Just One Dividend Increase During the Shortened Holiday Week Ending July 5
July 5, 2013
Below we provide a list of firms that increased their dividends for the week ending July 5. The dividend reports of covered firms on this list will be updated shortly with the new information. To access our dividend reports, please click here. Dividend Increases for the Week Ending July 5 Bank of the Ozarks (OZRK): now $0.19 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.17. << Last Week’s Dividend Increases Ever wonder why we use the Valuentum Dividend Cushion score as a key component of our dividend analysis? Click here.
Ford Paces US Auto Sales in June
July 5, 2013
With an estimated SAAR of 15.7 million units during June, the US auto market continues to surge back to relevancy. Let’s take a look at the major players and their respective results. Ford Best Ideas Newsletter holding Ford (click ticker for report: ) continues to execute at an exceptionally high level. Unit sales jumped 13% year-over-year to 235,643 units. With the housing recovery in full gear, pickup sales have really accelerated, as F-Series sales surged 24% year-over-year to 68,009 units. Heavy truck sales increased 31% year-over-year, but only accounted for 726 units. Car sales were also fantastic, with sales increasing 13% year-over-year. Sales of the Fiesta more than doubled, while Focus sales jumped 9% and Taurus sales surged 15%. Fusion
Another Elite Mind Heads to Apple
July 4, 2013
Best Ideas Newsletter holding Apple (click ticker for report: ) is perhaps best known for its relentless focus on design elegance, with a legacy started by Steve Jobs and carried on by Jony Ive. That trend continued this week when the company nabbed high-end fashion brand Yves Saint Laurent CEO Paul Deneve. Devene will join as an executive in charge of “special projects” and will allegedly report directly to Apple CEO Tim Cook. Why does this matter? In our view, it signals that Apple could be branching out into different product lines, and after Apple filed to trademark iWatch in Japan, we think it could mean the company is currently focusing more extensively on wearable technology. At the ‘All Things
Linn Energy: SEC Sees Smoke…Is There Fire?
July 2, 2013
Controversial independent oil and gas company Linn Energy (click ticker for report: ) announced Tuesday morning that the SEC has launched an informal inquiry into Linn and LinnCo (LNCO). As we previously outlined June 3, we have no interest in adding the company to the portfolio of our Dividend Growth Newsletter given the cloud of questions, poor internally-generated cash flow, and numerous downside risks. We’re retaining the firm on the watch list of our Dividend Growth Newsletter, however, as we continue to monitor developments closely. As always, our best dividend growth ideas are included in our Dividend Growth portfolio. We give credit to Linn’s management team for revealing the explicit details of the inquiry, stating in the press release: “The SEC
China News Flow Remains Bearish
July 2, 2013
Earlier this week, the HSBC China Manufacturing PMI was released for the month of June, coming in at 48.2—marginally below the flash PMI of 48.3 we saw earlier in the month (and signaling further contraction). Image Source: Markit, HSBC It seems as though the economic decline in China is worsening, with HSBC noting that job-cutting intensified during the month, registering the most job losses since the Great Recession in 2009. We continue to see several structural issues with the nation, including potential excesses in the “shadow banking system” and increasing labor costs that could make the country a relatively less attractive market for global manufacturers. The cost of Chinese real estate remains in nosebleed territory, perhaps foreshadowing signs (or symptons) of the
Valuentum’s July Edition of Its Dividend Growth Newsletter!
July 2, 2013
Putting Our Members First by Brian Nelson, CFA I never forget why Valuentum is in business, and it’s for our members. I was reminded recently why we work so hard day in and day out, covering over 1,000 stocks, publishing two newsletter portfolios that are exceeding their strategic goals, and issuing quarterly publications to our dear advisor members. It’s not only to identify ideas that we think are going to fit the needs and requirements of our members’ investment goals, but also to serve as an independent voice, looking out for our members’ best interests. In this day and age, a service that does this is hard to find, and I’ve been in the industry long enough to know that many research
Siemens Simplifies; Nokia Diversifies
July 1, 2013
German conglomerate Siemens (click ticker for report: ) put its 50% stake in Nokia-Siemens Networks on the chopping block just a few weeks ago, and the firm already has found a buyer: Nokia (click ticker for report: ). Nokia will pay Siemens $2.2 billion (€1.7 billion) for the half of the joint-venture it doesn’t already own—not a bad price for a business that reported €13.8 billion in revenue and €822 million in operating profit during 2012. With adjusted EBITDA of €1.09 billion, Siemens let go of the stake for less than 3x EBITDA. Image Source: Nokia-Siemens Networks Annual Report With its mobile phone business sputtering, we certainly like the deal for Nokia. The joint-venture has been free cash flow
Price Momentum Got Ahead of Fundamentals at BlackBerry
July 1, 2013
Canadian smartphone maker BlackBerry (click ticker for report: ) reported weak results for its fiscal year 2014 first quarter Friday morning. Revenue increased 9% year-over-year to $3.1 billion, which was well below consensus estimates. Earnings per share had several moving parts, but when adjusted for one-time issues, came in at a loss of $0.06. The loss was a drastic improvement from the same period a year ago when the company lost nearly $1 per share, but fell short of consensus expectations calling for a slight profit. BlackBerry 10 shipments were also below consensus estimates, coming in around 2.7 million units compared to the 3 million units the Street anticipated. Geographic Performance Image Source: BBRY Q1 FY2014 Earnings Release Geographic data reveals exactly
North America Remains Nike’s MVP
June 28, 2013
Thursday afternoon, athletic apparel goliath Nike (click ticker for report: ) announced strong fourth-quarter results. Revenue increased 7% year-over-year to $6.7 billion, modestly exceeding consensus expectations. Earnings per share surged 27% year-over-year to $0.76 per share due mostly to increased margins, better than consensus estimates. For the full year, free cash flow totaled $2.4 billion on $25 billion of sales. A few items struck us as the prevailing stories in Nike’s fourth quarter and fiscal year 2013. First, the sustained success of Nike’s North American business is incredible. Revenue in Nike’s “mature” segment increased 12% year-over-year during the fourth quarter to $2.7 billion. For the full-year, revenue in North America increased 18% year-over-year to $10.4 billion—the first time the company
Dividend Increases for the Week Ending June 28
June 28, 2013
Below we provide a list of firms that upped their dividends for the week ending June 28. The dividend reports of covered firms on this list will be updated shortly with the new information. To access our dividend reports, please click here. Firms Raising Their Dividends This Week Duke Energy (DUK): now $0.78 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.765. Glacier Bancorp (GBCI): now $0.15 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.14. Matson (MATX): now $0.16 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.15. Spreadtrum Communications (SPRD): now $0.10 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.095. Wayne Savings Bancshares (WAYN): now $0.08 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.07. Worthington Industries (WOR): now $0.15 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.13. ZAIS Financial Corp (ZFC): now $0.45 per share
