Valuentum Exclusive Analysis for the Discerning Investor

Symbol Keyword

Jul 31, 2024

Microsoft's Cash Flow Generation Robust, Azure Expected to Accelerate
Image Source: Microsoft. Microsoft ended the June quarter with $75.5 billion in total cash and cash equivalents and $51.6 billion in short- and long-term debt on the books, good for a nice net cash position. In the three months ended June 30, cash flow from operations surged to $37.2 billion from $28.8 billion in the same period a year ago, while capital spending totaled $13.9 billion in the June quarter versus $8.9 billion in last year’s quarter. Free cash flow increased 17.7% in the quarter, coming in at $23.3 billion versus $19.8 billion in the same period a year ago. During the quarter, Microsoft returned $8.4 billion to shareholders in the form of dividends and buybacks. Shares yield 0.7% at the time of this writing.

Jun 25, 2024

Latest Report Updates
Check out the latest report updates on the website.

Jun 12, 2024

Oracle Misses in Q4 But Bookings Performance and Outlook Strong
Image: Oracle’s shares have done quite well since the beginning of 2023, and management’s outlook speaks to continued strength. We liked Oracle’s cash flow performance for fiscal 2024 and outlook for not only fiscal 2025 but also its positive commentary associated with the momentum it has built for fiscal 2026. We continue to like Oracle as an idea for the Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio and ESG Newsletter portfolio. Shares yield ~1.3% at the time of this writing.

Jun 10, 2024

Update: Frequently Asked Questions About Valuentum Securities, Inc.
Valuentum (val∙u∙n∙tum) [val-yoo-en-tuh-m] Securities Inc. is an independent investment research publisher, offering premium equity reports and dividend reports, as well as commentary across all sectors/companies, a Best Ideas Newsletter (spanning market caps, asset classes), a Dividend Growth Newsletter, modeling tools/products, and more. Independence and integrity remain our core, and we strive to be a champion of the investor. Valuentum is based in the Chicagoland area. Valuentum is not a money manager, broker, or financial advisor. Valuentum is a publisher of financial information. We address a number of questions from both subscribers and visitors to our site.

Apr 28, 2024

Microsoft's Balance Sheet and Cash Flow Generation Make It a Strong Consideration
Image: Microsoft’s cloud business continues to showcase strong growth momentum. We like Microsoft’s financials and fundamental momentum. The company continues to benefit from AI adoption across its product suite and guidance for the fourth quarter of its fiscal year was solid. We’re huge fans of Microsoft’s net cash position on its balance sheet, and very few other firms are showing the magnitude of operating cash flow increases we’re witnessing at Microsoft. The firm remains one of our favorite ideas in both the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio and Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio.

Apr 8, 2024

3 Dividend Growth Stocks for the Long Run
Image: Mike Mozart. There are many applications for the discounted cash-flow model. Not only does the tool help to derive a fair value estimate for a company, but the core drivers behind the intrinsic value calculation are also key drivers behind the health of a dividend payer. Stocks with a solid net cash position and also generate strong expected free cash flows more than their cash dividend obligations are in a much better position to grow their payouts in the future than stocks burdened by a net debt position and where their free cash flow comes up short. Apple, Microsoft and Dick’s Sporting Goods make the cut and are three of our favorite dividend growth stocks on the market today.

Mar 29, 2024

Latest Report Updates
Check out the latest report updates on the website.

Mar 5, 2024

Alphabet or Microsoft in Artificial Intelligence with Respect to Search? We Like Both
Image Source: SEO. It’s very likely that, if Google search is eventually disrupted, much of the disruption would come from Microsoft given its deep pockets and existing search engine Bing. We continue to include both Alphabet and Microsoft in the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio as a hedge in this regard. If any share shifts do occur away from Google search, they’ll likely accrue to Microsoft, and with both Alphabet and Microsoft large components of big cap tech and the stylistic area of large cap growth, considering the Schwab Large Cap Growth ETF may be worthwhile. We like both Alphabet and Microsoft and view any share shifts as net neutral to our exposure in the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio.

Feb 25, 2024

We Remain Bullish; Is This 1995 – The Beginning of a Huge Stock Market Run?
Image: Large cap growth stocks have trounced the performance of the S&P 500, REITs, and bonds since the beginning of 2023. We expect continued outperformance in this area of the market. We’re now roughly four years past the depths of the COVID-19 meltdown, where equities collapsed in February and March of 2020. As the markets began to recover through 2020, our long-term conviction in equities only grew stronger. We think the biggest risk for long-term investors remains staying out of the market on the basis of what could be considered stretched valuation multiples. As we outlined heavily in the book Value Trap, valuation multiples hardly tell the complete story about a company and often omit key long-term earnings growth, cash flow dynamics, and balance sheet health considerations. We remain bullish on equities for the long haul, and we think the next couple years will be incredibly strong. Our best ideas can be found in the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio, Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio, High Yield Dividend Newsletter portfolio, ESG Newsletter portfolio, and via the Exclusive publication as well as options idea generation.

Feb 6, 2024

Palantir’s Fourth-Quarter Results Showcase Strong Trends in Artificial Intelligence
Image: Palantir’s revenue continues to march higher, and the company’s performance continues to showcase the growing strength in artificial intelligence. Source: Palantir. We liked Palantir’s quarterly results, but we wanted to bring to members’ attention the commentary surrounding artificial intelligence [AI]: "Our results reflect both the strength of our software and the surging demand that we are seeing across industries and sectors for artificial intelligence platforms, including large language models, that are capable of integrating with the tangle of existing technical infrastructure that organizations have been constructing for years...The demand for large language models from commercial institutions in the United States continues to be unrelenting. Every part of our organization is focused on the rollout of our Artificial Intelligence Platform (AIP), which has gone from a prototype to a product in months. And our momentum with AIP is now significantly contributing to new revenue and new customers."