Valuentum Exclusive Analysis for the Discerning Investor

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Jul 27, 2022

Walmart’s Business Update Likely Means U.S. Is In Recession, But Near-Term Weakness Is Already Baked Into Stock Market
Image Shown: Shares of Walmart Inc dropped sharply during afterhours trading on July 25 as the retailer sharply cut its adjusted operating income and EPS guidance for the current fiscal year as inflationary pressures are taking a sizable toll on its bottom-line. On July 25, Walmart Inc issued a business update that saw the retailer sharply cut its adjusted operating income and EPS guidance for fiscal 2023 (period ended January 2023), while boosting its consolidated net sales guidance. The company also adjusted its guidance for the fiscal second quarter. Shares of WMT plummeted during afterhours trading on July 25 as investors began to price in concerns over the retailer’s deteriorating margins. We anticipated ongoing weakness in Walmart’s business. On July 4, we released an audio report, “Nelson: I Have Been Wrong About the Prospect of Near-Term Inflationary-Driven Earnings Tailwinds,” highlighting our growing concerns about consumer-tied entities in the consumer staples and consumer discretionary spaces. We continue to expect troubles at the big box retailers and across the apparel space, more generally. Here’s what Nelson had to say in early July that remains applicable today: "I simply was not expecting the magnitude of such operating-income drops across consumer-tied companies, and while I think long-term inflation will eventually help drive higher nominal earnings in the longer run when conditions reach “normalization” again, the lag will be much longer than I originally thought. The numbers out of Walmart, Target, and Nike, for example, speak not only to tremendous earnings weakness, but also to the prospect of economic recession in the U.S." A recession in the U.S. is no reason for panic, however. For starters, we believe most of the fundamental weakness across retail is baked into the stock market, but more generally, investors should not worry about recessionary trends. But why? Well, implicitly embedded within a fair value estimate of a company are expectations of a “normal” economic cycle, complete with peak and trough, with the fair value estimate driven largely by mid-cycle expectations that feed into later stages of the model. The prospects for an unexpected recession in economic activity in the near term shouldn’t cause much of a change in the fair value estimate of a company either, given not only that a recession is already implicitly embedded in the fair value estimate, as noted, but also that near-term expectations don’t account for nearly as large of a contribution to the fair value estimate as long-term normalized expectations within the valuation construct. Most of a company’s intrinsic value is driven by its performance beyond year 5 in our model, or on a mid-cycle, going-concern basis. A company’s fair value estimate range (margin of safety) also captures various scenarios regarding economic activity, including a bull and bear case. With that said, recessionary tendencies may cause pricing impacts in the market in the event that consumers/investors use the stock market as a source of income by selling stocks, causing pressure on share prices, but the discounted cash flow (DCF) model already bakes in economic cyclicality and inevitable recessions, if not directly, then implicitly by targeting long-term mid-cycle expectations and via the application of the fair value estimate range. That’s why it’s great to be a long-term investor, scooping shares up when others are forced to sell in the near term, while holding them over long periods, letting compounding work its magic.

Jul 19, 2022

Dick’s Sporting Goods Facing Revenue “Normalization,” Long-Term Story In Tact
Image Source: Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc – First Quarter of Fiscal 2022 Infographic. Inflationary pressures, labor shortages, and supply chain hurdles are all weighing negatively on Dick’s Sporting Goods’ near term outlook. The retailer’s net cash position and strong cash flow generating abilities should help see it through this period of revenue “normalization,” and its longer term growth runway remains robust (underpinned by new store concepts, the potential for meaningful unit store count growth, ongoing customer loyalty and digital initiatives, and various in-store product layout optimization efforts). We continue to like Dick’s Sporting Goods as an idea in the Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio. Shares of DKS yield ~2.2% as of this writing, and we see ample room for the retailer to push through substantial dividend increases over the long haul.

Jun 17, 2022

Qurate Retail Faces Difficult Turnaround Process
Image Source: Qurate Retail Inc – First Quarter of 2022 IR Earnings Presentation. Executive Summary: Qurate Retail Inc is home to several well-known retail brands including QVC and HSN that operate television networks and online marketplaces that sell curated products. The company is contending with several exogenous shocks such as inflationary pressures and supply chain hurdles, while customer engagement levels are on the decline after growing during the initial phases of the COVID-19 pandemic. Qurate Retail has a massive net debt load and sizable annual financing obligations, and its margins have deteriorated substantially of late. Due to its complex share structure and management organization, weak financial position, and lackluster outlook, we are not interested in Qurate Retail’s common or preferred shares at this time. Qurate Retail is too risky for our taste.

