Cisco’s Awesome Dividend Growth Potential
August 22, 2016
Image Source: BY-YOUR-⌘ By Kris Rosemann We hope you are having a great start to the week! We wanted to bring your attention to one of the holdings that we include in the portfolios of the Best Ideas Newsletter and Dividend Growth Newsletter, Cisco (CSCO). The newsletter portfolios are one of the best ways to measure Valuentum’s asset allocation and stock-selection performance, and they are released on the 1st of the month (Dividend Growth Newsletter) and the 15th of the month (Best Ideas Newsletter), respectively. If you ever want to view the archives, they are located in the left column of the website, “View Current and Archived Newsletters.” Both of the newsletter portfolios surface ideas that we think fit well within
Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week Ending August 19
August 22, 2016
Below we provide a list of firms that raised/lowered their dividends during the week ending August 19. The dividend reports of covered firms on this list will be updated shortly with the new information. To access our dividend reports use the ‘Symbol’ search box in our website header. Firms Raising Their Dividends This Week American Financial (AFG): now $0.3125 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.28. Briggs & Stratton (BGG): now $0.14 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.135. Brinker (EAT): now $0.34 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.32. Chemical Financial (CHFC): now $0.27 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.26. Community Bank System (CBU): now $0.32 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.31. Delta Natural Gas Company (DGAS): now $0.2075 per share quarterly
Videos: Valuentum’s Four-Part Education Workshop
August 18, 2016
You are just a few steps away from downloading the videos of Valuentum’s 4-part Education Seminar. More than 5 hours of insightful video and audio content! At Valuentum, we believe in the ongoing education and development of our employees, members and visitors. Lifelong learning is something our firm holds very dear, as part of our corporate mission is to serve the needs of investors of all types. Having trained and mentored equity and credit analysts at such large research firms as Morningstar, President of Equity Research & ETF Analysis Brian Nelson has dedicated a large portion of his career to helping others achieve their professional aspirations and investing goals. This dedication to investment education has continued at Valuentum. Purchase the
Little Progress Seen in Iron Ore Market Balancing
August 18, 2016
Image Source: Peter Craven By Kris Rosemann Recent reports from the likes of BHP Billiton (BHP) have echoed our previous concerns with the iron ore market, “Iron Ore Market Stability Still A Ways Off.” A number of factors on both the supply and demand sides of things are expected to provide pressure to the price of iron as we move further into the back half of 2016. BHP, for one, anticipates economic uncertainty, political instability and well supplied markets to continue weighing on iron ore prices, among other commodities. Seasonal factors will weigh on Chinese (FXI) demand–the nation is the world’s largest purchaser of seaborne iron–in the winter months when construction typically slows as a result of more inclement weather.
Pop the Bubbly? Everyone Is Getting Rich
August 15, 2016
Image Source: Bryan Rosengrant “Imagine a bank that pays negative interest. In this upside-down world, borrowers get paid and savers penalized. Crazy as it sounds, several of Europe’s central banks cut key interest rates below zero in 2014, and now Japan has followed…some 500 million people in a quarter of the world economy (are) living with rates in the red.” — Bloomberg By Brian Nelson, CFA In April 1979, Paul Volcker became the Chairman of the Federal Reserve, and after a series of rate hikes, the federal funds rate reached a high of 20 points by the end of the year and into 1980. Though the move was to combat double-digit inflation at the time, it’s worth pondering what such
Priceline Higher After Outperforming Conservative Guidance
August 15, 2016
By Kris Rosemann Shares of Best Idea Newsletter portfolio holding Priceline (PCLN) experienced a healthy bounce following its 2016 second quarter report after the close August 4 as results came in above its guidance for the period. We think the firm is beginning to gain a reputation for setting conservative guidance only to report much stronger results, something we have seen repeatedly from it in recent quarters “Priceline Shares Under Pressure… Again.” Gross travel bookings growth came in at 19% on a year-over-year basis as reported, which is above the 11%-18% guidance range management issued for the period and an acceleration from the second quarter of 2015 reported growth rate of 11% (gross travel bookings growth decelerated in constant currency,
Brand Image Taking Center Stage in Aspirational Goods
August 15, 2016
By Kris Rosemann Coach (COH), Michael Kors (KORS), Fossil (FOSL), and Ralph Lauren (RL) all beat consensus estimates in the calendar second quarter of 2016, but the way the market reacted to the beats varied drastically despite none of the above firms necessarily issuing outright optimistic expectations. The weak outlooks have weighed on shares of Coach and Michael Kors, but shares of Fossil and Ralph Lauren have received an updraft in hopes of turnaround strategies and sales-decline stemming plans beginning to take hold. Ongoing weakness in retail traffic across the US, and a decrease in tourism in major domestic cities have played an important role in the growing issues for luxury brands. In an attempt to combat traffic pressures, many
Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week Ending August 12
August 14, 2016
Below we provide a list of firms that raised/lowered their dividends during the week ending August 12. The dividend reports of covered firms on this list will be updated shortly with the new information. To access our dividend reports use the ‘Symbol’ search box in our website header. Firms Raising Their Dividends This Week Altrion (ATRI): now $1.05 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.90. Ares Management (ARES): now $0.28 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.15. Badger Meter (BMI): now $0.23 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.20. (pre-split) Black Stone Minerals (BSM): now $0.2875 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.2625. Broadridge Financial Solutions (BR): now $0.33 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.30. CAE (CAE): now C$0.08 per share quarterly dividend, was
Industrials Empty Tool Box Amid Tough Operating Environment
August 12, 2016
By Kris Rosemann How far we have come from the financial abyss! The US economy is now more than seven years removed from the credit crisis that sent shockwaves through the global financial system in the latter years of the past decade. In the fourth quarter of 2008, for example, real GDP in the US tumbled more than 8%, a figure not witnessed since the double-dip recession of the 1980s, and perhaps not surpassed since the time of the Great Depression. During the Financial Crisis of 2008-2009, many industrial entities, particularly those with finance subsidiaries faced dwindling credit health, and several including General Electric (GE) and Harley-Davidson (HOG) cut their dividends to shareholders. Others such as General Motors (GM) even
Nelson’s Valuentum(ology) on Buffett
August 11, 2016
Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio holding Berkshire Hathaway is bumping against all-time highs, and frankly, we can’t be more pleased. 2016 Mar 10, 2016 Part I: Nelson’s Evaluation of Berkshire’s 2015 Annual Report The first of Nelson’s three-part evaluation of Berkshire Hathaway’s 2015 annual report. Mar 23, 2016 Part II: Nelson’s Evaluation of Berkshire’s 2015 Annual Report The second of Nelson’s three-part evaluation of Berkshire Hathaway’s 2015 annual report. May 19, 2016 Part III: Nelson’s Evaluation of Berkshire’s 2015 Annual Report The last of Nelson’s three-part evaluation of Berkshire’s 2015 Annual Report. 2015 Mar 27, 2015 Part I: Nelson’s Notes on Berkshire Hathaway’s 2014 Newsletter Notes from Valuentum’s Brian Nelson on Berkshire Hathaway’s newsletter. Part I. Mar 27, 2015 Part II:
