ViacomCBS Makes Big Bet on Streaming
March 24, 2021
Image Source: ViacomCBS Inc – Fourth Quarter of 2020 IR Earnings Presentation By Callum Turcan After Viacom and CBS were reunited in December 2019, the new entity ViacomCBS Inc (VIAC) has finally started to gain some traction on the video streaming front. The service CBS All Access, which has since been rebranded as Paramount+, was largely a dud and did not gain the level of attention that Walt Disney Company’s (DIS) Disney+ service (more on Disney’s video streaming successes here and here), AT&T Inc’s (T) HBO Max service (AT&T’s video streaming growth strategy is picking up steam as we covered here), or Netflix Inc’s (NFLX) namesake service (more on Netflix here) were able to generate. For background, ViacomCBS’s operations include
Nike’s Digital Strategy Supports Its Future Revenue Growth and Margin Expansion Prospects
March 22, 2021
Image Shown: Since announcing the launch of its Consumer Direct Offense initiative in June 2017, Nike Inc has done a stellar job building its omni-channel selling capabilities. The company’s digitally-oriented direct-to-consumer strategy offers it the opportunity to enhance both its long-term revenue growth outlook and operating margin expansion potential. On March 18, Nike reported mixed earnings though its near-term guidance indicates its financial performance will continue to rebound after taking a beating from the COVID-19 pandemic. As of this writing, shares of NKE are trading in the upper bound of our fair value estimate range, indicating shares are roughly fairly valued at this time. By Callum Turcan The coronavirus (‘COVID-19’) pandemic has made it clear that companies with strong omni-channel
In the News: Facebook Optimistic, Visa Resilient, Dollar General’s Outlook Not Bad and More
March 19, 2021
By Brian Nelson, CFA As the world continues to heal from the coronavirus (“COVID-19”) pandemic, the pace of news has not slowed. The S&P 500 (SPY) is now trading above/near the high end of our fair value estimate range, so we expect some profit taking to ensue in the coming months. The Reddit and meme-stock short-squeezes (with GameStop (GME) as their poster child) have only raised awareness of the hazards and systemic risks of price-agnostic trading and its potential impact on market health. Democrats have called on the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to regulate the “gamification” of investing apps, and we hope that such regulation and oversight eventually advances to other questionable areas, including variants of quant and index
Cigna Is An Intriguing Health Care Idea
March 18, 2021
Image Source: Cigna Corporation –2021 Investor Day Presentation Executive Summary: Health care giant Cigna Corporation has a stellar cash flow profile, pristine balance sheet, promising growth outlook, and remains committed to rewarding shareholders. The company initiated a quarterly dividend at the start of 2021 and intends to continue buying back a sizable amount of its stock going forward. Management recently issued favorable guidance that indicates Cigna’s growth story is expected to continue this year as the world emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic. Cigna’s telehealth ambitions are quite intriguing as well. Recent updates at Cigna have placed the health care company on our radar. By Callum Turcan Cigna Corporation (CI) offers various health care products and services including health insurance plans, behavioral
Roblox Goes Public; Strong Balance Sheet and Expected Free Cash Flow
March 16, 2021
Image Source: Roblox Corporation – S-1/A SEC Filing Executive Summary: Roblox Corporation recently went public through a direct listing on March 10, 2021. The video game platform company has an extensive growth runway with multiple avenues to further expand its business. We are impressed with its free cash flow generating abilities, pristine balance sheet, and strong growth rates of late. Roblox’s outlook for 2021 indicates its growth story is expected to continue this year in earnest. Capital appreciation seeking investors should take a deeper look at Roblox, though we caution that its co-founder, CEO, and chairman controls most of the company’s voting power. By Callum Turcan 2021 is already shaping up to be a huge year for initial public offerings
Members Only: The March Edition of the Best Ideas Newsletter Is Now Available
March 16, 2021
Please select the image below to download the March edition of the newsletter or select here (pdf).
Honeywell Reaffirms Outlook, Dividend Looks Great
March 16, 2021
Image Source: Honeywell – J.P. Morgan Industrials Conference Presentation By Brian Nelson, CFA On Monday, March 15, Honeywell International (HON) reminded us why it is one of our favorite industrial ideas. The firm presented at J.P. Morgan’s Industrial Conference, and we liked what management had to say. Honeywell was a recent addition to the Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio, and here’s our thoughts on the industrials giant November 27 and the view we still hold today: With GE’s (GE) fall from grace years ago, Honeywell has taken the reigns as one of Valuentum’s top industrial ideas. Though Honeywell’s valuation is not attractive as we’d like it to be at the moment, we recently raised our fair value significantly to north of
AT&T’s Video Streaming Growth Story Is Starting to Take Flight
March 15, 2021
Image Source: AT&T Inc – 2021 Investor & Analyst Day Presentation By Callum Turcan On March 12, AT&T Inc (T) hosted its 2021 Analyst & Investor Day event. In conjunction with the event, AT&T issued long-term financial and operational guidance which included a substantial upward revision in its expected HBO/HBO Max subscriber growth over the coming years. We continue to be big fans of AT&T as a high yielding opportunity and include AT&T as an idea in the High Yield Dividend Newsletter portfolio (more here). As of this writing, shares of AT&T yield ~7.0%. Background Information In June 2018, AT&T completed its acquisition of Time Warner which gave AT&T the keys to Home Box Office (‘HBO’). A pillar of AT&T’s
Oracle Beats Consensus Estimates and Raises Its Dividend By 33%
March 12, 2021
Image Source: Oracle Corporation – September 2019 Financial Analyst Meeting Presentation By Callum Turcan On March 10, Oracle Corporation (ORCL) reported third quarter earnings for fiscal 2021 (period ended February 28, 2021) that beat both consensus top- and bottom-line estimates. We include Oracle as an idea in the Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio, and we are big fans of its impressive free cash flow generating abilities. The company’s Dividend Cushion ratio of 3.0 (a stellar ratio) earns Oracle an “EXCELLENT” Dividend Safety rating, and please note that these metrics incorporate our expectations that Oracle will push through meaningful payout increases over the coming fiscal years. We give Oracle an “EXCELLENT” Dividend Growth rating. In conjunction with its latest earnings report, Oracle
Newmont Doubles Down on the “Golden Triangle”
March 12, 2021
Image Shown: Newmont Corporation has an impressive project pipeline that will help ensure the gold miner’s production levels stay healthy over the decades to come, underpinning its promising long-term cash flow trajectory. We continue to like Newmont as an idea in the Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio. Image Source: Newmont Corporation – March 2021 IR Presentation By Callum Turcan We include gold miner Newmont Corporation (NEM) as an idea in the Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio. It is looking quite likely that the White House will soon sign a massive emergency spending package into law after the bill recently passed the Senate and House of Representatives. This emergency spending legislation aims to tackle the coronavirus (‘COVID-19’) pandemic by providing various health care
