Valuentum Exclusive Analysis for the Discerning Investor

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Jul 22, 2021

Best Idea Chipotle Rockets Higher!
Image Shown: We include Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc an as idea in the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio. On July 21, shares of CMG surged higher after the firm reported a stellar earnings report after the market close on July 20. In our April 2021 article covering the company, we highlighted how Chipotle’s management team sees room for the firm to more than double its restaurant unit count in the coming years. Chipotle’s growth runway is immense. The company’s second-quarter earnings report was stellar, and the market continues to warm up to Chipotle’s promising long-term growth story. We are big fans of Chipotle and expect that the firm’s free cash flows will continue to grow at a steady clip over the coming years.

Mar 10, 2021

Chipotle Improving Its Digital Menu to Support Its E-commerce Growth Runway
Image Shown: Over the past year, shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc have been on an upward tear, supported by the restaurant’s improving omni-channel selling capabilities. Shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill surged higher during normal trading hours March 9 after the firm announced it was adding customizable quesadilla offerings to its digital menu in the US and Canada starting March 11. This offering is only available for customers ordering while using Chipotle’s digital platforms (potentially due to the longer preparation times) and will likely require new cooking equipment at the company’s restaurants. The company offers both home delivery and curbside/drive-thru pickup services (including its order ahead and pickup services) through its digital platform. We continue to be huge fans of Chipotle and include the company as an idea in our Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio.

Feb 12, 2021

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week February 12
Let's take a look at companies that raised/lowered their dividend this week.

Jan 29, 2021

More Earnings Reports: BA, CMCSA, MCD
Image Shown: Though the past year has been brutal for the commercial airliner and aerospace industries, and it will continue to be rough sledding in the near term, Boeing is optimistic that within a few years passenger traffic will return to pre-pandemic levels and resume its growth trajectory thereafter. Image Source: Boeing Company – Fourth Quarter of 2020 IR Earnings Presentation. We are continuing with our coverage of key earnings reports. Ongoing vaccine distribution activities should help global health authorities bring the coronavirus (‘COVID-19’) pandemic under control, though risks remain as new variants of the virus are popping up all over the place (and then spreading aggressively). In this article, we cover the recent earnings reports from Boeing, Comcast, and McDonald's.

Jan 29, 2021

Starbucks Expects to Recover in Fiscal 2021
Image Shown: Shares of Starbucks Corporation appear fairly valued at this time. The top end of our fair value estimate range sits at $100 per share of SBUX.We're reiterating our fair value estimate of $80 per share of Starbucks, and the top end of our fair value estimate range sits at $100 per share. As of this writing, shares of Starbucks appear to be fairly valued at this time. While Starbucks’ operations are rebounding and its guidance for fiscal 2021 indicates the firm expects ongoing COVID-19 vaccine distribution activities will have a powerful impact on its near-term financial performance, the firm’s current share price already takes into consideration its pending recovery, in our view. We are not interested in adding Starbucks to any of our newsletter portfolios at this time.

Jan 19, 2021

Chipotle, Domino's Continue to Deliver for Shareholders
Image Shown: Domino’s Pizza Inc aims to grow its market share in the US by leaning heavily on its delivery and digital operations, a realm the firm has significant competitive advantages in, as compared to leaning on carryout operations at physical stores. Image Source: Domino’s Pizza Inc – January 2021 IR Presentation. In the restaurant industry, one thing the coronavirus (‘COVID-19’) pandemic has made clear is that having drive thru operations, a strong online presence and respectable delivery services will be key to meeting consumer demand going forward. Physical restaurant locations that rely on indoor dinning will become relevant once again when the pandemic is contained, something the ongoing distribution of COVID-19 vaccines should help accomplish, but the use of food/beverage delivery services in a post-pandemic world will likely be greater than that in the pre-pandemic world (both in terms of number of households and the number of times households that use such services in any given period). Omni-channel selling capabilities are essential not just for the retail space but for restaurants as well, particularly fast-causal operations. Placing a greater emphasis on digital marketing campaigns will be essential, too, given the highly targeted nature of these offerings and the wide reach such campaigns generally have. With that in mind, Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc and Domino’s Pizza are two restaurants with stellar omni-channel selling capabilities that have made considerable upgrades to their digital operations during the past few years.

Jan 7, 2021

Chicken Sandwich Wars Heating Up In the US
Image Shown: Rivals in the quick-service restaurant space are aggressively competing for share in the fast-growing premium chicken sandwich category following Popeyes' considerable success. Source: Images/logos property of the respective companies. Nothing has been the same in the fast-food industry since Popeyes launched its first nationwide chicken sandwich August 12, 2019. The release of the delicious chicken sandwich from the company named after Gene Hackman's character Popeye Doyle in the 1971 film The French Connection may even have changed the fast-food industry as we know it. Popeyes' "tender all-white meat chicken breast fillet, marinated in (its) authentic blend of Louisiana seasonings, then hand battered and breaded in (its) all new buttermilk coating...served with crisp barrel cured pickles and Classic or Spicy Mayonnaise, served on a warm and toasted buttery brioche bun" has been driving the taste buds of customers wild. Just writing this has made us hungry for one, and rivals haven't been sitting quietly in light of the success of Popeyes' new creation. Who can forget the infamous Popeyes and Chick-fil-A feud on Twitter that caught customers' attention, and even Wendy's couldn't resist jumping into the ring. There's clearly a lot at stake.

Nov 10, 2020

McDonald’s: Holding Up Well During the Pandemic
McDonald’s is without a doubt a fantastic enterprise with a storied history and moaty characteristics. The firm is holding up quite well and has managed to drive innovation to overcome almost every obstacle it has faced in the past. Though there are long-term risks to the dividend payout based on the Dividend Cushion ratio, the company’s credit marks and free cash flow generation are enough for us to be confident in a growing payout for the foreseeable future. Shares are fairly valued at the moment, but dividend growth investors might want to take a hard look at this fast-food behemoth for their portfolios.

Apr 27, 2020

COVID-19 Idea Consideration Chipotle Continues to Deliver
Image Shown: Shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc have sharply rebounded over the past month as investors started to take into consideration the firm’s pristine balance sheet, ability to meet consumer demand via delivery services, and quality cash flow profile, keeping short-term headwinds in mind. On April 21, Chipotle Mexican Grill reported earnings for the first quarter of 2020 that beat both consensus top- and bottom-line estimates. Same-store sales rose 3.3% year-over-year almost entirely due to the strength of its digital business where sales were up almost 81% and represented over 26% of Chipotle’s sales last quarter. Chipotle’s GAAP revenues were up almost 8% year-over-year last quarter though its GAAP operating income fell by over 35% due to elevated operating costs as the firm coped with the emerging (at the time) coronavirus (‘COVID-19’) pandemic. In particular, ‘food, beverage and packaging’ and wage expenses were elevated as Chipotle adjusted its business.

Feb 14, 2020

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week Ending February 14
Let's take a look at companies that raised/lowered their dividend this week.