and solar charging. And for the youth that drives this market the damn thing just plain looks sexy ..... And of course at $250 it is light years below both Apple and Samsung price points.......Thus for the first time I am considering an investment in Tesla. What does 5i think of doing that solely based on this new product ? .... And is Tesla the company that owns the product or is it another of Elon's companies ? ....... Thanks for your terrific service ......

Q: Hello 5i:
I want to add to my AI exposure with a 3 – 5 year horizon.
I already have sufficient TSLA and AAPL, and moderate positions in NVDA and MSFT, and a starting position in PLTR.
What would be your choice(s) for adding to any of these, and/or starting new positions such as AVGO, DELL , TSM, or others? I have avoided GOOG due to possible breakup legislation.
Many thanks for your ongoing great service.

Q: XTRA This company seems to totally fly under the market’s radar. It develops and produces AI tech to provide physical security access at large venues and events. Financials are out soon and optimism is high. Recent multiple new contracts with major sports franchises, arenas and stadiums. Some major player customers (Tesla etc). The technology ought to be deployed at every school entrance across the US. Its major competitor is facing multiple lawsuits over its inferior product and is now embroiled in the New York Mayor/New York Subway contracts scandal. Seems to me the stock price should be on a steep upward projectile, yet it has remained stagnant for ages. What it is about Xtract that the marker doesn’t seem to like? Or is there something more nefarious at play to keep the stock price stifled? Thanks for all your advice and mentoring.

Q: Can you please rank in order which of the stocks from best to worst you would Recommend today, and are there any that you would Not Recommend at this time (no ranking required)?


TMDX, PLTR, CECO, ASPN, AVAL, LAZR, BIDU, TSLA, VRT, ELMD, NXT, DRX.

Thank you
D&J

Q: The deal with Waymo seems like a slam dunk. This could lead to a full collaboration as robots proliferate. Thoughts?

Q: It seems Tesla (TSLA) is no longer a favorite pick in 5i Research. Its CEO, Elon Musk, is working on many interesting projects. If revolutionary projects, such as the humanoid robot, are successful, they could bring billions to the company. I don’t own TSLA. What do you think about TSLA this year, next year, or in the future? Please comment. Thanks in advance.