Uber Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:UBER) Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference Call March 7, 2024 3:35 PM ET Company Participants Dara Khosrowshahi - Chief Executive Officer Conference Call Participants Brian Nowak - Morgan Stanley Brian Nowak Alright. Good afternoon, everyone. We are thrilled to have our next conversation with Dara from Uber. Before we get started, Dara, I have to read the important disclosures, including all the personal holdings disclosures and Morgan Stanley disclosures all a ...

Summary of Shopify Inc. (NYSE:SHOP) Q1 2024 Earnings Conference Call Company Overview - **Company**: Shopify Inc. (NYSE:SHOP) - **Date of Call**: March 6, 2024 - **Participants**: Harley Finkelstein (President), Jeff Hoffmeister (CFO) Key Points Company Changes and Strategy - Shopify has reduced its workforce from approximately 14,000 to around 8,000 employees, indicating a focus on efficiency and growth potential [4] - The company is shifting its focus towards core commerce and retail, leveraging partnerships for logistics instead of managing them in-house [5] - Shopify's new structure is yielding positive results, with growth in both top and bottom lines, and strong performance in enterprise and international segments [6] Market Environment and Consumer Behavior - During Black Friday and Cyber Monday 2023, Shopify recorded $9.3 billion in Gross Merchandise Volume (GMV) over four days, indicating strong consumer demand [12] - Consumers are intentionally purchasing from brands they love, which are predominantly powered by Shopify, suggesting a shift towards brand loyalty [13] - Shopify now accounts for approximately 11% of total e-commerce in the U.S., making it the second-largest checkout platform after Amazon [13] Financial Performance and Outlook - Shopify's revenue in Europe grew by 40%, driven by same-store sales growth and new merchant acquisition [16] - Operating margins improved significantly following the spin-out of Deliverr, with Q4 2023 showing 13% operating income margins and 21% free cash flow margins [24] - The company anticipates continued growth in operating margins throughout the year, supported by disciplined headcount management and strategic marketing investments [23] Product and Service Innovations - Shopify Plus has gained traction among larger brands, with new offerings like Commerce Components and Hydrogen allowing for more flexible integrations [34][35] - The introduction of Shopify Audiences is enhancing merchants' advertising effectiveness, with some reporting up to 50% higher return on ad spend [63] - The company is exploring generative AI capabilities to improve merchant operations and consumer experiences, indicating a forward-looking approach to technology integration [72][74] Challenges and Considerations - Shopify is aware of potential headwinds in gross margins due to the growth of lower-margin payment solutions and the need for volume discounts for large enterprises [28][30] - The company is focused on maintaining a balance between pricing strategies and delivering value to merchants, with plans for thoughtful monetization of its services [54][55] Additional Insights - Shopify is actively expanding its international presence, particularly in Western Europe, and is targeting offline retailers through its point-of-sale solutions [59][58] - The company is committed to enhancing its product offerings and ensuring that its platform remains attractive to both small and large merchants [56][50] This summary encapsulates the key insights and developments discussed during the Shopify Q1 2024 earnings call, highlighting the company's strategic direction, market performance, and future growth opportunities.

Sirius XM Holdings Inc. (NASDAQ:SIRI) Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference March 6, 2024 5:05 PM ET Company Participants Jennifer Witz - Chief Executive Officer Conference Call Participants Cameron Mansson-Perrone - Morgan Stanley Cameron Mansson-Perrone Get started. I'm Cameron Mansson-Perrone, Morgan Stanley, music, live events analysts. Before we get started, note that important disclosures, including my personal holdings disclosures and Morgan Stanley disclosures, all appear as a hando ...

