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John Shao

Research Analyst at TD Cowen

John Shao is an Equity Analyst at TD Cowen (TD Securities), specializing in technology and general sector research with a focus on software and related companies. He covers specific stocks such as Magnet Forensics (MAGT), Lightspeed POS, Blackline Safety, Celestica, Descartes Systems Group (DSGX), Coupang (CPNG), and others including BLN and DTOL, achieving a 56% success rate on 59 ratings with an average return of +13.30% per rating over one year, including a standout +168.40% return on MAGT; he ranks #1,750 out of 9,421 Wall Street analysts on TipRanks. Shao joined TD Securities from National Bank Financial where he worked as an Equity Analyst starting August 2018, with prior education from the University of Toronto and University of International Business & Economics. He holds the CFA designation as a professional credential.

John Shao's questions to Docebo (DCBO) leadership

Question · Q4 2025

John Shao asked for a breakdown of Docebo's 'data moat,' differentiating between data owned by Docebo and its customers, and the liberty to leverage customer data. He also inquired how the average ACV of $67K compares to corporate learning budgets and if AI disruption, particularly cost savings, is influencing customer spending.

Answer

Alessio Artuffo (CEO) explained that Docebo's data moat includes complex workflow data, historical compliance data (critical for regulated industries), external use case data, and now millions of records of skills data, all of which are unique to Docebo and essential for agent-driven automation. Brandon Farber (CFO) noted that the learning tech stack is wide, with HRIS being significantly larger than LMS. He stated that Docebo's average ACV of $67K reflects its move upmarket, with enterprise deals around $250K, and that pricing is holding strong with no pushback, as companies recognize the value of an LMS.

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Question · Q4 2025

John Shao from TD Cowen asked for a breakdown of Docebo's 'data moat,' clarifying what data is owned by Docebo versus its customers, and the extent to which customer data can be leveraged as an additional resource.

Answer

CEO Alessio Artuffo explained that the LMS holds complex workflow data, historical compliance data, and external use case data (customer/partner education), which is invaluable and not available to third parties. He stressed that this clean, structured data is crucial for agents to execute workflows and provide outcomes. CFO Brandon Farber noted that the average ACV of $67,000 reflects Docebo's move upmarket, with enterprise tickets around $250,000, and stated that pricing is holding strong with no pushback, as companies recognize the value of an LMS.

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John Shao's questions to Lightspeed Commerce (LSPD) leadership

Question · Q3 2026

John Shao inquired about the trajectory of payment penetration in Lightspeed's markets outside its primary growth engines, referred to as 'efficiency markets'.

Answer

CFO Asha Bakshani noted that payments penetration in efficiency markets is in the low 30s, presenting a significant opportunity for growth. It's a key cross-sell/upsell module, and despite tempered new business, software and payments revenue in these markets have remained flat to slightly up. She expects penetration to climb to 40s-50s over time, highlighting higher payment margins in international markets.

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Fintool can predict Lightspeed Commerce logo LSPD's earnings beat/miss a week before the call

Question · Q3 2026

John Shao inquired about the timeline for Lightspeed AI's advanced features, such as catalog assistants and store generators, and their potential implications for profit margins, considering increased token consumption. He also asked for an explanation of the payment penetration trajectory in markets outside Lightspeed's core growth engines, referred to as 'efficiency markets'.

Answer

CEO Dax Dasilva stated that Lightspeed AI, officially rolled out during NRF and previewed for hospitality customers, is currently with select customers and will be expanded in the coming months, with a focus on adding agentic workflows. CFO Asha Bakshani confirmed no significant impact on margins from Lightspeed AI, maintaining confidence in over 80% software margins. For efficiency markets, Ms. Bakshani noted payments penetration is in the low 30s, presenting a significant cross-selling opportunity, and is expected to climb to the 40s and 50s over time, positively impacting overall margins due to higher take rates in international markets.

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John Shao's questions to CELESTICA (CLS) leadership

Question · Q4 2025

John Shao asked how much price increases for key components or materials are baked into the guidance, if Celestica is still comfortable with the supply chain, and if inflation in the supply chain could be a source of potential margin compression.

Answer

Mandeep Chawla (CFO) confirmed that inflation and pricing are factored into the numbers. He explained that networking is typically turnkey (including silicon), while compute is not. He noted that silicon price inflation is passed on to customers, so no margin compression is currently observed. He added that while average selling prices (ASPs) are contributing to revenue growth, the vast majority of growth is due to units.

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Fintool can predict CELESTICA logo CLS's earnings beat/miss a week before the call

Question · Q4 2025

John Shao asked how much price increases for key components or materials are baked into the guidance, if Celestica is still comfortable with the supply chain, and if inflationary environments in the supply chain could lead to margin compression.

Answer

CFO Mandeep Chawla confirmed that inflation and pricing are factored into the numbers. He explained that networking is typically turnkey (including silicon), while compute usually does not. He noted that silicon price inflation is passed on to customers, so no margin compression is currently observed. He added that while average selling prices (ASPs) are contributing to revenue growth, the vast majority of growth is due to units.

Ask follow-up questions

Fintool

Fintool can write a report on CELESTICA logo CLS's next earnings in your company's style and formatting