TIVP039: Universal Music Group (UMG): Owning The World’s Music Catalog w/ Shawn O’Malley & Daniel Mahncke
Shawn O’Malley and Daniel Mahncke break down Universal Music Group (ticker: UMG), a company that controls a royalty stream on roughly ⅓ of the world’s music in an oligopolistic industry also dominated by Sony and Warner Music Group. Universal has incredibly high-quality earnings, with a very stable business and excess returns on capital — a recipe that is very appealing to investors at the right price. In this episode, you’ll learn about the economics of the music industry, how Universal creates value for artists, what the company is doing in response to AI, the mutually dependent relationship between labels and music streaming platforms, and whether Universal Music Group’s stock is attractively priced, plus so much more! IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN: 00:00 - Intro 05:00 - Why royalties from the music industry are so stable 07:57 - How Universal Music Group makes money and supports artists 11:12 - How Universal operates as an oligopoly alongside Sony and Warner Music Group 20:24 - The economics of digital streaming 43:48 - Why Universal’s leading market share position reinforces its advantages 01:04:48 - About UMG’s unique business model as a serial acquirer of music catalogs 01:10:35 - How to think about modeling UMG’s intrinsic value 01:21:27 - Whether Shawn and Daniel add UMG to their Intrinsic Value Portfolio *Disclaimer: Slight timestamp discrepancies may occur due to podcast platform differences. BOOKS AND RESOURCES Get smarter about valuing businesses in just a few minutes each week through our newsletter, The Intrinsic Value Newsletter. Sign Up for The Intrinsic Value Community. Shawn’s 2024 Millennial Investing episode on Universal Music Group. Shawn’s 2024 Millennial Investing episode on Spotify. Check out the Music Royalties 101 article. Bill Ackman’s presentation on Universal Music Group. Dive into Shawn’s past podcast on Disney for more on the power of beloved IP. Explore our previous Intrinsic Value breakdowns: Paypal, Uber, Nike, Reddit, Amazon, Airbnb, TSMC, Alphabet, Ulta, LVMH, and Madison Square Garden Sports. Related books mentioned in the podcast. Ad-free episodes on our Premium Feed. NEW TO THE SHOW? Follow our official social media accounts: X (Twitter) | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | TikTok. Browse through all our episodes (complete with transcripts) here. Try Shawn's favorite tool for picking stock winners and managing our portfolios: TIP Finance. Enjoy exclusive perks from our favorite Apps and Services. Learn how to better start, manage, and grow your business with the best business podcasts. SPONSORS Support our free podcast by supporting our sponsors: Harvest Right Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm
28 Sep 1h 27min
TIVP038: Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.B): From Buffett to Abel w/ Daniel Mahncke & Shawn O’Malley
Daniel Mahncke and Shawn O’Malley dive into Berkshire Hathaway, the billion-dollar conglomerate built by Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger that’s grown from a struggling textile mill into one of the most valuable companies in the world. With core pillars in insurance, railroads, and energy, plus a $250 billion equity portfolio anchored by Apple, Berkshire is often seen as the ultimate compounding machine. Its decentralized structure, conservative balance sheet, and reputation for permanence make it unlike any other business in corporate America. IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN: 00:00 - Intro 06:15 - How Buffett took over Berkshire Hathaway 12:20 - How Buffett turned Berkshire Hathaway into an investment vehicle 20:22 - Why Buffett loves insurance businesses 26:22 - Why Buffett chose to invest in the energy business 47:51 - How Berkshire’s manufacturing business is set up 57:16 - What Buffett’s retirement will mean for Berkshire 01:00:08 - Whether Berkshire is attractively valued at its current levels 01:13:08 - Whether Shawn & Daniel add BRK to The Intrinsic Value Portfolio *Disclaimer: Slight timestamp discrepancies may occur due to podcast platform differences. BOOKS AND RESOURCES Get smarter about valuing businesses in just a few minutes each week through our newsletter, The Intrinsic Value Newsletter. Sign Up for The Intrinsic Value Community. A Biography of Buffett: The Snowball. Semper Augustus Investment Letters. Warren Buffett Shareholder Letters. Adam Mead website. The Story of Berkshire Hathaway w/ Jacob McDonough. Berkshire Hathaway Discussion w/ Stig Brodersen and Chris Bloomstran. Clay and Kyle