Brian Nelson

Valuentum’s Best Ideas Newsletter Portfolio

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*Portfolio information as of published date in top, left corner of table above. The Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio is not a real money portfolio. Past results are not a guarantee of future performance, and actual results may differ from simulated information provided. There is substantial risk associated with investing in financial instruments. By The Valuentum Team The Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio seeks to find stocks that have both good value and good momentum characteristics and typically targets capital appreciation potential over a longer-term horizon. The newsletter puts the Valuentum Buying Index methodology into practice. To access Valuentum’s in-depth articles and analysis on holdings in the portfolio of its Best Ideas Newsletter (as well as their 16-page reports and dividend reports, where … Read more

Valuentum’s Dividend Growth Newsletter Portfolio

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*Portfolio Information as of published date in top, left corner of table. The Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio is not a real money portfolio. Past results are not a guarantee of future performance, and actual results may differ from simulated information provided. There is substantial risk associated with investing in financial instruments. The Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio puts into practice our rigorous valuation and dividend growth frameworks. To access our commentary, articles and analysis on holdings in the portfolio of our Dividend Growth Newsletter (as well as each company’s 16-page equity report and dividend report), please use our ‘Symbol’ search box in our website header. The Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio can always be found in each edition of the monthly Dividend Growth Newsletter. Learn more about your membership >> More … Read more

Philip Morris’ Smoke-Free Products Continue to Resonate

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Image Source: TradingView By Brian Nelson, CFA Philip Morris (PM) recently reported better than expected second quarter results with revenue and non-GAAP earnings per share exceeding the respective consensus forecasts. Net revenues increased 10.4%, to $11.2 billion, with both its smoke-free (up 11.7%, 9.7% organically) and combustibles (up 9.5%, 6.1% organically) businesses driving the growth. Its smoke-free portfolio now accounts for 42% of total net revenues with smoke-free products now available in 109 markets. Management had the following to say about the results: We delivered outstanding results in the second quarter, driving net revenues to over $11 billion for the first time with excellent growth across all headline metrics. With a robust first half under our belt, including continued momentum … Read more

Energy Transfer Raises 2026 Adjusted EBITDA Guidance

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Image Source: TradingView By Brian Nelson, CFA Energy Transfer (ET) recently reported second quarter results that came in better than expectations with revenue and GAAP earnings per share exceeding the consensus marks. Energy Transfer reported net income attributable to partners for the three months ended June 30 of $2.09 billion compared to $1.16 billion in the same period last year. Adjusted EBITDA for the quarter was $5.07 billion compared to $3.87 billion in last year’s quarter, an increase of 31%. Distributable cash flow was $2.59 billion compared to $1.96 billion in the year-ago period, an increase of 32%. Energy Transfer set a number of records in the quarter in terms of volumes. NGL transportation volumes were up 13%, setting a … Read more

Meta Platforms Spending Heavily on Capex

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Image Source: TradingView By Brian Nelson, CFA Meta Platforms (META) recently reported mixed second quarter results with revenue beating expectations but GAAP earnings per share coming up a bit short of the consensus forecast. Revenue grew 28%, to $60.8 billion, but income from operations fell 8% in the period. Net income dropped 14%, while diluted earnings per share fell 13%, to $6.18. Consensus pegged estimates of $60.29 billion for sales and $7.22 in GAAP earnings per share. CEO Mark Zuckerberg had the following to say in the press release: AI is accelerating our core business today, powering our next generation of products, and opening the door to entirely new enterprise opportunities. The results are already showing, and I’m optimistic about … Read more

Lockheed Martin Raises 2026 Guidance

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Image Source: TradingView By Brian Nelson, CFA Lockheed Martin (LMT) recently reported second quarter results that beat expectations on both the top and bottom lines. Sales increased 11%, to $20.1 billion, while the company generated net earnings of $1.8 billion, or $7.94 per share. Cash flow from operations was $3.2 billion in the second quarter compared to $201 million in last year’s quarter, while the company hauled in free cash flow of $2.9 billion versus a free cash flow burn in the second quarter of 2025. Management had the following to say about the quarter: We delivered strong second‑quarter performance, with over $20 billion in sales – a year‑over‑year increase of 11% – free cash flow of $2.9 billion, and $65 billion … Read more

Oracle’s Remaining Performance Obligations Strong

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Image Source: TradingView By Brian Nelson, CFA Oracle (ORCL) recently reported fiscal first quarter fiscal 2027 results that came in better than the consensus forecasts on both the top and bottom lines. The company posted record first quarter total revenue of $19.3 billion, up 30%, while non-GAAP earnings per share increased at a similar pace, to $1.92. Consensus was at $19.1 billion in revenue and $1.75 in adjusted earnings. Total cloud revenues were a record in the period, up 61% in constant currency, to $11.6 billion. First quarter cloud infra (IaaS) revenue advanced 120% in constant currency, while first quarter cloud apps (SaaS) revenue increased 10% in constant currency. Remaining performance obligations increased $209 billion year-over-year, to $664 billion. Oracle’s … Read more

Taiwan Semiconductor’s Pure Play Foundry Business Remains Attractive

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Image Source: TradingView By Brian Nelson, CFA Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM) recently reported second quarter 2026 results that came in better than expected. Second quarter revenue increased 36%, while net income and diluted earnings per share both advanced more than 77%. On a sequential basis, revenue increased 12%, while net income increased 23.4%. In US dollars, second quarter revenue was $40.2 billion, up nearly 34% year-over-year and 12% sequentially. For the quarter, gross margin was 67.7%, operating margin was 60.3%, and net profit margin was 55.6%. “In the second quarter, shipments of 2-nanometer accounted for 3% of total wafer revenue; 3-nanometer accounted for 30%; 5-nanometer accounted for 33%; and 7-nanometer accounted for 11%. Advanced technologies, defined as 7-nanometer and more advanced … Read more

Nvdia Expects Fiscal 2028 Revenue to Grow 70%

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Image Source: TradingView By Brian Nelson, CFA Nvidia (NVDA) recently announced better-than-expected second quarter fiscal 2027 results, with revenue up 106% from a year ago, and Data Center revenue up 117%, to $89 billion, from a year ago. The consensus estimate for Data Center revenue was $85 billion. For the quarter, on a GAAP basis, its gross margin advanced 2.6 percentage points on a year-over-year basis, while operating income expanded 124% from the same period last year. GAAP net income jumped 126%, while diluted earnings per share catapulted 128% higher, to $2.46. CEO Jensen Huang had the following to say about the quarter: AI has reached its inflection point. It’s doing useful work. Its tokens are productive and profitable. Now, … Read more

Public Storage Raises 2026 Core FFO Guidance

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Image Source: TradingView By Brian Nelson, CFA Public Storage (PSA) recently released second quarter results that were roughly in-line with consensus expectations. For the three months ended June 30, net income per share increased to $2.55 rom $1.76, but core funds from operations (FFO) dropped to $4.17 per share from $4.28 in last year’s quarter. Management had the following to say about the results: Public Storage’s second quarter results reflect the strength of our platform and the disciplined execution of our long-term strategy, allowing us to raise our outlook for the back half of the year. With the successful closing of the National Storage Affiliates acquisition and our announced agreement to acquire Public Storage Canada, the power of our PS4.0 … Read more