Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week Ending November 27
November 30, 2015
Below we provide a list of firms that raised/lowered their dividends during the week ending November 27. 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 Becton, Dickinson (BDX): now $0.66 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.60. Capital City Bank (CCBG): now $0.04 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.03. Citizens Community Bank (CZYB): now $0.07 per share annual dividend, was $0.05. Ferrellgas Partners (FGP): now $0.5125 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.51. Hormel Foods (HRL): now $0.29 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.25. Laclede Group, Inc. (LG): now $0.49 per share quarterly
Reading and Videos for the Thanksgiving Holiday
November 27, 2015
Must read: Understanding the CFA Designation Must watch: Explaining the Valuentum Buying Index Must read: Why Valuentum Buying Index Ratings Matter Must watch: A Glimpse Into Valuentum’s DCF Valuation Process Must watch: Do You Know What You Don’t Know? Must read: The Best Way to Use the Valuentum Process Must read: Best Ideas Portfolio Performance Audit Must read: Focus on a Rules-Based Process Must read: What Causes Fair Value Estimates to Change? Must read: Resetting Your Mental Model Must read: Introducing the Economic Castle Rating Must read: Deriving Forecasts in Valuation and Dividends Must read: Investing’s Odd Couple: Value and Momentum Must watch: The Crash of 1929 Must read: How Members Use Valuentum’s Investment Services Image Source: Art4TheGlryOfGod
Value Opportunities Not To Be Found In Footwear Market
November 24, 2015
Athleisure, a term used to describe athletic-inspired leisure apparel, has been a source of strength for retailers in recent quarters and has found a solid niche in the heart of consumers. Athletic-casual wear has become a popular style choice and continues to be more accepted in a wide variety of social situations. The footwear market is following a similar trend. The dominant player in athletic footwear in the US is Nike (NKE); there are no ifs, ands, or buts about it. The Nike Free franchise–that’s only one of its running shoe franchises–recently eclipsed the $1 billion annual sales rate, which makes it bigger than 7 of the 10 largest shoe brands in the US. With well over $18 billion in
Discuss: Taxes and the Future of American Business
November 23, 2015
Image Source: Montgomery County Tax inversion deals are back on. And in a big way! Pharma giant Pfizer (PFE) and Allergan (AGN) announced the largest one, creating the biggest drug maker by revenue in the combination, one that will headquarter in Ireland for tax purposes. Do US tax holders truly believe they own the companies? Or are tax inversions a part of American freedom, championed on a global stage? What do you think? Comment below.
Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week Ending November 20
November 23, 2015
Below we provide a list of firms that raised/lowered their dividends during the week ending November 20. 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 Acme United (ACU): now $0.10 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.09. Agilent (A): now $0.115 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.10. American Equity (AEL): now $0.22 per share annual dividend, was $0.20. American National Bankshares (AMNB): now $0.24 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.23. Bob Evans Farms (BOBE): now $0.34 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.31. Brown-Forman (BF.A): now $0.34 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.315.
Same Stories Prevail at Walmart and Target
November 22, 2015
When consumers think of retail, Walmart (WMT) and Target (TGT) are probably two of the biggest companies that come to mind. After all, the two big box retail giants have taken the US by storm throughout much of the 1990s and 2000s. But the shift to e-commerce with the proliferation of Amazon (AMZN) and eBay (EBAY) coupled with broad-based consumer backlash with respect to worker wages and credit card breaches, respectively, have created a whirlwind of negative public perception at the two giants as of late. Will worker unrest and Target’s failed attempt to expand beyond the borders of the US mark the generational stock price peaks at the two giants, respectively? Are both past their prime? The likelihood of
Home Improvement Remains Strong
November 19, 2015
The story for home improvement retail giants has remained largely unchanged in recent quarters. Demand for home improvement goods has been high, as has general housing demand. This has driven traffic increases for the likes of Home Depot (HD) and Lowe’s (LOW) thus far in 2015. Home Depot reported sales growing 6.4% from the year-ago period to $21.8 billion in its fiscal third quarter of 2015, and comparable store sales increased 5.1% in the quarter. The firm’s number of customer transactions advanced by 4.4% in the period, while its average ticket price grew nearly 1%. The company’s sales per square foot grew by more than 5% in the quarter on a year-over-year basis. Home Depot’s impressive top-line trends were mostly
Mixed Bag at Department Stores
November 19, 2015
Where will consumers keep spending their money? This is a question that investors will always be trying to answer, no matter where we are in the economic cycle (during good times and bad). It is not always easy to predict the spending patterns of any demographic with any sort of precision, but let’s see how things shook out with some of the best-known department stores in the US during the third quarter of 2015. During the latter part of last decade, department store equities had been strong performers; shares of companies such as Macy’s (M), Kohl’s (KSS), and Nordstrom (JWC), for example, more than tripled from their respective bottoms during the Great Recession, but all three have witnessed their share
Cisco Reports Solid Quarter; Shares Still Cheap With Nice Dividend
November 19, 2015
In its first quarter of fiscal 2016, ended October 24, Cisco (CSCO) reported healthy financial performance. The firm grew total revenue 4% to $12.7 billion from the year-ago period, and non-GAAP earnings per share advanced more than 9% to $0.59. Top-line growth was led by emerging markets revenue growth of 11%, driven primarily by Mexico and India. The strong US dollar has impacted performance in countries such as Brazil and Russia to a degree, and we don’t expect this headwind to subside in the near term. Cisco continues to transform its revenue model to a greater recurring mix thanks to a 10% increase in deferred revenue in the fiscal first quarter. Software and subscriptions led the deferred revenue growth, jumping
Financial Statement Analysis Seminar
November 18, 2015
Interested in learning more about financial statements? Please contact us at info@valuentum.com for more details. In this seminar, Valuentum’s President of Investment Research Brian Nelson walks through the in’s and out’s of financial statement analysis. What We Learn: How to assess the operating strength and earnings power of a company (income statement) How to assess the financial health and leverage of a company (balance sheet) How to assess the cash flow generating capacity and capital intensity of a company (cash flow statement) How the Valuentum team predicts dividend cuts and assesses long-term dividend safety The myriad risks of master limited partnerships (MLP) and real estate investment trusts (REITs) How to assess earnings quality and common financial warning signs And more!!! About