reflecting on the Berkshire Annual Meeting 2025. Explore our previous Intrinsic Value breakdowns: Moncler, Uber, Nike, Reddit, Nintendo, Airbnb, AutoZone, Alphabet, Ulta, John Deere, and Madison Square Garden Sports. Related books mentioned in the podcast. Ad-free episodes on our Premium Feed. NEW TO THE SHOW? Follow our official social media accounts: X (Twitter) | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | TikTok. Browse through all our episodes (complete with transcripts) here. Try Shawn's favorite tool for picking stock winners and managing our portfolios: TIP Finance. Enjoy exclusive perks from our favorite Apps and Services. Learn how to better start, manage, and grow your business with the best business podcasts. SPONSORS Support our free podcast by supporting our sponsors: Harvest Right Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm
21 Sep 1h 23min
TIVP037: Match Group (MTCH): Is Finding Love a Good Investment? w/ Shawn O’Malley & Daniel Mahncke
Shawn O’Malley and Daniel Mahncke break down Match Group (ticker: MTCH), a company that operates as part of a duopoly in online dating, owning a number of dating platforms, including Tinder, Match.com, Hinge, OkCupid, and more, with specialized platforms appealing to certain demographics and dating niches. During the Pandemic, the company was a popular growth stock, but as the number of paying users at Tinder has declined, the business has stagnated, and the market has punished it severely. Yet, the company is still quite profitable, yielding a seemingly attractive valuation. In this episode, you’ll learn about the unique business behind online dating, why Match is having trouble resonating with Gen Z, how large the TAM is for online dating, the most important things the company is focusing on to reinvigorate Tinder, why Hinge may be the future of Match Group and online dating, and whether Match Group is attractively priced, plus so much more! IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN: 00:00 – Intro 07:24 - What advantages Match Group has in its favor as the world’s largest online-dating company 29:05 - About Match’s origin story as a spinoff and its executive turnover 35:59 - The biggest structural challenges weighing on Match Group’s growth 44:44 - Why the senior dating market may be a growth engine for Match Group 46:50 - How Match Group operates and competes as part of a duopoly with Bumble 47:19 - Why investors are so weary of the online dating industry 01:03:18 - How to think about modeling MTCH’s intrinsic value 01:07:28 - Whether Shawn and Daniel add MTCH to their Intrinsic Value Portfolio *Disclaimer: Slight timestamp discrepancies may occur due to podcast platform differences. BOOKS AND RESOURCES Get smarter about valuing businesses in just a few minutes each week through our newsletter, The Intrinsic Value Newsletter. Sign Up for The Intrinsic Value Community. Check out the Pew Research findings on online dating. Andrew Chen’s article on why investors don’t fund online dating. Gen Z dating and marriage stats. Explore our previous Intrinsic Value breakdowns: Moncler, Uber, Nike, Reddit, Nintendo, Airbnb, AutoZone, Alphabet, Ulta, John Deere, and Madison Square Garden Sports. Check out the books mentioned in the podcast here. Enjoy ad-free episodes when you subscribe to our Premium Feed. NEW TO THE SHOW? Follow our official social media accounts: X (Twitter) | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | TikTok. Browse through all our episodes (complete with transcripts) here. Try Shawn's favorite tool for picking stock winners and managing our portfolios: TIP Finance. Enjoy exclusive perks from our favorite Apps and Services. Learn how to better start, manage, and grow your business with the best business podcasts. SPONSORS Support our free podcast by supporting our sponsors: Harvest Right Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm
14 Sep 1h 17min
TIVP036: Dell (DELL): Overlooked AI Growth Story? w/ Daniel Mahncke & Shawn O’Malley
