"Patience is a Super Power" - "The Money is in the waiting"

Thursday, May 8, 2025

IONQ is moving fast to position itself at the forefront of a Quantum Internet!



IonQ's recent announcements to acquire Capella Space and Lightsynq Technologies mark significant strides in its mission to pioneer the quantum internet. These strategic acquisitions are poised to enhance IonQ's capabilities in quantum networking and computing, potentially positioning the company at the forefront of secure global quantum communications.


🔍 Strategic Acquisitions: Capella Space & Lightsynq Technologies

Capella Space: Enabling Space-Based Quantum Communications 

IonQ has entered into an agreement to acquire Capella Space, a leader in synthetic aperture radar (SAR) satellite technology. This acquisition aims to facilitate the development of a space-based quantum key distribution (QKD) network, leveraging Capella's satellite constellation to enable secure, global quantum communications. The integration of Capella's assets is expected to bolster IonQ's position in quantum networking technologies and expand its partnerships with U.S. government agencies. PayloadPressReleaseDistribution.com+4IonQ+4GovCon Wire+4GovCon Wire

Lightsynq Technologies: Advancing Quantum Networking Infrastructure

IonQ also plans to acquire Lightsynq Technologies, a Boston-based startup specializing in quantum memory and photonic interconnects. Founded by former Harvard and AWS quantum networking experts, Lightsynq's technology is anticipated to accelerate IonQ's quantum computing and networking roadmaps, particularly in scaling quantum systems through photonic interconnects and long-distance repeators.

  

Business Overview & Financial Performance

  • Q1 2025 Financials: IonQ reported $7.6 million in revenue, slightly above analyst expectations, with a net loss of $32.3 million, an improvement from the previous year. Barron's+1Investor's Business Daily+1

  • Revenue Projections: The company forecasts full-year revenue between $75 million and $95 million, indicating significant growth potential. Barron's

  • Stock Performance: Despite a 30% decline year-to-date, IonQ's stock has experienced a 168.6% surge over the past year, reflecting investor optimism in its long-term prospects. Investor's Business Daily+4TradingView+4Entrepreneur+4


🧠 Technological Innovations

  • Trapped-Ion Quantum Computing: IonQ utilizes trapped-ion technology, which offers advantages in qubit stability and coherence times, essential for reliable quantum computations.MarketWatch+5Wikipedia+5investors.ionq.com+5

  • Quantum Networking: Through acquisitions like Qubitekk and ID Quantique, IonQ is enhancing its capabilities in quantum-safe networking and detection systems. Barron's+3IonQ+3Constellation Research Inc.+3

  • Cloud Accessibility: IonQ's quantum systems are accessible via major cloud platforms, including AWS, Microsoft Azure, and Google Cloud, broadening its user base. investors.ionq.com


🤝 Partnerships & Collaborations

  • Intellian Technologies: IonQ has signed a memorandum of understanding with Intellian to explore secure quantum networking through satellite communications. IonQ+2GovCon Wire+2Constellation Research Inc.+2

  • General Dynamics Information Technology (GDIT): A partnership aimed at developing quantum solutions for U.S. government agencies, focusing on applications like quantum AI and anomaly detection. PressReleaseDistribution.com


🧩 Vision for the Quantum Internet

IonQ's strategic acquisitions and partnerships underscore its commitment to building a scalable, secure quantum internet. By integrating advanced satellite technology with quantum networking infrastructure, IonQ aims to establish a global QKD network, facilitating unhackable communications across vast distances. This vision positions IonQ as a potential leader in the next era of internet technology, where quantum mechanics underpin secure data transmission.IonQ+2SpaceNews+2Constellation Research Inc.+2 

https://www.insidequantumtechnology.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/image-quantum-internet-idq-01.jpg


📊 Investment Considerations

While IonQ's advancements present promising opportunities, investors should consider the inherent risks associated with emerging technologies. The company's path to profitability remains a long-term endeavor, with projections extending to 2030. However, IonQ's robust growth strategy, technological innovations, and strategic partnerships contribute to its potential as a transformative player in the quantum computing landscape.EntrepreneurEntrepreneur+2Barron's+2Barron's+2


Monday, May 5, 2025

Canadian energy companies are under priced. We recently bought Whitecap Resources Inc., and here's why!