Zillow Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:Z) Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference March 6, 2024 4:20 PM ET Company Participants Jeremy Hofmann - Chief Financial Officer Conference Call Participants Matt Cost - Morgan Stanley Matt Cost All right. Thank you so much everyone for being here. My name is Matt Cost from Morgan Stanley US Internet team thrilled to be joined by Jeremy Hofmann, CFO of Zillow. Thank you so much for being here. Jeremy Hofmann Yeah. Thanks for having me. Matt Cost I have to quickly go ...

Key Points Industry Overview - **Evolution of BDCs**: The BDC sector has evolved significantly over the past two decades, moving from smaller transactions and asset liability mismatches to larger, more transparent deals with institutional managers. [8-10] - **Private Credit Growth**: The rise of private credit has been driven by the need for alternative credit solutions, particularly post the global financial crisis. [11-12] - **Competitive Landscape**: The industry has seen an increase in new entrants, particularly in smaller deals. However, larger players with significant capital and experience maintain a competitive advantage. [32-33, 38-39, 41-42] Origination and Return Profiles - **Normalization of Syndicated Loan Markets**: The normalization of syndicated loan markets has led to increased competition for deals, but direct lending remains a preferred option due to its certainty, privacy, and customization. [15-18, 20] - **Impact on Return Profiles**: The normalization of markets has led to slightly tighter spreads and underwriting standards, but overall risk-adjusted returns remain attractive. [29-30] M&A Activity - **Pickup in M&A Activity**: There is a strong expectation for a pickup in M&A activity in 2024, driven by increased pressure on sellers to return capital and the availability of dry powder among buyers. [23-25, 27] - **Dependence on M&A**: While M&A activity is a significant driver of origination, larger BDCs like Ares Capital Corporation also benefit from a diverse portfolio of existing companies that require additional capital. [26] Credit Performance - **Low Non-Accrual Rates**: Despite elevated rates and economic concerns, non-accrual rates have remained low, reflecting the strong credit quality of portfolio companies. [46-47, 50] - **Downside Protections**: BDCs offer strong downside protections through low leverage, match-funded structures, and close relationships with private equity firms. [56-58, 60] Alternative Credit Outlook - **Shift to Direct Lending**: There is a structural shift away from syndicated lending towards direct lending, driven by the need for certainty, privacy, and customization. [65-67, 74-77] - **Banks' Role**: Banks are likely to remain in the business of distributing risk, but they are losing market share to direct lenders. [75-77] Macro and Rates - **Impact of Rate Changes**: A decline in base rates would likely reduce net investment income and dividends, but could be offset by increased transaction volume and upfront fees. [82-86] - **Funding Mix**: BDCs prefer diversified, durable sources of funding with laddered maturities to avoid forced debt issuance in unfavorable market conditions. [89-90]

Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) TD Cowen 44th Annual Health Care Conference March 6, 2024 1:30 PM ET Company Participants Stephen Hoge - President Conference Call Participants Tyler Van Buren - TD Cowen Tyler Van Buren Good afternoon, everyone. Thanks for being here. Welcome again to TD Cowen's 44th Annual Healthcare Conference. My name is Tyler Van Buren, Senior Biotech Analyst here. For this session, it's a privilege to have a fireside chat with Moderna. And from Moderna, it's my pleasure to introduce Stephen ...

Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ:EA) Morgan Stanley Technology, Media & Telecom Conference March 6, 2024 3:35 PM ET Company Participants Andrew Wilson - CEO Conference Call Participants Matt Cost - Morgan Stanley Matt Cost Hello, everyone. Thanks for being here. My name is Matt Cost from Morgan Stanley U.S. Internet team. Thrilled to be joined by Andrew Wilson, the CEO of EA. Thank you so much for being here. Andrew Wilson Thanks for having me. Matt Cost I have to quickly go through the disclosures. Please no ...

Arista Networks, Inc. (NYSE:ANET) Morgan Stanley Technology, Media and Telecom Conference Call March 6, 2024 1:15 PM ET Company Participants Jayshree Ullal - CEO Chantelle Breithaupt - CFO Conference Call Participants Meta Marshall - Morgan Stanley Meta Marshall I'll just read some brief disclosures. If you need to see any disclosures, please check out morganstanley.com/researchdisclosures or talk to your Morgan Stanley sales representative. For those who don't know me, the least important person on the sta ...

