Core Insights - Fenimore Asset Management's Q4 2025 investor letter indicates a solid yet volatile stock market, influenced by AI enthusiasm, economic uncertainty, and monetary policy concerns [1] - The firm anticipates mixed market conditions in 2026, with many AI-related stocks appearing expensive while high-quality companies are trading at multi-year lows, presenting potential investment opportunities [1] Group 1: Market Performance - The S&P 500 Index rose by 2.66% in Q4 2025, driven by large-cap technology and communication services stocks [1] - Fenimore Small Cap Strategy returned -4.12%, underperforming the Russell 2000 Index, which returned 2.19% [1] - Fenimore Dividend Focus Strategy declined by -4.41% compared to the Russell Midcap Index's 0.16% return [1] - Fenimore Value Strategy saw a decline of -1.17% in Q4, also underperforming the Russell Midcap Index [1] Group 2: Company Focus - Amphenol Corporation - Amphenol Corporation (NYSE:APH) was highlighted as a top performer in both the Fenimore Value Strategy and Fenimore Dividend Focus Strategy [2] - As of January 15, 2026, Amphenol's stock closed at $154.22 per share, with a one-month return of 13.99% and a 52-week gain of 122.15% [2] - Amphenol has a market capitalization of $188.774 billion [2] - The company benefits from data center buildouts supporting AI, leading to a 128% organic growth in its IT Datacom segment in the most recent quarter [3]

Bristol Gate Capital Partners, an investment management company, published its Q3 2025 investor letter for the “US Equity Strategy”. A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. The strategy underperformed the benchmark, the S&P 500® Total Return Index, this quarter, but still surpassed the index in dividend growth. The underperformance was due to a lack of significant exposure to the AI/TMT sector or the Value sector, which provides advantages stemming from the Federal Reserve's rate cut. The portfolio ret ...

Qualivian Investment Partners, an investment partnership focused on long-only public equities, released its Q3 2025 investor letter. A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. The fund outperformed the iShares MSCI USA Quality Factor ETF (QUAL) by 69.2% and 61.3% on a gross and net basis, since inception through September 30, 2025. It also exceeded the S&P 500 by 32.7% and 26.1% respectively, on a gross and net basis. In addition, please check the fund’s top five holdings to know its best picks in 2025. ...

Core Insights - The connector manufacturing industry is crucial in the electronics sector, with a diverse range of applications across various fields, including automotive, telecommunications, and AI data centers [1][10]. Industry Overview - The connector industry is divided into three segments: upstream (raw materials), midstream (connector manufacturing), and downstream (end-user applications) [1]. - The upstream market includes metal and non-metal raw materials, while the midstream is dominated by manufacturing companies that process these materials into finished connectors [1]. Market Dynamics - The connector manufacturing sector is primarily concentrated in the eastern and southeastern coastal regions of China, with Guangdong province hosting the highest number of midstream enterprises [5]. - In 2024, the overall production and sales rate for listed companies in the connector sector is around 100%, with some companies like Ruikeda and Dingtong Technology reporting rates below 90% [8]. Company Performance - Companies such as AVIC Optoelectronics and Aerospace Electric have reported high gross profit margins of 36.54% and 38.68%, respectively [8]. - AVIC Optoelectronics produced 78,793,000 connectors and sold 80,540,000, achieving a production-to-sales ratio of 102.22% [9]. - Ruikeda's revenue surged by 55.29% in 2024, reaching 2.415 billion yuan, with 90.2% of its income coming from new energy vehicle connectors [11]. Recent Developments - Lixun Precision's automotive business revenue grew by 48.69% to 13.758 billion yuan in 2024, driven by acquisitions and partnerships with major automotive manufacturers [11]. - Changying Precision's revenue from new energy business reached 5.214 billion yuan, a 47.29% increase, with significant growth in the consumer electronics sector [11]. - Aerospace Electric's revenue decreased by 19.08% due to a slowdown in defense demand, but it improved its gross margin by 11.89 percentage points to 47.52% [11].