Jun 9, 2022

Best Idea Dollar General Beats Consensus Estimates and Raises Guidance in the Face of Substantial Headwinds
Image Shown: Dollar General Corporation’s GAAP net sales rose in the first quarter of fiscal 2022 on a year-over-year basis due to growth in its net store count. Image Source: Dollar General Corporation – May 2022 8-K SEC Filing. As a discount retailer, Dollar General is contending with myriad headwinds though its underlying business is holding up quite well. We continue to view its capital appreciation upside potential quite favorably, and its dividend program offers incremental upside potential. Shares of DG yield ~1.0% as of this writing.

Apr 12, 2022

Best Idea Dollar General Roaring Higher
Image Shown: We like the niche Dollar General Corporation has carved out for itself in the competitive discount retail industry. Image Source: Dollar General Corporation – Fiscal 2021 Annual Report. Though the discount store retail industry is incredibly competitive, we like the niche that Dollar General Corp has carved out for itself by targeting towns and cities in the U.S. with populations of 20,000 or less. These are regions where e-commerce economics are not attractive due to hefty fulfillment costs, and often are underserved in terms of shopping options. Dollar General operates over 18,100 stores across 46 U.S. states and is included as an idea in the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio. We continue to be big fans of Dollar General. Our fair value estimate stands at $234 per share of DG with room for upside as the top end of our fair value estimate range sits at $281 per share.

Dec 27, 2021

Nike Beats Estimates in the Face of Supply Chain Constraints
Image Shown: Shares of Nike Inc shifted higher in the wake of its latest earnings report. On December 20, Nike reported second quarter earnings for fiscal 2022 (period ended November 30, 2021) that beat both consensus top- and bottom-line estimates. The company did its best to navigate supply chain hurdles as efforts by public health officials and governments to contain the spread of the coronavirus (‘COVID-19’) pandemic in Southeast Asia (a major production hub for apparel and footwear) weighed quite negatively on its ability to meet demand.

Dec 3, 2021

Best Idea Dollar General Announces Plans to Go International
Image Source: Dollar General Corporation – Fiscal 2020 Annual Report. We are big fans of Dollar General. The discount retailer has several big initiatives underway to extend its growth runway while boosting per store sales and enhancing its margins. Shares of DG have been treading water over the past few months after surging during the 2020 calendar year, though we still room for significant capital appreciation upside potential going forward. The company is a tremendous free cash flow generator, and we like shares of DG as an idea in the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio.

Dec 2, 2021

Dividend Growth Idea Dick’s Sporting Goods Is Firing on All-Cylinders; Raises Guidance (Again) While Generating Gobs of Free Cash Flow
Image Source: Valuentum. On November 23, Dick’s Sporting Goods reported third quarter earnings for fiscal 2021 (period ended October 30, 2021) that beat both consensus top- and bottom-line estimates. The sporting goods retailer once again raised its full-year guidance for fiscal 2021 in conjunction with its latest earnings report. Dick’s Sporting Goods also raised its guidance when reporting its fiscal second quarter earnings back in August 2021 and its fiscal first quarter earnings back in May 2021, highlighting management’s growing confidence in the company’s near term performance. Though shares of DKS sold off following its latest earnings update, likely due to concerns over inflationary pressures and supply chain hurdles, Dick’s Sporting Goods’ outlook remains rock-solid. We continue to like the firm as an idea in the Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio.

Aug 27, 2021

Dividend Growth Idea Dick’s Sporting Goods Announces Great News
Image Shown: Dividend Growth Idea Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc has put up tremendous performance of late. On August 25, Dick’s Sporting Goods reported second-quarter earnings for fiscal 2021 (period ended July 31, 2021) that soared past consensus top- and bottom-line estimates. Furthermore, Dick’s Sporting Goods raised its full-year guidance for fiscal 2021, doubled its minimum share buyback program to $0.4 billion for fiscal 2021, increased its regular quarterly dividend by 21% on a sequential basis to $0.4375 per share (bringing its annualized payout up to $1.75 per share), and announced a special dividend of $5.50 per share during its latest earnings update. We are incredibly pleased with the company’s performance of late. Dick’s Sporting Goods is included as an idea in the Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio.

Jun 1, 2021

ICYMI -- Video: Exclusive 2020 -- Furthering the Financial Discipline
In this 40+ minute video jam-packed with must-watch content, Valuentum's President Brian Nelson talks about the Theory of Universal Valuation and how his work is furthering the financial discipline. Learn the pitfalls of factor investing and modern portfolio theory and how the efficient markets hypothesis holds little substance in the wake of COVID-19. He'll talk about what companies Valuentum likes and why, and which areas he's avoiding. This and more in Valuentum's 2020 Exclusive conference call.