Summary of Fastly, Inc. Conference Call Company Overview - **Company**: Fastly, Inc. (NYSE: FSLY) - **Date**: March 6, 2024 - **Participants**: Todd Nightingale (CEO), Ron Kisling (CFO), Sanjit Singh (Morgan Stanley Analyst) Key Points Financial Performance - Fastly reported Q4 results that were slightly below expectations, leading to a nearly 40% drop in stock price [2][3] - Revenue miss was $1.5 million, which was considered relatively small but significant enough to impact market perception [4] - Gross margins improved significantly, reaching over 59% with a target of 60% in 2024, indicating a strong focus on profitability [4][8] - Positive cash flow and a positive EPS were noted, reflecting operational improvements [4] Strategic Initiatives - The company has undergone significant transformation, focusing on customer acquisition and growth, which may have been overshadowed by the revenue miss [4][6] - Fastly experienced the largest increase in enterprise customers since 2020, indicating a positive shift in customer acquisition strategy [6] - The strategy includes packaging and channel transformation to unify the platform and enhance customer experience [5][20] Executive Changes - Recent executive changes, including the appointment of Kip Compton as Chief Product Officer and Peter Alexander as Chief Marketing Officer, are expected to enhance the company's execution capabilities [14][17] - The focus on marketing efficiency and customer acquisition is seen as a key driver for growth [16] Market Position and Competitive Landscape - Fastly is positioning itself as a comprehensive edge platform, integrating content delivery, security, compute, and observability services [22][39] - The company is witnessing a market shift towards strategic partnerships rather than point solutions, which aligns with its platform unification strategy [22][39] - The exit of competitors from the market is expected to support pricing stability in the content delivery space [36] Security Portfolio - Fastly's security offerings, including DDoS prevention and bot mitigation, are seen as critical for future growth, with plans to disclose security revenue holistically [25][27] - The company aims to expand its security capabilities to meet customer expectations and increase wallet share [26][29] Edge Compute Opportunity - Fastly is heavily investing in edge compute, anticipating significant growth in this area over the next several years [44] - The focus on user experience and performance is driving demand for edge compute solutions, particularly among e-commerce players [41][42] Financial Outlook - Fastly aims to achieve $800 million to $900 million in revenue with gross margins of 65% and operating margins of 7% by 2026 [46] - The company is targeting a 430 basis point improvement in operating margins for 2024, driven by operational efficiencies and strategic investments [48][49] Partnerships and Competition - Fastly views major cloud providers as partners rather than competitors, leveraging a hybrid cloud architecture to enhance user experience [52] - The company is focused on platform convergence in the edge computing space, positioning itself to capitalize on market trends [53] Additional Insights - The transition to a unified platform is expected to lower customer acquisition friction and improve overall user experience [23] - Fastly's approach to packaging is designed to simplify customer onboarding and drive predictable revenue outcomes [34][35] This summary encapsulates the key insights and strategic directions discussed during the conference call, highlighting Fastly's focus on growth, operational efficiency, and market positioning.

Editas Medicine, Inc. (NASDAQ:EDIT) TD Cowen 44th Annual Healthcare Conference March 4, 2024 12:50 PM ET Company Participants Gilmore O'Neill - CEO Erick Lucera - CFO Conference Call Participants Phil Nadeau - TD Cowen Phil Nadeau Good afternoon and welcome once again to TD Cowen’s 44th Annual Healthcare Conference. I'm Phil Nadeau, one of Cowen’s biotech analysts, and it's my pleasure to moderate a fireside chat with Editas. We have with us today, Gilmore O'Neill, CEO and Erick Lucera, CFO. Hand it over ...