Member Articles

Post-Earnings Update: AbbVie

by

Image Source: Global Panorama AbbVie’s top-line performance has been relatively strong (unlike its big pharma peers), translating into a generous dividend–further enhancing the appeal of the equity. But is the company’s attractive fundamentals about to change? Let’s take a look at AbbVie’s fundamentals following its second-quarter report, released July 28. By Alexander J. Poulos Overview One of the main appeals of big-pharma companies such as AbbVie (ABBV) and peers Merck (MRK), Eli Lilly (LLY), and Pfizer (PFE) is their comparatively attractive dividend-yield potential as high margins generated from patent-protected compounds lead to internally generated cash flows above the funding needs of the business. As long as big pharma firms can continue to churn out a steady stream of new products … Read more

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week Ending August 11

by

Below we provide a list of firms that raised/lowered their dividends during the week ending August 11. 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 Badger Meter (BMI): now $0.13 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.115. Black Stone Minerals (BSM): now $0.3125 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.2875. Buckeye Partners (BPL): now $1.2625 per share quarterly dividend, was $1.25. CAE (CAE): now CAD 0.09 per share quarterly dividend, was CAD 0.08. Carlisle (CSL): now $0.37 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.35. Carlyle (CG): now $0.42 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.10. … Read more

Chicago Bridge’s Troubles Continue

by

Image Source: Chicago Bridge We’ve lowered our fair value estimate for Chicago Bridge & Iron. By Kris Rosemann We’ve lowered our fair value estimate to $18 from $34 and widened our margin of safety for Chicago Bridge & Iron (CBI) after it cut its bottom-line guidance for 2017 and suspended its dividend August 11. Management may not have the best handle on its business at the moment, as evidenced by the number of projects it was forced to take a significant charge on doubling from two to four from the first to the second quarter of 2017. The bottom-line guidance reduction can be used as evidence of how precise and transparent management has been of late. The company expects second … Read more

North Korea and the Bomb

by

Tensions between the United States and North Korea have heightened, and we may look to August 2017 as the dawn of yet another Cold War. The news has little impact on our thesis, however. Stocks generally remain overvalued, and some of them considerably. Let’s cover a few stocks in the news and reiterate our generally positive stance on defense contractors, two of our favorites recently highlighted in the Nelson Exclusive publication. Learn more about the Nelson Exclusive here. “North Korea best not make any more threats to the United States,” Trump said, arms crossed, from his golf resort in Bedminster, New Jersey, on Tuesday. “They will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen.” – CNN, … Read more

ETF Analysis: Banks and Financials

by

Please select the image below to download the report. Tickerized for ETFs under coverage and stocks included in the XLF.

Discovery-Scripps Joining Forces to Take on the Changing Digital Media Landscape

by

Image Source: Lwp Kommunikáció Discovery Communications has agreed to acquire Scripps Networks, but will it be enough for the two to remain competitive in the rapidly evolving–and consolidating–media landscape? By Kris Rosemann The cable TV industry is not what it was only a few short years ago, and Discovery Communications (DISCA) finally getting its hands on the assets of Scripps Networks (SNI) is only further evidence of this. Both companies have had a relative amount of success in delivering compelling programming to targeted audiences in years past via traditional pay-TV channels, but the days of tuning in to Shark Week on The Discovery Channel through your local cable provider are fading fast. The cord-cutting revolution is one that has been well-covered … Read more

Generic Drug Price Deflation Continues to Weigh on Shares of Teva

by

Shares of former Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio idea Teva Pharmaceuticals have come under renewed selling pressure after reporting weak quarterly results due largely to deflationary price pressures felt in the generic drug division. Teva has been relatively powerless in stopping the trend. We had removed the shares from the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio well before the last leg down, and the Dividend Cushion ratio warned of tremendous risk to the sustainability of the dividend far in advance. By Alexander J. Poulos and Kris Rosemann Generic Drug Deflation Teva Pharmaceuticals (TEVA) maintains its position as one of the world’s largest manufacturer of generic medications, but the marketplace for a generic drug differs from the market dynamics of the branded space. We view … Read more

Bioverativ: A Profitable Rare Drug Company

by

The biotech sector remains one of the most innovative segments of the overall market. Cutting-edge research is being conducted to help treat a wide swath of disease states with the potential for outsize rewards if the novel treatment is proven effective. The boom-bust nature of clinical research has lead to numerous spectacular flameouts, which lessen the appeal of the sector to the more risk-averse investor. We have identified a promising newly-formed company with real earnings, and one that may be poised to accelerate earnings now that a promising new rare-disease molecule has been brought into the fold. By Alexander J Poulos Overview of Bioverativ Biovertaiv (BIVV) is a newly-formed entity that was spun off from Biogen (BIIB) in early 2017. … Read more

Our Bullish Thesis on Gilead Sciences

by

We have become enamored with the potential of Gilead Sciences once again as the recent slide in the share price has in our view shaken out the speculative money that fueled the meteoric rise of the equity in 2015. As a value-based research publisher, we tend to focus on the sustainability of cash flow. In the case of Gilead, many believed that all hope had been lost as the continued decline in its Hepatitis C franchise would depress potential future gains. We are heartened by the recent earnings release and technical move, which have combined to give us comfort in adding Gilead Sciences to both the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio and Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio. By Alexander J. Poulos Overview … Read more

Video: Explaining the Valuentum Buying Index

by

The Valuentum Buying Index (VBI) stands on the shoulders of giants in finance in uncovering investment ideas.  Brian Nelson, CFA: This is Brian Nelson from Valuentum Securities. Today, I would like to talk about our Valuentum Buying Index, the stock selection methodology that we use and apply across our entire coverage universe. But before I get into some of the specifics, I’d like to provide more or less a summary. Essentially what the Valuentum Buying Index does is it highlights undervalued stocks that are going up in price. Undervalued stocks with good momentum…Value-ntum stocks. So, at the core, the Valuentum Buying Index tries to find stocks that we think have a very strong likelihood of equity price appreciation. It breaks … Read more