 


Investment & Business Report: Whitecap Resources Inc. (TSX: WCP)


📈 Stock Snapshot (as of May 5, 2025)

  • Current Share Price: C$7.82

  • 52-Week Range: C$6.87 – C$11.31

  • Market Capitalization: ~C$4.7 billion

  • Dividend Yield: 9.33%

  • Annual Dividend: C$0.73 per share (C$0.0608 monthly)

  • Next Dividend Payment: May 15, 2025 (ex-dividend date: April 30, 2025)

  • Payout Ratio: ~47% of earnings Simply Wall St


🛢️ Company Overview

Whitecap Resources Inc. is a Calgary-based energy producer focused on light oil and natural gas liquids across Western Canada. The company emphasizes sustainable production growth, free cash flow generation, and consistent shareholder returns through dividends and share repurchases.


🏗️ Operations & Resource Base

  • Total Proved Plus Probable (2P) Reserves: ~1.2 billion barrels of oil equivalent (boe)

  • Drilling Inventory: 6,270 locations (~30 years of development at current pace)

  • Core Areas:

    • West Division:

      • Smoky Region: Montney formation at Musreau

      • Kaybob Region: Duvernay formation

      • Peace River Arch (PRA): Conventional oil and gas operations

    • East Division:

      • Central Alberta: Cardium and Glauconite formations

      • West and East Saskatchewan: Viking light oil play and Frobisher formation

      • Weyburn: CO₂-enhanced oil recovery project

In 2024, Whitecap drilled 246 wells (225.2 net), including 38 unconventional wells in the Montney and Duvernay formations.


💰 Financial Highlights (2024)

  • Revenue: C$3.67 billion

  • Net Income: C$812.3 million

  • Funds Flow: C$1.63 billion

  • Free Funds Flow: C$501.1 million

  • Capital Expenditures: C$1.13 billion

  • Dividends Declared: C$433.3 million (C$0.73 per share)

  • Net Debt: C$933.1 million

  • Average Daily Production: 174,255 boe/d (65% liquids)


🏦 Q1 2025 Update

  • Funds Flow: C$446 million

  • Free Funds Flow: C$48 million

  • Net Debt: C$987 million

  • Net Debt to Annualized Funds Flow Ratio: 0.6x

The company maintains significant liquidity through its credit facilities, ensuring financial flexibility.


🔮 Outlook (2025–2026)

  • Average Production: 176,000–180,000 boe/d (63% liquids)

  • Capital Budget: C$1.1–1.2 billion

  • Funds Flow: ~C$1.7 billion

  • Free Funds Flow: ~C$550 million

  • Production per Share Growth: 4%–6%

Whitecap continues to prioritize shareholder returns through dividends and share repurchases.


🔁 Strategic Merger with Veren Inc.

In March 2025, Whitecap announced a merger with Veren Inc. in a C$15 billion all-share transaction, including debt. The combined entity is expected to:

  • Production: 370,000 boe/d (63% liquids)

  • Land Position: 1.5 million acres, becoming the largest landholder in Alberta's Montney region

  • Annual Synergies: Over C$200 million

  • Free Cash Flow Increase: 26% boost

The merger is anticipated to close by May 30, 2025, enhancing Whitecap's scale and operational efficiency.