Daniel Mahncke and Shawn O’Malley dive into Dell Technologies, the legacy PC giant that’s quietly become one of the largest suppliers of AI infrastructure in the world. Once seen as a low-growth hardware player, Dell now sits at the heart of the data center buildout — shipping billions of dollars worth of GPU-powered servers to customers like xAI, Meta, and Microsoft. With a growing AI backlog, enterprise trust, and deep global reach, Dell might be one of the most overlooked players in today’s AI cycle. IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN 00:00 – Intro 01:09 - How Dell became a global PC behemoth. 5:27 - Why Dell managed to outcompete IBM. 10:56 - How Dell’s business is structured. 14:30 - Why the PC Market is struggling to grow. 20:36 - What role AI Servers play in Dell’s future. 47:23 - Whether Dell has a moat. 54:09 - How profitable Dell is and how it allocates capital. 01:11:15 - Why hardware is such a tough business. 01:14:11 - Whether Dell is attractively valued at its current levels. 01:14:11 - Whether Shawn & Daniel add DELL to The Intrinsic Value Portfolio. *Disclaimer: Slight timestamp discrepancies may occur due to podcast platform differences. BOOKS AND RESOURCES Get smarter about valuing businesses in just a few minutes each week through our newsletter, The Intrinsic Value Newsletter. Sign Up for The Intrinsic Value Community. Norges Bank Interviews with Michael Dell. Dell Presentation on the AI PC Revolution. Jensen Huang, Michael Dell Interview on Nvidia and Dell Partnership 3rd Party Report on Dell’s Moat. Explore our previous Intrinsic Value breakdowns: Uber, Nike, Reddit, Nintendo, Airbnb, AutoZone, Alphabet, Ulta, John Deere, and Madison Square Garden Sports. Check out the books mentioned in the podcast here. Enjoy ad-free episodes when you subscribe to our Premium Feed. NEW TO THE SHOW? Follow our official social media accounts: X (Twitter) | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | TikTok. Browse through all our episodes (complete with transcripts) here. Try Shawn's favorite tool for picking stock winners and managing our portfolios: TIP Finance. Enjoy exclusive perks from our favorite Apps and Services. Learn how to better start, manage, and grow your business with the best business podcasts. SPONSORS Support our free podcast by supporting our sponsors: Harvest Right Connect with Shawn: Twitter | LinkedIn | Email Connect with Daniel: Twitter | LinkedIn | Email Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm
7 Sep 1h 21min
TIVP035: Ferrari (RACE): High-Speed Compounder w/ Shawn O’Malley & Daniel Mahncke
Shawn O’Malley and Daniel Mahncke break down Ferrari (ticker: RACE), a company whose stock is arguably just as impressive as its high-performance and ultra-luxury vehicles. By global automotive standards, Ferrari hardly has any sales volumes, selling about 14,000 cars a year, yet these vehicles come with such premium price tags that the company can reasonably command a $90 billion market valuation still. IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN 00:00 – Intro 09:27 - Why Ferrari obsesses over keeping supply below demand. 11:45 - Why Ferrari is more like Hérmes than Porsche. 16:27 - Ferrari’s response to the hybrid and EV movements. 30:35 - What makes Ferrari special amongst even other ultra-luxury vehicle makers. 33:53 - What it actually takes to buy a Ferrari, and how Ferrari chooses its customers. 42:40 - How Ferrari has created a long-term ownership culture amongst its clients, similar to the mindset among shareholders of Berkshire Hathaway. 48:05 - How to think about modeling RACE’s intrinsic value. 57:45 - The creative ways Ferrari has leveraged its IP to sell cars at higher and higher prices. 01:04:28 - Whether Shawn and Daniel add RACE to their Intrinsic Value Portfolio. *Disclaimer: Slight timestamp discrepancies may occur due to podcast platform differences. BOOKS AND RESOURCES Get smarter about valuing businesses in just a few minutes each week through our newsletter, The Intrinsic Value Newsletter. Sign Up for The Intrinsic Value Community. Quartr Edge’s breakdown of Ferrari. Business Breakdowns’ podcast on Ferrari. Related episode: TIP711: Netflix, Ferrari, & Managing Market Volatility w/ Arif Karim. Guy Spier on Ferrari. K500 Classic Car Index. Explore our previous Intrinsic Value breakdowns: Uber, Nike, Reddit, Nintendo, Airbnb, AutoZone, Alphabet, Ulta, John Deere, and Madison Square Garden Sports. Check out the books mentioned in the podcast here. Enjoy ad-free episodes when you subscribe to our Premium Feed. NEW TO THE SHOW? Follow our official social media accounts: X (Twitter) | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | TikTok. Browse through all our episodes (complete with transcripts) here. Try Shawn's favorite tool for picking stock winners and managing our portfolios: TIP Finance. Enjoy exclusive perks from our favorite Apps and Services. Learn how to better start, manage, and grow your business with the best business podcasts. SPONSORS Support our free podcast by supporting our sponsors: Harvest Right Connect with Shawn: Twitter | LinkedIn | Email Connect with Daniel: Twitter | LinkedIn | Email Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm
31 Aug 1h 15min
TIVP034: Crocs (CROX): Fashion Icon or Value Trap? w/ Daniel Mahncke & Shawn O’Malley
