PRISM Madness: Final Four Forecasts with Slam Dunk and Airball Stock Highlights
As March Madness moves into the Final Four, some degenerate gamblers, sports aficionados or both are still looking to capitalize on their bracket pools. Saturday night, the remaining teams will face off to determine who will be left standing to compete for the NCAA Basketball Championship. Hands down the best match up to see will be Purdue (1) and NC State (11) who both have not made it to the Final Four since Purple Rain topped Billboard charts. UConn (1) and Alabama (4) will be a show as the Huskies have decimated each opponent they’ve yet to encounter. We’ll break down each team with a stock pick who is likely to have its team going all the way, in their bracket. If yours is already busted, these stock plays could be your chance to make enough cash to pay your bookie.
The Elephant in the Room
While fans, students and alma mater are still grieving the retirement of beloved football Coach Nick Saban, Alabama’s basketball team has tried to keep sprits alive by making its way to the Final Four. The team beat the number one ranked and historic college basketball powerhouse UNC, by a close margin and proceeded onward as they shut down southern rivalry Clemson, in its latest match up. UConn will be a tougher opponent than the previous, a true test to this team’s tournament success.
Besides college sports teams, we weren’t entirely sure what else Alabama has to offer. Turns out, it’s protective clothing. Lakeland Industries, Inc. (LAKE) recently announced the acquisition of the Fire and Rescue business of the LHD group. A transaction valued around $16.7M will expand Lakeland’s global fire footprint. Additionally, on April 10th the company intends to announce its Q4 earnings after the close. The stock is up modestly YTD but in the past year has gained ~28%.
UConn-struction
We are still trying to figure out when UConn will switch from calling themselves the Huskies to something like the Bulldozers since they’ve beat every team they have played in the tournament, by 20 points or more. In their last game against the third ranked Illini, they finished with 77 points over the Illini with 52. While we like to see a Huskies win, a W against Bama in this setting still won’t be as sweet as seeing the Roll Tide lose to Joey B and Coach O’s 2019 LSU football team. Go Tigahs! But also, lets go, “Dozers”!
From Connecticut Powerhouse to CT-based Power Supplier, Altus Power, Inc. (AMPS) doesn’t give investors as much of a jolt as the Huskies provide their fans. The stock has been down 30% YTD but with only a negative 10% return, over the past year. In its recent Q4 earnings announcement, the company missed quarterly estimates on EPS ($0.17) vs Factset ($0.01) as well as revenues $34.2M vs Factset $43.8M and lowered guidance for the year. The company cited weather as its primary driver for the underwhelming results and expects to see a turnaround this year.
A Howling Good Time
An eleventh ranked team has made its way to the stage for their first Final Four appearance in over 20 years. The state of North Carolina includes college basketball teams that have become March Madness household names. But this year, Duke and/or UNC are not being discussed, in the Final Four. This dance still has NC in attendance however, now, as a Wolve.
Hailing from North Carolia, communications platform and service company Bandwidth, Inc. (BAND) is up 22% YTD and has seen some insider selling from its COO, Anothony Bartolo and CPO, Rebecca Bottorff. The company reported a phenomenal Q4 and FY 2023 earnings announcement that surpassed revenue and profitability guidance. Most recently, they introduced “the Texties”, a new rewards program honoring the best in business text messaging for its customers.
Not Chicken
Another number one ranked team will contend in Saturday match ups and is a second team who is making a Final Four appearance, in over 20 years. Purdue has produced players that have been showstoppers as 7’4”Edey, Maestro Smith and the recently discovered trash talker, Fletcher Loyer have made headlines this tournament. The Midwest team has been painting it black and gold and will play their next game in hopes to prevent their Final Four opponent from painting the Championship game black and red.
Nonclinical and analytical drug discovery provider, Inotiv, Inc. (NOTV) may have Purdue going all the way in their MM brackets as they’re headquartered right down the road from the University, in West Lafayette, Indiana. The company is up over 115% in the past year and YTD has returned 145%. In its latest Q1 earnings announcement, the company reported quarterly revenues up 10%, improvement in the DSA backlog compared to the previous year and a shift toward sales and marketing as near-term infrastructure projects became closer to completion. The company is listed in the PRISM Healthcare Index.
As the madness ensues in the Final Four round, we hope those whose brackets have not yet busted remain intact for the Championship taking place on Monday, April 8th. If you’re one of those who bet your Q1 bonus on your office pool and have already lost it, there’s still time to make gains with some lucky stock plays before your significant other finds out. Either way, we wish more buzzer beaters, buckets, beers, and bucks ahead for you, in the Final Four future.