🧠 Analyst Perspectives

Analysts maintain a positive outlook on Whitecap, with a 12-month price target averaging C$13.06, ranging between C$11.00 and C$14.50. The consensus rating is "Buy," reflecting confidence in the company's growth trajectory and financial discipline. MarketBeat


✅ Investment Considerations

  • Strengths:

    • Robust dividend yield (9.33%)

    • Strong free cash flow generation

    • Significant drilling inventory

    • Strategic merger enhancing scale

  • Risks:

    • Commodity price volatility

    • Integration risks post-merger

    • Regulatory and environmental considerations

Whitecap Resources Inc. demonstrates robust operational performance, a substantial resource base, and prudent financial management. The upcoming merger with Veren positions the company for enhanced growth, increased free cash flow, and improved shareholder returns. Investors can anticipate continued value creation driven by strategic development and disciplined capital allocation.


Note: All financial figures are in Canadian dollars (C$).

Discl: Long Whitecap on TSX

Saturday, May 3, 2025

The earliest, early adopter of Quantum Technology, is D-Wave Inc ($QBTS)

 


As of May 2025, D-Wave Quantum Inc. (NYSE: QBTS) remains a prominent player in the quantum computing sector, specializing in quantum annealing systems tailored for optimization challenges. Below is an up-to-date overview of the company's technological advancements, clientele, deployment status, cloud services, financial health, investor landscape, and global adoption.Quantum Realized+2


🧠 Technology & Recent Advances

  • Advantage2 Processor: D-Wave has calibrated its Advantage2 processor, featuring over 4,400 qubits. This next-generation system boasts doubled coherence and a 40% increase in energy scale compared to its predecessor, enhancing its capability to solve complex problems .D-Wave Quantum | Quantum Realized

  • Quantum Supremacy Claim: In a landmark achievement, D-Wave demonstrated that its annealing quantum computer could solve a materials simulation problem in 20 minutes—a task that would take a classical supercomputer nearly a million years. This breakthrough was published in the journal Science and is considered a significant milestone in quantum computing .D-Wave Quantum | Quantum Realized+11Financial Times+11Investopedia+11

  • Fast Anneal Feature: The company introduced a "fast anneal" feature, allowing for quicker problem-solving capabilities. This enhancement is particularly beneficial for applications requiring rapid computations .Quantum Realized


👥 Clients & Customers

D-Wave's customer base has expanded to 135 organizations, including 76 commercial clients. Notable customers encompass:ir.dwavesys.com

Additionally, D-Wave has partnered with Davidson Technologies to deploy quantum systems aimed at enhancing national defense capabilities in the U.S. .D-Wave Quantum | Quantum Realized+4D-Wave Quantum 



 Quantum Annealer Deployments

  • On-Premises Systems: In Q4 2024, D-Wave achieved its first-ever sale of an on-premises Advantage quantum computing system to the Jülich Supercomputing Centre in Germany .NetworkNewsWire| Quantum Realized+3

  • U.S. Deployments: The company has deployed Advantage systems at the USC-Lockheed Martin Quantum Computing Center and is collaborating with Davidson Technologies to establish another system at their global headquarters .D-Wave Quantum | Quantum Realized


☁️ Leap™ Quantum Cloud Service

D-Wave's Leap™ quantum cloud service offers real-time access to its quantum computers and hybrid solvers, boasting 99.9% uptime and subsecond problem-solving capabilities. Since its inception in 2018, Leap has facilitated the resolution of hundreds of millions of problems for users worldwide Quantum Realized+8


💰 Financial Overview

  • Fiscal Year 2024 Bookings: D-Wave reported bookings exceeding $23.9 million for FY 2024, marking a 128% increase from the previous year .ir.dwavesys.com+9Yahoo Finance+9NetworkNewsWire+9

  • Cash Position: As of March 2025, the company holds a cash balance exceeding $300 million, bolstered by funds raised through stock issuance programs .Barron's+4Quantum Computing Report+4Yahoo Finance+4

  • Revenue: The company generated $8.8 million in revenue for FY 2024, with projections indicating over $10 million for Q1 2025, driven in part by the sale of an Advantage system .Barron's


📊 Institutional Investors

D-Wave's institutional investors include:

Overall, institutional investors own approximately 42.47% of D-Wave's stock .MarketBeat


🌐 Global Adoption

D-Wave's technology is utilized across various countries and institutions:


D-Wave's focus on quantum annealing positions it uniquely in the quantum computing landscape, offering practical solutions for optimization problems across various industries. With significant technological advancements, a growing customer base, and strong financial backing, the company continues to make strides toward broader adoption and commercialization of quantum computing solutions.Financial Times

Now, compare D-Wave’s quantum annealing technology to the early introduction of hybrid vehicles before the mainstream adoption of fully electric vehicles (EVs). It a strong and useful analogy. Here's how that comparison plays out:


🧠 Quantum Annealing (D-Wave) ≈ Hybrid Vehicles

  • Specialized but Practical: Quantum annealing solves a specific subset of problems—optimization and sampling—much like hybrid vehicles solved the problem of fuel efficiency without full reliance on new infrastructure (like EV charging).

  • Commercially Available First: D-Wave was the first to commercialize quantum computing technology, just as Toyota’s Prius was the first mass-market hybrid.

  • Bridging Technology: Annealers don’t offer universal quantum computing capabilities (like gate-model systems aim to), but they provide real-world value today, acting as a bridge to broader quantum adoption.

  • Infrastructure Light: Hybrid vehicles didn’t need a charging network. Similarly, D-Wave’s cloud-based Leap service allows users to access quantum tools without needing a quantum lab.


⚛️ Gate-Model Quantum Computers ≈ Fully Electric Vehicles

  • General Purpose: Gate-model systems aim for universal quantum computing—the “holy grail” for simulating molecules, cryptography, etc., similar to how EVs aim to completely replace internal combustion engines.

  • Still in R&D / Scaling Phase: Just like early EVs were expensive and niche, gate-model quantum systems (IBM, IonQ, etc.) are not yet practical for most real-world workloads.

  • Requires New Ecosystems: Fully exploiting gate-model quantum computing requires error correction, new programming models, and often more complex cryogenic systems—like EVs needing charging stations and grid integration.


Ed Note:  

We are long $QBTS - NYSE

⚖️ Conclusion

D-Wave’s annealing technology is:

  • Mature, commercially deployed, and solving real-world optimization problems today.

  • Less versatile than gate-model systems, but more accessible and scalable in the short term.

  • Positioned as a first-mover that validates and expands the quantum ecosystem, much like how hybrid cars did for electric mobility for over 10 years.

Wednesday, April 30, 2025

FOOD: Everyone eats, everyone needs food and Sunopta is providing healthy alternatives in a niche of the food industry



Here is an expanded investment and business case report on SunOpta Inc. (NASDAQ: STKL), incorporating details about its partners, co-manufacturing clients, and deeper insights into its plant-based milk and snack segments.


Executive Summary

SunOpta Inc. is a vertically integrated leader in plant-based and organic food and beverage manufacturing. 

It has a diversified portfolio that includes oat, almond, soy, and coconut milks, as well as fruit-based snacks, the company serves a broad range of clients through private label, co-manufacturing, and its own brands. Strategic investments in production capacity, including a new $125 million facility in Midlothian, Texas, position SunOpta to capitalize on the growing demand for plant-based products.


Business Overview

Core Products

Brands

  • SOWN™: Organic oat milk creamers.Home

  • Dream®: Rice, almond, and coconut-based beverages.

  • West Life™: High-protein soy-based beverages.

Distribution Channels

  • Retail: Products available in major grocery chains.Delimarket News+2Nosh+2Dairy Processing+2

  • Club Stores: Bulk offerings for warehouse retailers.

  • Foodservice: Supplying cafes, restaurants, and institutions.

  • E-commerce: Online sales through various platforms.

  • Private Label & Co-Manufacturing: Producing products for other brands and retailers.


Strategic Partnerships & Co-Manufacturing Clients

SunOpta collaborates with several prominent companies, providing manufacturing and product development services. Notable partnerships include:​Delimarket News+2Food Business News+2Food Business Africa+2

  • Starbucks: SunOpta co-manufactures plant-based beverage components for Starbucks, supporting their expanding range of dairy-free offerings.

