Valuentum Exclusive Analysis for the Discerning Investor

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Dec 3, 2023

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

Nov 27, 2023

How Do We Use the Valuentum Buying Index?
Image: We highlighted Exxon Mobil to start 2022, and the stock was one of the best performers in the S&P 500 last year. Exxon Mobil became a “Valuentum” stock last year, with shares being undervalued, exhibiting a strong technical breakout, and sporting an attractive dividend yield to boot. The stock became a huge winner. Note: Exxon is no longer included in the simulated newsletter portfolios. The image is an excerpt from an email sent to members January 5, 2022.We answer one of the most frequently asked questions about the Valuentum Buying Index.

Sep 20, 2023

ICYMI: Questions for Valuentum’s Brian Nelson
Valuentum's President Brian Nelson, CFA, answers your questions.

Sep 6, 2023

Latest Report Updates Reveal Tremendous Dividend Strength at Walmart
Our latest report updates showcased one very big observation, and that was the tremendous dividend strength of Walmart. The big box retailer’s Dividend Cushion ratio is rock-solid, and improved inventory management has worked wonders on operating cash flow this year, driving it to $18.2 billion during the six months ended July 31 from $9.24 billion in the same period a year ago, all the while organized retail theft remains a huge industry-wide problem. Though shares of Walmart are widely followed and are fairly valued on the basis of our discounted cash-flow process, we stand in awe of the company’s resurgence in free cash flow generation and believe that the firm offers a nice foundation to the markets. Walmart is on a short list of entities that we’d be looking to add to the Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio at the right price, near the lower end of our updated fair value estimate range.

Aug 14, 2023

Apple's Looming ‘Watch X’ Likely a Game Changer in Smartwatches
Image Source: Wiyre Media. Apple is expected to do a refresh of its Apple Watch this year, but the changes won’t be as significant to draw many to upgrade. However, as we look out to fiscal 2024 and fiscal 2025, exciting things could happen. According to a report from Bloomberg, the “Watch X,” marking the 10th anniversary of the rollout of the first Apple Watch, is targeted to include a blood-pressure monitoring tool, among other upgrades. Not only do we think a blood-pressure monitoring tool will drive considerable adoption from many that do not have a smartwatch, but it could also drive a huge market share shift to the device from Samsung and Alphabet’s Fitbit.

Jul 31, 2023

Johnson & Johnson Belongs in the “Too Hard” Bucket
Image Source: Johnson & Johnson. Johnson & Johnson recently entered the “too hard” bucket for us. We dropped J&J from the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio and Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio on March 13 of the year, as we lost interest in the company given the uncertainties surrounding talc liabilities and the Kenvue split-off. We prefer simplicity across our newsletter portfolios, and J&J’s results have often been messy, to say the least. Though J&J's second-quarter 2023 performance, released July 20, was a bit better, we no longer have much interest in the name, given its net debt position and contingent talc liabilities. We’re also not interested in shares of its split-off Kenvue, having completely removed J&J from the newsletter portfolios prior to the split. We continue to prefer the areas of big cap tech and large cap growth.

Jul 24, 2023

AT&T: A High Yield Dividend Disaster, Now An ESG Nightmare
Image: AT&T’s shares continue to disappoint. We’re not interested in AT&T at all and believe that shares may remain under significant pressure until 1) material top-line growth resumes, 2) the firm’s capital-intensity lessens, 3) free cash flow improves significantly, 4) dividend increases resume 5) its leverage improves and 6) there is more visibility related to the potential contingent liabilities associated with lead-covered cables. We doubt all six of these things will happen, and therefore we believe the best days are likely behind AT&T.

Jul 15, 2023

Subscribe to the Valuentum ESG Newsletter!
There may be no greater or better investment than becoming more exposed to the sustainable trend of environmental, social and governance (ESG) investing, where ESG research points to key risks of a company that could have tremendous implications on its intrinsic value or fair value estimate distribution. Subscribe to the monthly Valuentum ESG Newsletter today!

Jun 26, 2023

Latest Report Updates Concentrated in Mining & Chemicals and Healthcare Industries
In our 16-page equity research reports, we offer a fair value estimate for each company based on a rigorous and transparent discounted cash flow process, assess the attractiveness of a stock based on a firm-specific margin of safety, and provide a relative valuation comparison in the context of the company’s industry and peers. Each report includes detailed pro forma financial statements, explicit fundamental forecasts, and scenario analysis. A cross section of the ValueCreation and ValueRisk ratings provides a financial assessment of a company’s business quality (competitive position), while the ValueTrend and Economic Castle ratings offer insight into the trajectory of a firm’s economic profit creation (ROIC versus WACC). Included in each 16-page report is a company's rating on the Valuentum Buying Index (VBI), a methodology that combines rigorous financial and valuation analysis with an evaluation of a firm's technicals and momentum indicators to derive a score between 1 and 10 for each company (10=best). We believe the VBI methodology helps identify the most attractive stocks at the best time to consider buying, helping to avoid value traps and lagging performance due to the opportunity cost of holding a stock with great potential but at an inopportune time. The Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio puts the VBI into practice. Read more about the Valuentum Buying Index rating system, "Value and Momentum Within Stocks, Too." Members can access our 16-page company research reports by using our 'Symbol' search box in our website header.

Jun 5, 2023

ALERT: Going to “Fully Invested” in the Best Ideas Newsletter Portfolio
Image: Since the publishing of the first edition of the book Value Trap, the stylistic area of large cap growth (SCHG) has meaningfully outperformed both the equal-weight S&P 500 (SPY) and small cap value (IWN).With the debt-ceiling debate behind the markets, the regional banking crisis largely in the rear-view mirror, and the Fed winning the fight against inflation, a continuation of the strength in the markets as witnessed from the October 2022 lows can probably be expected. We're going to "fully invested" in the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio today and expect to do the same in the Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio and High Yield Dividend Newsletter portfolio soon.