Daniel Mahncke and Shawn O’Malley dive into Crocs, the footwear company that turned a ridiculed foam clog into a global fashion phenomenon. After a post-IPO collapse and years of overextension, Crocs has staged one of the most impressive brand comebacks in recent retail history — now fueled by strong margins, loyal customers, and bold international expansion. But there are still some challenges and risks. The HEYDUDE acquisition wasn’t successful yet, and the turnaround will still take time, and there are still reasonable doubts around the sustainability of the growth and fashion relevance of Crocs. In this episode, Shawn and Daniel unpack what’s driving Crocs' profitability, why its turnaround worked, and whether its Asia strategy could be the next big unlock. They break down the brand's unique mix of comfort and cultural cachet, the economics of Jibbitz and limited-edition drops, and how Gen Z’s shift toward athleisure might power a decade of demand. Along the way, they explore whether Crocs is a misunderstood compounder or a hype-driven value trap — and where the stock could go in a bull, bear, and base-case scenario. IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN 00:00 – Intro 04:59 – How Crocs was founded 13:38 – Why Crocs almost went bankrupt in 2008 and how it survived 25:44 – What started the second hype cycle 28:35 – What its highly customized designs mean from a business perspective 32:57 – What role social media plays in Crocs’ success 41:31 – How the HEYDUDE acquisition hurt Crocs’ business 50:28 – About Crocs’ international strategy 01:04:23 – Whether Crocs is attractively valued at its current levels 01:09:18 – Whether Shawn & Daniel add CROX to The Intrinsic Value Portfolio *Disclaimer: Slight timestamp discrepancies may occur due to podcast platform differences. BOOKS AND RESOURCES Get smarter about valuing businesses in just a few minutes each week through our newsletter, The Intrinsic Value Newsletter. Sign Up for The Intrinsic Value Community. Crocs 2025 Investor Presentation. Value Investor’s Club Pitch. Baird 2025 Global Consumer Interview with CEO. Explore our previous Intrinsic Value breakdowns: Uber, Nike, Reddit, Nintendo, Airbnb, AutoZone, Alphabet, Ulta, John Deere, and Madison Square Garden Sports. Check out the books mentioned in the podcast here. Enjoy ad-free episodes when you subscribe to our Premium Feed. NEW TO THE SHOW? Follow our official social media accounts: X (Twitter) | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | TikTok. Browse through all our episodes (complete with transcripts) here. Try Shawn's favorite tool for picking stock winners and managing our portfolios: TIP Finance. Enjoy exclusive perks from our favorite Apps and Services. Learn how to better start, manage, and grow your business with the best business podcasts. SPONSORS Support our free podcast by supporting our sponsors: Harvest Right Connect with Shawn: Twitter | LinkedIn | Email Connect with Daniel: Twitter | LinkedIn | Email Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm
24 Aug 1h 12min
TIVP033: Lululemon (LULU): Still the King of Athleisure? w/ Shawn O’Malley & Daniel Mahncke
Shawn O’Malley and Daniel Mahnke break down Lululemon (ticker: LULU), an iconic brand famous for pioneering the now ubiquitous athleisure industry. Lululemon has a fiercely loyal customer base, with industry-leading rates of repeat customers, sales per square foot of retail space, and very little need for discounting, if any. In this episode, you’ll learn about why the market has soured on this powerful brand, despite incredible success growing internationally, leaving its P/E ratio at a relatively low 15-16x. You’ll also learn about how Lululemon controls all of its touchpoints with customers, selling primarily DTC, as opposed to wholesale like Nike and Adidas do, as well as whether LULU is attractively valued today, plus so much more! IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN 00:00 – Intro 04:23 - Why Lululemon has such a cult-like following. 07:19 - What makes Lululemon products so special. 15:41 - How new competitors are challenging Lululemon on the margins. 20:59 - How the future of Lululemon may be defined by China and menswear. 26:48 - Why the setup for LULU stock may be even more attractive than Nike. 53:48 - What to know about possible yellow flags with the business, like its declining inventory turnover ratio and expanding cash conversion cycle. 01:01:57 - Why the company’s acquisition of the sports-tech hardware company, Mirror, failed so miserably. 01:07:15 - How to think about modeling LULU’s intrinsic value. 