  • Costco: Under the Kirkland Signature label, SunOpta produces various plant-based milks, leveraging its large-scale production capabilities.

  • Seven Sundays: Collaborated to launch cereals utilizing upcycled oats from SunOpta’s oat milk production, emphasizing sustainability and innovation.VeganFanatic.com


https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24401697/West_Life_and_Dream_New_Product_Group_Shot.jpghttps://www.sunopta.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/ffatet.jpghttps://www.greenqueen.com.hk/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/SunOpta-Expands-Plant-Based-Milk-Portfolio-Production-To-Meet-Dairy-Free-Demand-Boom-768x576.jpghttps://sown.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/img.jpg

Expanded Product Segments

Plant-Based Milk Portfolio

SunOpta's plant-based milk segment is a cornerstone of its business, featuring:

  • Oatmilk: A rapidly growing category, with SunOpta investing in proprietary enzymatic processes to enhance taste and nutritional profile.Delimarket News

  • Soymilk: Offers high-protein options, catering to health-conscious consumers.

  • Almondmilk & Coconutmilk: Provides variety to meet diverse consumer preferences.

The company's focus on innovation and quality has positioned it as a key supplier in the plant-based milk market.

Fruit-Based Snacks

SunOpta's snack division produces a range of fruit-based products, including:

  • Fruit Bars and Strips: Made from pureed fruits, offering a healthy snacking alternative.

  • Bits and Twists: Innovative formats appealing to both children and adults.

These products are available under SunOpta's brands and through private label agreements, expanding their market reach.


Financial Performance

Fiscal Year 2024 Highlights

  • Revenue: $193.9 million in Q4 2024, an 8.9% increase year-over-year, driven by 12.8% volume growth.

  • Adjusted EBITDA: $26.1 million in Q4 2024, a 20% increase from the prior year.

  • Cash Flow: Operating activities provided $52.3 million in fiscal 2024, up from $3.6 million in fiscal 2023.

  • Debt Reduction: Achieved a leverage target of 3.0x, with a $24.7 million sequential reduction of debt from Q3 2024.

Fiscal Year 2023 Overview

  • Revenue: $630.3 million, a 6.6% increase from 2022.

  • Adjusted EBITDA: $78.5 million, a 23.4% increase from 2022.

  • Net Loss: $175 million, primarily due to a $153 million loss from discontinued operations.


Strategic Initiatives

  • Capital Expansion: Completed the largest capital expansion in company history, including the new Midlothian, Texas facility.

  • Product Innovation: Launched new products like SOWN™ organic oat milk creamers to cater to the growing plant-based market.

  • Sustainability: Committed to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals, focusing on sustainable sourcing and production practices.


Investment Considerations

Strengths

  • Market Position: Strong presence in the growing plant-based food and beverage sector.

  • Diversified Channels: Multiple revenue streams through various distribution channels.

  • Operational Efficiency: Improved cash flow and debt reduction indicate strong financial management.

Risks

  • Commodity Prices: Exposure to fluctuations in raw material costs.

  • Market Competition: Intense competition in the plant-based sector may impact market share.

  • Operational Challenges: Integration of new facilities and scaling operations may pose short-term challenges.


Stock Performance

As of April 30, 2025, SunOpta's stock (NASDAQ: STKL) is trading at $4.25.

SunOpta, Inc. (STKL) is an equity in the USA market. The price is $4.25 USD currently with a change of -$0.07 (-1.62%) from the previous close. The intraday high is $4.41 USD and the intraday low is $4.20 USD. The latest open price was $4.24 USD and the intraday volume is 133,109.


Conclusion

SunOpta Inc. presents a compelling investment opportunity in the plant-based food and beverage industry. With strategic expansions, a diversified product portfolio, and a commitment to sustainability, the company is well-positioned for long-term growth. Investors should consider both the potential rewards and inherent risks associated with the company's operational and market dynamics.

Ed Note:

We are long Sunopta shares: SOY on TSX