Member Articles

Understanding Share Buybacks

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Image Source: Mike Mozart This article is for educational purposes only and may not reflect our updated opinion on any companies mentioned. Rule of Thumb: If share buybacks are completed at a price level that is under a firm’s fair value estimate, the activity can be considered value-creating. If share buybacks are completed at a price level that is above a firm’s fair value estimate, they can be considered value-destroying. By Brian Nelson, CFA Share buybacks are not always a “good thing.” The general rule of thumb may be that share buybacks reveal that management believes its stock is underpriced and that the executive team thinks there may be no better investment opportunities out there with firm money than its very own company … Read more

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week of October 25

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Below we provide a list of firms that raised their dividends during the week ending October 25. 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                          AllianceBernstein (AB): now $0.77 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.71. American Electric Power (AEP): now $0.93 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.88. AMERISAFE (AMSF): now $3.00 per share special dividend, was $0.37. Archrock (AROC): now $0.175 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.165. Armstrong World (AWI): now $0.308 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.280. Atlantic Union Bank (AUB): now $0.34 per share quarterly dividend, was … Read more

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week of November 22

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Below we provide a list of firms that raised their dividends during the week ending November 22. 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                          2020 Bulkers Ltd. (TTBKF): now $0.15 per share monthly dividend, was $0.01. AECOM (ACM): now $0.26 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.22. Agilent Technologies (A): now $0.248 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.236. Assurant (AIZ): now $0.80 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.72. Atea ASA (ATEAY): now $0.1591 per share semi-annual dividend, was $0.1401. Banca Mediolanum S.p.A. (BNCDY): now $0.7858 per share semi-annual dividend, … Read more

The Best Ideas for 2014 and Beyond: Part I

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The Valuentum Buying Index, our stock selection methodology, identifies firms that are 1) undervalued on a discounted cash-flow basis (e.g. three-stage fully-populated valuation model with complete financial statements), 2) undervalued on a relative value basis versus peers and the firm’s closest competitors, where applicable, and 3) just starting to show interest by investors as measured by technical/momentum indicators, providing the mechanism to drive a firm’s price to its fair value. Without the latter component, investors have a heightened risk of holding an underpriced stock for an extended period of time, one that may turn out to have little prospects for eventual price-to-fair-value convergence. Once a firm is added to the Best Ideas portfolio or Dividend Growth portfolio, generally with a Valuentum … Read more

2015 Marks Record Year for US Auto Industry

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The US auto industry set a sales record in 2015, as the largest automakers finished the year on a high note and pushed the full-year sales tally above the 17.4 million units sold mark set in 2000. 17.5 million light-vehicle sales were made in the US in 2015, which represents an increase of nearly 6% from 2014. December’s unit sales growth rate of 8.9% was one of the highest marks of any month during the year. December was a strong month for each of the major automakers in our coverage universe, as the lowest unit sales growth rate among the group was the 5.7% growth reported by General Motors (GM). Fiat Chrysler (FCAU) reported the highest growth in the month … Read more

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week Ending July 29

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Below we provide a list of firms that raised/lowered their dividends during the week ending July 29. 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 Agnico Eagle (AEM): now $0.10 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.08. Alon USA Partners (ALDW): now $0.14 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.08. AmeriServ Financial (ASRV): now $0.015 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.01. BancorpSouth (BXS): now $0.125 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.10. BB & T (BBT): now $0.30 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.28. Capital Power (CPXWF): now C$0.39 per share quarterly dividend, was … Read more

What’s Going on With Corrections Corp?

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Image Source: Dave Nakayama By Valuentum Analysts On Thursday, August 18, the Department of Justice announced it would no longer be using private prison facilities. As a result, Mr. Market punished shares of prison companies including Corrections Corp (CXW) as many were led to believe that such a decision would have a material impact on the firm’s business due to more than half of its total revenue in 2015 came from the federal government. Our fair value estimate was significantly reduced based on these assumptions and the impact they had on our forecasts of the company’s future free cash flows. However, it later became evident that the decision from the Department of Justice only impacted correctional facilities of the Bureau … Read more

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week Ending April 21

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Below we provide a list of firms that raised/lowered their dividends during the week ending April 21. 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 1st Source (SRCE): now $0.19 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.18. American Water Works (AWK): now $0.415 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.375. Aon (AON): now $0.36 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.33. Blackstone (BX): now $0.87 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.47. Celanese (CE): now $0.46 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.36. CONE Midstream Partners (CNNX): now $0.2821 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.2724. Cross … Read more

Ongoing Optimization To Maximize The Value

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We continue to help readers find some of our best ideas for consideration, and companies in the Diagnostic Substances industry weren’t well-traveled by our readership. We’re allocating resources to better and more compelling opportunities that maximize the value of your membership. Please be sure to access the simulated newsletter portfolios for our best ideas! Structure of the Diagnostic Substances Industry Firms in the diagnostic substances industry make clinical diagnostic test kits for gastrointestinal, viral, respiratory and parasitic infections in humans and point-of-care veterinary diagnostic products for the companion animal veterinary, livestock and poultry markets. The global market for tests continues to expand as new disease states are identified and new therapies become available. There is also a trend toward more … Read more