01:16:16 - Whether Shawn and Daniel add LULU to their Intrinsic Value Portfolio. *Disclaimer: Slight timestamp discrepancies may occur due to podcast platform differences. BOOKS AND RESOURCES Get smarter about valuing businesses in just a few minutes each week through our newsletter, The Intrinsic Value Newsletter. Sign Up for The Intrinsic Value Community. Clay Finck and Kyle Grieve’s discussion of LULU on We Study Billionaires. How Vuori and Alo are taking on Lululemon. Explore our previous Intrinsic Value breakdowns: Uber, Nike, Reddit, Nintendo, Airbnb, AutoZone, Alphabet, Ulta, John Deere, and Madison Square Garden Sports. Check out the books mentioned in the podcast here. Enjoy ad-free episodes when you subscribe to our Premium Feed. NEW TO THE SHOW? Follow our official social media accounts: X (Twitter) | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | TikTok. Browse through all our episodes (complete with transcripts) here. Try Shawn's favorite tool for picking stock winners and managing our portfolios: TIP Finance. Enjoy exclusive perks from our favorite Apps and Services. Learn how to better start, manage, and grow your business with the best business podcasts. SPONSORS Support our free podcast by supporting our sponsors: Harvest Right Connect with Shawn: Twitter | LinkedIn | Email Connect with Daniel: Twitter | LinkedIn | Email Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm
17 Aug 1h 27min
TIVP032: Remitly (RELY): Future Multibagger or Stablecoin Casualty? w/ Daniel Mahncke & Shawn O’Malley
Daniel & Shawn dive into Remitly, the digital remittance platform aiming to disrupt a $2 trillion global market. After years of prioritizing customer acquisition and corridor expansion over profits, Remitly is now approaching a critical inflection point, one where scale, margin leverage, and cash generation could unlock a new phase of investor confidence. But there are risks as well: crypto-native challengers, regulatory uncertainty, and broader concerns about the remittance industry all raise the question of whether the upside is worth the risk. Here, they unpack Remitly’s moat, including its direct payout network, risk engine, and customer trust, and assess whether these factors are enough to fend off cheaper, faster payment rails, such as stablecoins. They walk through the company’s unit economics and what the valuation model implies under both steady-state and high-growth scenarios. Along the way, they compare Remitly’s customer lock-in strategy to Booking.com, examine the remittance corridor dynamics in India, the Philippines, and Latin America, and debate whether this is a misunderstood fintech with enduring staying power or a product ripe for crypto disruption. IN THIS EPISODE, YOU’LL LEARN 00:00 – Intro 01:08 – How the remittance market works 01:50 – Why Western Union struggles to compete with Remitly 02:16 – Why and how Remitly was founded 04:48 – What risks Remitly faces 05:01 – How stablecoins could disrupt the remittance industry 11:34 – What competitive advantages Remitly has 17:16 – What digital-first companies compete with Remitly 24:37 – Why scale is everything in the payments sector 27:56 – Whether Remitly is attractively valued at its current levels 29:27 – Whether Shawn & Daniel add RELY to The Intrinsic Value Portfolio *Disclaimer: Slight timestamp discrepancies may occur due to podcast platform differences. BOOKS AND RESOURCES Get smarter about valuing businesses in just a few minutes each week through our newsletter, The Intrinsic Value Newsletter. Sign Up for The Intrinsic Value Community. Value Investor’s Club Article on RELY. Check out the Substack Article on RELY. Dive into Pernas' Research Article on RELY Explore our previous Intrinsic Value breakdowns: Uber, Nike, Reddit, Nintendo, Airbnb, AutoZone, Alphabet, Ulta, John Deere, and Madison Square Garden Sports. Check out the books mentioned in the podcast here. Enjoy ad-free episodes when you subscribe to our Premium Feed. NEW TO THE SHOW? Follow our official social media accounts: X (Twitter) | LinkedIn | Instagram | Facebook | TikTok. Browse through all our episodes (complete with transcripts) here. Try Shawn's favorite tool for picking stock winners and managing our portfolios: TIP Finance. Enjoy exclusive perks from our favorite Apps and Services. Learn how to better start, manage, and grow your business with the best business podcasts. SPONSORS Support our free podcast by supporting our sponsors: Harvest Right Connect with Shawn: Twitter | LinkedIn | Email Connect with Daniel: Twitter | LinkedIn | Email Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://theinvestorspodcastnetwork.supportingcast.fm
10 Aug 1h 28min
