Our Value Pick of the Week is Piper Sandler Companies (PIPR), which was our Pick of the Week on April 22, 2025. Since then, Piper has risen 33.3% and beaten the benchmark S&P 500 by 10.1%, and is coming off a 22.6% dip since hitting a high of $380.26 earlier this year on January 15th. Earnings Per Share (EPS) is expected to increase 46.5% during the coming year. Piper is a niche investment banker and Wall Street sees PIPR as undervalued. They maintain a boutique-style approach while competing with larger Wall Street firms, an approach that has yielded a 162.8% return over the past five years. If you buy shares tomorrow, you’ll own 4 times as many on Tuesday — PIPR is scheduled to split 4 for 1 before the market opens on Tuesday (this doesn’t change the basics or its value, but it usually comes with a psychological boost in the days following a split).

Market Recap

Last week the S&P 500 fell 1.9%.

  • Surging Oil and Energy Prices: Ongoing strikes on energy infrastructure (e.g., tankers, facilities in the Strait of Hormuz region) drove crude oil sharply higher, which fueled higher input costs for businesses and eroded consumer spending power.
  • Fed Policy and Rate Cut Delays: The March FOMC (held mid-week) kept rates steady (3.5–3.75% range), but Chair Jerome “Too Late” Powell’s comments emphasized “uncertainty” from Middle East developments and their “real inflation risk.” He noted progress on inflation was slower than hoped.
  • Producer Price Index: Headline PPI rose 0.7% (3.4% Year over Year) and Core PPI went up 0.5% (3.9% YoY), increasing inflation fears even further.

Scorecard

It was the second quiet week in a row for our past picks with no big moves in either direction, although we lost 0.8% to the S&P 500.

Value Picks Tracker

Picks on the Move

No picks moved ±10% or more this week.

Have a great week!

christopher@therousehouse.net