Valuentum Exclusive Analysis for the Discerning Investor

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Oct 22, 2023

There Will Be Volatility
Image: An ETF tracking Russell 1000 "growth" stocks has outperformed an ETF tracking Russell 2000 "value" stocks since the beginning of 2021. To us, the market remains hypersensitive to almost every economic data point that hits the wires, and we’re just not going to play that game. The macro headlines and never-ending news flow are what many quant and algorithmic traders are trading on, and to a very large extent, for investors with a long-term horizon, these macro data points just don’t factor into the equation. When valuing equities, we’re always after mid-cycle expectations, not peak or trough performance, so our valuations implicitly embed a "normal" recession. Warren Buffett didn’t become a billionaire buying and selling on macro data points, and volatility is simply to be expected given the proliferation of price-agnostic trading these days. Instead of panicking over higher interest rates, we think investors should view the Fed’s work thus far as future potential dry powder to stimulate both the economy and the markets. Whenever you feel like stocks are no good, have a read of Warren Buffett’s classic piece written during the Great Financial Crisis, “Buy American. I Am.” To us, we still like stocks for the long run. Happy investing!

Sep 1, 2022

Best Idea Visa Is a Free Cash Flow Cow
Image Shown: Visa Inc is a tremendous free cash flow generator and is very shareholder friendly. Management distributes cash back to investors primarily through sizable share repurchases and to a lesser extent, through dividend increases. Image Source: Visa Inc – Third Quarter of Fiscal 2022 IR Earnings Presentation. Visa reported third quarter earnings for fiscal 2022 (period ended June 30, 2022) that beat both consensus top- and bottom-line estimates. Visa is included in the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio as we view its capital appreciation upside potential quite favorably. Our recently updated fair value estimate for Visa stands at $226 per share with room for upside as the high end of our fair value estimate range sits at $271 per share, well above where shares of V are trading at as of this writing. Visa also offers investors incremental dividend growth upside potential, though its payout is not a top capital allocation priority as management prefers to purchase sizable amounts of the firm’s stock. Shares of V yield a modest ~0.7% as of this writing.

Aug 6, 2022

Global Payments Buying EVO Payments as Fintech Industry Consolidates
Image Shown: Global Payments Inc is in the process of acquiring EVO Payments Inc. Image Source: Global Payments Inc – Second Quarter of 2022 IR Earnings Presentation. Global Payments announced it would acquire EVO Payments for $34 per share through an all-cash deal worth ~$4.0 billion by enterprise value. As its name would suggest, Global Payments provides payment technology and software solutions to customers in over 100 countries. By acquiring EVO Payments, which focuses on providing payment technology and services to small and medium-sized businesses in over 50 markets worldwide, Global Payments will extend its reach into new markets (including Chile, Germany, Greece, and Poland) while enhancing its presence in existing markets (including Canada, the US, Mexico, the UK, Ireland, and Spain).

May 18, 2017

ETF Analysis: Utilities
Utilities sector ETFs diversify away firm-specific regulatory uncertainty, geographic concentration risk, and the unregulated business volatility of any one particular operator.

Jun 22, 2014

Valuentum Economic Castle™ Rating Update
Members should expect the initial Economic Castle™ ratings.

Feb 7, 2014

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week Ending February 7
Let's take a look at dividend increases/decreases for the week ending February 7.

Nov 5, 2013

PPL Corp Reports Solid 3Q; Raises Midpoint of 2013 Earnings Forecast
PPL Corp’s increased earnings target for 2013 is a positive sign for shareholders.

Aug 5, 2013

Which Sectors Are Leading the Market Higher? And Why Is This Important?
Identifying sector and industry leadership is very important for the institutional money manager as doing so often leads to undervalued firms that are just starting to have their value recognized by the market — Valuentum stocks. Let’s dig into which sectors have been strong and which ones have been weak so far in 2013.