Skip to Content
Michelle Leder Pro readers told on Aug. 12 that SFSF was likely takeover target.
Every day, public companies submit thousands of filings to the SEC full of seemingly routine information. Finding the most important material — the disclosures that can make or break an investment decision — doesn't just take time. It also takes a lot of skill. Where can you find this professional assistance?
Our subscription-only service provides actionable investment ideas and deeper insight into public company filings.
Free Trial
footnotedPro uses proprietary search techniques to find both hidden opportunities and early signs of potential problems buried deep in the filings.
Over the years, we've found that the best insights come from building a comprehensive mosaic based on numerous filings — research that requires intimate familiarity with the subtle signals that companies provide in their seemingly routine filings.
While all of this information is technically publicly available, finding the most actionable tidbits is both difficult and time-consuming. It relies on spotting numerous patterns that are visible only after years of scrutinizing thousands of filings.
Because our bottom-up approach focuses on new and interesting disclosures in the filings, our analysis crosses all sectors and market caps, including companies that may never have crossed your radar before.
Since launching footnotedPro, our unique approach to analyzing public filings has highlighted both unusual opportunities and potential problems, well in advance of the market. Because we read so many filings, we're able to cut through the clutter and focus on what's truly important — and actionable.
In January 2011, we released our list of Top 10 Takeover Candidates. By April, three of the companies on our list had announced deals, with significant gains: Smurfit-Stone Container (SSCC) rose more than 25%, Pride International (PDE) rose more than 20%, and Lawson Software (LWSN) rose about 20%.
In November 2010, we published a report explaining why we felt that the worst was over for Warner Music Group (WMG) and called them a good takeover target. Six months after our report, Warner announced a deal.
In September 2010, we published a report questioning the lack of transparency and detail at Sycamore Networks (SCMR). The stock substantially underperformed the market over the next 10 months.
On May 17, 2010, we took a closer look at the for-profit education sector and how various companies were soft-pedaling their risk exposure to new federal rules, focusing on The Washington Post Co's (WPO) lack of disclosure. The stock fell more than 30% between May and mid-August, when WPO issued an 8-K revising its disclosure.
In response to news reports and press releases that companies like AT&T (T) and Deere (DE) were taking hefty first-quarter charges related to the new health insurance legislation, we took a closer look at how those charges will really impact earnings.
© Copyright 2012 Morningstar, Inc. All rights reserved. Please read our Legal Disclosure and Privacy Policy.