PTLO 2026-08-20 Portillo's: Guidance Cut Confirms It's Cheap For A Reason
KC Research Friday, August 21, 2026
PTLO 2026-08-20 KC Research Aug 21 SOXX $1.4B SOXX: Growth And Profitability May Be Peaking
Mauro Caversazzi 
Walmart’s Evolution
From X
catechwilliams on X
Answer: aggressive revenue booking, financing sales, selling products at/ below cost to boost revenue and hoping to “then try to build it back up over time” per CEO. Contrast $PLUS performance w competitor and industry leader $CDW.
catechwilliams on X
$PLUS Numbers don’t add up. 50% sales $CSCO product (sales -13% MRQ, guided -11%). MRQ $PLUS sales +13% (reported yesterday). Earnings call question: “OEM Cisco have talked about bottlenecks, weak orders. You’ve been unscathed…how are you outperforming the market significantly?”
catechwilliams on X
$EXLS Highly innovative founder-CEO rapidly taking share w AI-based services. High-teens topline growth w expanding margins, higher value-add mix to attractive end-markets. 17x P/E yet to reflect business transformation. 100% FCF to buybacks. Winning customers from $ACN $DXC $WIT
catechwilliams on X
$OII Niche leader in subsea robotics at 12x P/E. Offshore rig count accelerating (70% share), A&D growing DD, new autonomous tech a major growth driver in other end markets (lifts, etc). Investor day next week will showcase products and new LT targets. >50% NTM upside, IMO.
catechwilliams on X
SRS is a private-equity rollup of landscaping, pool and roofing distributors, lacking exclusive supplier relationships and serving smaller homebuilders.
catechwilliams on X
$GMS Underfollowed building products distributor, HSD growth, favorable mix shift/ margin, tracking to beat estimates, trading at 10x EPS, 7x EBITDA. Peers at >50% higher multiples. $HD just acquired lower quality peer SRS for 17x EBITDA. GMS = $240 or +150% at that multiple.
catechwilliams on X
$CVGW Situation getting : 1) being investigated by SEC, DOJ for bribery, cartel dealings, 2) intensely competitive biz, losing customers/ share w zero earnings; 3) sale of struggling prepared segment faltering. None of this is priced-in yet. Next 2 quarters likely a disaster.
catechwilliams on X
$LYTS Very attractive acq of EMI following successful prior M&A blueprint--significant cross-selling op, cost reduction, expands product set which further solidifies dominant national position. Seeing +50% upside to shares from here.
Investor Letters
All letters- First Eagle Investments 3Q 2025 +9.2%
- Palm Harbour Capital third quarter
- Bireme Capital 2Q22 -1.4%
- Bireme Capital first five months of 2023 +8.0%
- Polaris Capital Management FIRST QUARTER 2026 +5.1%
- Polaris Capital Management SECOND QUARTER 2026 +12.3%
- First Eagle Investments second quarter 2026 +3.2%
- Oakmark Funds 2Q 2026
VISN 2026-08-21 Vistance Networks: The Valuation Makes This Stock A Strong Buy
Investor Overview 
$ELAL: El Al is a wartime monopoly at 2x EBITDA. Is that a trap? | ASB Partners
El Al trades near 2x EBITDA after wartime near-monopoly profits, with $1.3 billion of net cash and owned aircraft weighed against…
Instacart’s Unit Economics, and Implications for DoorDash
Instacart’s per-order unit economics provide a benchmark for assessing DoorDash’s LTM profitability and operating model.
CCC Is in the Middle of the Wreckage
CCC, the dominant auto physical-damage claims estimator, connects 27 of the top 30 insurers with 31,000 repair shops as takeout rumors…
Aloe Aloe Aloe what 'ave VERRA then?
Verra Mobility's new seven-year Avis agreement replaces a customer worth over 10% of revenue on materially worse economics, exposing…
NCLH or her grandma Saga?
Norwegian Cruise Line’s $15 billion debt and 2026-27 capex delay deleveraging, despite fuel-efficient new ships and stronger projected 2028…
Airbnb Model Update (2026)
Airbnb shares have risen about 50% since October 2025, prompting a revised 2026 model and return assumptions at the current price.
Jumia
Jumia’s January 2028 $7/$15 call spread risks $1.15 for up to $6.85 if cost cuts and marketplace growth deliver adjusted EBITDA and…
Shitcos, Griftcos, and alignment versus enrichment at $IREN
IREN awarded each co-CEO roughly 9 million RSUs, about 2.5% of shares and $400 million, in exchange for no further equity grants until…
$NU: is Nubank Capital One in 1994 or Capital One in 2006? | Vanshap Capital
Nubank's 140 million customers, 20% efficiency ratio and 30% ROE frame whether its high-teens P/E reflects a scalable fintech or a maturing…
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The $1.5 Trillion of Hidden Debt Fueling the AI Boom | Robin Wigglesworth of FT Alphaville
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