Valuentum Exclusive Analysis for the Discerning Investor

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Jan 14, 2025

KB Home’s Outlook for 2025 Better Than Expected
Image: KB Home’s shares have done well since the beginning of 2023. Looking to fiscal 2025, KB Home's housing revenue is expected in the range of $7.00-$7.5 billion, compared to the consensus forecast of $6.89 billion, with the average selling price in the range of $488,000-$498,000. Homebuilding operating income as a percentage of revenues is targeted at roughly 10.7%, which assumes no inventory-related charges. For the year, housing gross profit margin is targeted in the range of 20.0%-21.0% and assumes no inventory-related charges. Selling, general, and administrative expenses as a percentage of housing revenues is expected in the range of 9.6%-10.0%. We liked KB Home’s fourth quarter results and outlook for fiscal 2025 and what they imply with respect to the health of the housing market. KB Home doesn’t make the cut for any newsletter portfolio, however.

Dec 13, 2024

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week of December 13
Let's take a look at firms raising/lowering their dividends this week.

Dec 11, 2024

Toll Brothers Ends Strongest Year Ever
Image Source: Toll Brothers. Looking to fiscal 2025, Toll Brothers' deliveries are expected in the range of 11,200-11,600 units with an average delivered price per home of $945,000-$965,000 and adjusted home sales gross margin expected at 27.25%. The company’s pace of deliveries is expected to be strong, but the company’s gross margin isn’t as strong as we would like, facing pressure from last year’s adjusted mark. SG&A, as a percentage of home sales revenue is expected in the range of 9.4%-9.5%, up from last year’s measure of 9.3%. Toll Brothers ended its fiscal fourth quarter with $1.3 billion in cash and cash equivalents and $2.7 billion in loans payable and senior notes. The company continues to return cash to shareholders in the form of buybacks and dividends. Though we don’t include Toll Brothers in any newsletter portfolio, the bellwether’s fiscal fourth quarter report indicates the housing market remains healthy.

Jun 18, 2024

Lennar Navigating Fluctuating Interest Rate Environment Well
Image: Lennar has been a strong performer since the beginning of 2023. We liked the quarterly update from Lennar, and while we won’t be adding this homebuilder to any newsletter portfolio, we’re interpreting its performance as another positive data point regarding the macroeconomic environment.

Mar 31, 2024

Toll Brothers Notes Strong Start to Spring Selling Season
Toll Brothers raised its full-year fiscal 2024 guidance across key metrics, and the company noted that it has seen a "marked increase in demand coinciding with the start of the spring selling season." Though we don’t include any homebuilder in the simulated newsletter portfolios, it’s good to see things are progressing well at Toll Brothers.

Dec 15, 2023

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week of December 15
Let's take a look at firms raising/lowering their dividends this week.

Aug 15, 2023

Home Depot’s Comparable Store Sales Continue Declines, Big Ticket Purchases Slow
Image: Our fair value estimate range of Home Depot. Shares of Home Depot are trading at the high end of the range at ~$325 per share at the time of this writing. Home Depot is one of the most resilient companies across the retail arena. The firm weathered the Great Financial Crisis [GFC] well and it handled the vicissitudes of the COVID-19 pandemic and aftermath flowingly as it juggled supply chain issues, changing consumer buying preferences, and increased demand as consumers remodeled and upgraded their working and living spaces while cocooning at home. The company’s second-quarter 2023 results, released August 15, came in better than expected, but comparable store sales fell 2% both in aggregate and in the U.S. Though comparable store sales declines improved from bigger declines in the first quarter, Home Depot’s guidance for comparable sales to fall 2%-5% for all of fiscal 2023 indicates there may be some further year-over-year weakness ahead. We’re sticking with Home Depot in the Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio, however.

Feb 22, 2023

Walmart Warns: “Prices Are Still High and There Is Considerable Pressure on the Consumer”
Image Source: Mike Mozart. Walmart’s outlook may very well be conservative, but its commentary certainly doesn’t bode well for many discretionary retailers and the broader economy. With the labor markets still strong and the producer price index still coming in hot, the Federal Reserve is not yet done raising rates. We expect the markets to test their uptrends and 200-day moving averages in the coming days to weeks, and if we break through these support levels to the downside, we won’t hesitate to “raise some cash” across the newsletter portfolios. When Walmart warns about the health of the consumer, we pay attention.

Feb 21, 2023

Home Depot’s Comps, Operating Income Fall in Q4; Hikes Dividend 10%
Image Source: Mike Mozart. On February 21, home improvement retailer Home Depot reported weak fourth quarter 2022 results that showed comparable store sales for the period falling 0.3% and operating income dropping 1.5% from the same period a year ago. Diluted earnings per share advanced 2.8% from last year’s quarter. The company is dealing with a weakened consumer spending environment and difficult comparisons from pandemic-driven demand of a year ago. Home Depot raised its dividend payout to 10%, to $2.09 per share, or $8.36 per share on an annualized basis. That translates into a forward estimated dividend yield of ~2.6%.