Insights

These concise papers provide a detailed look at the factors that contribute to the investment decisions we make at Sionna.

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Decentralization: A Tug of War

April 2019

In assessing structures, Sionna has noticed that the decentralized business model stands out as an effective form of aligning incentives at the ground level while allowing an organization to grow efficiently. At its core, a decentralized business provides autonomy to several distinct units rather than centralizing all decisions at the top. However, while decentralization can be the start of a strong foundation, it doesn’t ensure success on its own.

Is Price-to-Book Value Still Relevant?

January 2019

Investors have historically used a variety of characteristics to measure the valuation of a stock. Price-to-book value is one such characteristic and has often been used as the line in the sand when distinguishing value investors from growth investors. As long-term value investors, we have leaned on this ratio (and others) as a measure of value for both individual stocks and the overall portfolio. More recently, however, there are suggestions that price-to-book value has evolved into a less robust metric.

Canada: Cheapest in a Decade

October 2018

Canadian investors often like to compare and contrast our markets to those of our American neighbours. And being the polite and humble group that we are, we often focus too much on our shortcomings rather than highlighting our strengths. Year to date, the performance of the Canadian equity index has trailed that of the U.S. However, as value investors, we believe that negative sentiment and underperformance can sometimes create attractive investment opportunities.

It's more Cyclical than Secular

July 2018

Sionna believes market pricing is as much about human excess as it is about underlying security fundamentals. One feature of human weakness is that current market trends are often erroneously interpreted as the new secular normal. In reality, these trends are likely cyclical phenomena, which are so infrequent that present decision makers are unaware of their cyclical nature.

Don't be Fooled by the P/S

April 2018

It has never been easier to spread a message to the masses. Turn on the television and chances are you will find “facts” being scrutinized, so much so that consumers are willing to pay for high-quality, investigative journalism. Sionna is familiar with the investigative process as we have always felt the need to dig beneath the surface when looking for investment ideas. One topic we have been investigating recently is the robustness of the price-to-sales ratio (“P/S ratio”) as a tool to unearth investment ideas.

Practicing Differently

January 2018

The idea that practice improves performance is widely accepted, but it’s important to recognize that not just any practice enhances abilities. The act of doing the same thing over and over again may not necessarily lead to improvement beyond a certain point. Instead, a different type of practice, carried out over a sufficient period of time, is what can lead to improvement. So what, then, is the right sort of practice?


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