Valuentum Exclusive Analysis for the Discerning Investor

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Oct 17, 2024

Taiwan Semiconductor Benefiting from Strong Smartphone and AI Demand
Image: Taiwan Semiconductor released better than expected results. Taiwan Semiconductor ended the quarter with NT$2,167.6 billion in cash and marketable securities against long-term interest-bearing debt of NT$936.16, showcasing a nice net cash position. Free cash flow in the quarter advanced to NT$184.91 billion from NT$68.03 in the year-ago period. Looking to the fourth quarter of 2024, revenue is targeted in the range of US$26.1 billion and US$26.9 billion (consensus was at US$25.02 billion), while gross profit margin and operating profit margin, based on the exchange rate assumption of 1 US dollar to 32 NT dollars, are expected to be 57%-59% and 46.5-48.5%, respectively. We liked Taiwan Semiconductor’s results and outlook, and the company remains a key idea in the ESG Newsletter portfolio.

Sep 19, 2024

Brain Teaser - Reflexive versus Reflective
Image: Amy Leonard. Valuation multiples tend to trigger the reflexive side of our brain, and we process the multiples through anchoring. On the other hand, enterprise valuation, or the process required to answer the questions (in this article) correctly, shows that our reflexive process can be quite incorrect at times. In fact, cognitive biases such as anchoring can completely trip us up into missing out on truly undervalued companies that may have high P/E ratios while baiting us into value traps with low P/E ratios.

Aug 9, 2024

Paper: Value and Momentum Within Stocks, Too
Abstract: This paper strives to advance the field of finance in four ways: 1) it extends the theory of the “The Arithmetic of Active Management” to the investor level; 2) it addresses certain data problems of factor-based methods, namely with respect to value and book-to-market ratios, while introducing price-to-fair-value ratios in a factor-based approach; 3) it may lay the foundation for academic literature regarding the Valuentum, the value-timing, and ultra-momentum factors; and 4) it walks through the potential relative outperformance that may be harvested at the intersection of relevant, unique and compensated factors within individual stocks.

Jul 18, 2024

Taiwan Semiconductor Impresses in Second Quarter, Gives Strong Outlook
Image: Taiwan Semiconductor reported better-than-expected second quarter results. Though Taiwan Semiconductor is exposed to geopolitical uncertainty, perhaps exacerbated by former President Donald Trump’s latest comments about how Taiwan should pay the U.S. for national defense, the company’s outlook remains robust, in our view. Taiwan Semiconductor remains one of our favorite ideas in the ESG Newsletter portfolio.

Jun 10, 2024

Update: Frequently Asked Questions About Valuentum Securities, Inc.
Valuentum (val∙u∙n∙tum) [val-yoo-en-tuh-m] Securities Inc. is an independent investment research publisher, offering premium equity reports and dividend reports, as well as commentary across all sectors/companies, a Best Ideas Newsletter (spanning market caps, asset classes), a Dividend Growth Newsletter, modeling tools/products, and more. Independence and integrity remain our core, and we strive to be a champion of the investor. Valuentum is based in the Chicagoland area. Valuentum is not a money manager, broker, or financial advisor. Valuentum is a publisher of financial information. We address a number of questions from both subscribers and visitors to our site.

Jun 1, 2024

Latest Report Updates
Check out the latest report updates on the website.

Mar 28, 2024

Micron Issues Strong Outlook, Points to Multi-Year Opportunity in AI
Image Source: Micron. Micron operates in the ultra-cyclical semiconductor industry, and while the next few quarters may be robust, we’re cautious on the sustainability of the momentum and pricing health beyond the next few quarters, despite management’s optimism in fiscal 2025. Free cash flow has also been negative during the first six months of its fiscal year, and its net debt position precludes it from being a net-cash-rich, free-cash-flow generating powerhouse like so many other companies in the technology space. All things considered, we liked Micron’s quarterly report and outlook, but it’s not enough for us to pull the trigger on the idea for the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio.

Mar 17, 2024

Latest Report Updates
Check out the latest report updates on the website.

Feb 25, 2024

We Remain Bullish; Is This 1995 – The Beginning of a Huge Stock Market Run?
Image: Large cap growth stocks have trounced the performance of the S&P 500, REITs, and bonds since the beginning of 2023. We expect continued outperformance in this area of the market. We’re now roughly four years past the depths of the COVID-19 meltdown, where equities collapsed in February and March of 2020. As the markets began to recover through 2020, our long-term conviction in equities only grew stronger. We think the biggest risk for long-term investors remains staying out of the market on the basis of what could be considered stretched valuation multiples. As we outlined heavily in the book Value Trap, valuation multiples hardly tell the complete story about a company and often omit key long-term earnings growth, cash flow dynamics, and balance sheet health considerations. We remain bullish on equities for the long haul, and we think the next couple years will be incredibly strong. Our best ideas can be found in the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio, Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio, High Yield Dividend Newsletter portfolio, ESG Newsletter portfolio, and via the Exclusive publication as well as options idea generation.

Feb 9, 2024

Earnings Roundup: PEP, DIS, ARM, PM
Image Source: Arm Holdings. Pepsi issued an outlook for 2024 that came in lower than what the Street was expecting, but we like the diversification of having a strong brand entity such as Pepsi in the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio. Disney is working hard to get back on track, and cost-cutting efforts have significantly helped its free cash flow generation. The firm is buying back stock, too, and recently upped its semi-annual dividend payout by 50%. Arm Holdings plc surprised the market in a big way, sending shares almost 50% higher following the report. The company's lucrative royalty business model and attractive exposure to artificial intelligence has investors extremely excited. Philip Morris is targeting strong organic revenue growth in 2024 thanks in part to Zyn growth, and we like the strong foundation that its free cash flow provides in supporting its dividend.