Valuentum Exclusive Analysis for the Discerning Investor

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Apr 14, 2023

UnitedHealth Group Raises Guidance for 2023
Image: We view valuation as a range of probable fair value outcomes. The high end of the fair value estimate range for UnitedHealth Group stands north of $600. Shares are currently trading at ~$520 each at the time of this writing. We’re huge fans of entities that generate strong free cash flow and boast a healthy net cash position on the books, and that includes UnitedHealth Group. During the first quarter of 2023, the company returned $3.5 billion to shareholders via dividends and buybacks. UnitedHealth remains one of our top dividend growth ideas, and while the company yields just ~1.3% at this time, we expect its future pace of dividend growth to be robust, especially in light of its strong potential earnings expansion that is backed by robust free cash flow generation and a net-cash-rich balance sheet. It’s simply hard not to like UnitedHealth Group.

Apr 6, 2023

Legacy of Benjamin Graham
Legacy of Benjamin Graham: The Original Adjunct Professor. This film, brought to you by the Heilbrunn Center for Graham and Dodd Investing, Columbia Business School, premiered on February 1, 2013 at the 16th Annual Columbia Student Investment Management Association conference. Produced by: Louisa Serene Schneider. Shot & Edited by: Christina Choe.

Mar 13, 2023

ICYMI: How Big Is Your "Too Hard" Bucket?
Image Source: Christian Schnettelker. In investing, it's okay to admit that there are some things that investors can't know. It's not a poor reflection of one's analytical ability or a possible shortcoming of one's experience, but rather quite the contrary: Understanding and accepting that some things are "unknowable" is a sign of the quality of one's judgment. Quite simply, certain critical components of the equity evaluation process are more "unknowable" than others. The intelligent investor recognizes the variance (fair value estimate ranges) and the magnitude of the "unknowable" between companies and generally tries to identify entities that have the least "unknowable" characteristics as possible or situations where the "unknowable" might actually be weighted in their favor (an asymmetric fair value distribution).

Feb 13, 2023

The Dividend Cushion Ratio Warned of Risk to V.F. Corp’s Dividend
Image: The Dividend Cushion ratio is one of the most powerful financial tools an income or dividend growth investor can use in conjunction with qualitative dividend analysis. The ratio is one-of-a-kind in that it is both free-cash-flow based and forward looking. Since its creation in 2012, the Dividend Cushion ratio has forewarned readers of approximately 50 dividend cuts. We estimate its efficacy at ~90%.V.F. Corp cut its quarterly dividend by more than 40% on February 7, to a quarterly rate of $0.30 per share from $0.51 per share previously. The cut is yet further evidence of the importance of paying attention to the cash-based sources of intrinsic value--net cash on the balance sheet and future expected free cash flow--when it comes to evaluating dividend health. Please be sure to pay attention to the Dividend Cushion ratios of firms that you follow. Even if you are not a dividend growth or income investor, the Dividend Cushion ratio provides an assessment of the cash-based sources of intrinsic value relative to future potential outlays in the form of the dividend.

Jan 13, 2023

UnitedHealth Is A Free Cash Flow Powerhouse; Shares Yield ~1.3%
Image Source: UnitedHealth Group. Very few firms have the type of free cash flow conversion as that of UnitedHealth Group, and the company’s free cash flow coverage of its cash dividends remains phenomenal, all the while its balance sheet remains as strong as ever. We expect the firm to continue to raise its 2023 guidance throughout the year as momentum behind its UnitedHealthcare and Optum divisions accelerate. The executive team remains confident that it will achieve its long-term goal of growing earnings per share in the range of 13%-16% per annum, and while that may seem aggressive, it is achievable, in our view. Healthcare spending remains a large part of U.S. GDP, and we expect overall spending on healthcare to continue to expand at a rapid clip in coming years. We continue to like UnitedHealth Group as a dividend growth idea, and its financials speak to tremendous payout support.

Dec 27, 2022

Exclusive Call: What To Expect From Valuentum in 2023
Video: 2022 was a successful year by almost every measure from the simulated Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio and simulated Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio to the simulated High Yield Dividend Newsletter portfolio and Exclusive publication and beyond. There were some disappointments in 2022, of course, but the year showed the value of a Valuentum membership. Join President of Investment Research Brian Nelson on this year's Exclusive conference call to learn what to expect from Valuentum in 2023. Cheers!

Dec 1, 2022

UnitedHealth Group Sets Bar Low with Newly Issued 2023 Guidance; We Expect Upward Revisions Throughout the Year
Image: UnitedHealth Group issued a strong outlook for 2023. We continue to like shares in the simulated Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio. Image Source: UnitedHealth. We are huge fans of UnitedHealth Group, and its dividend growth potential remains immense. Since 2010, UnitedHealth Group has increased its dividend at a double-digit pace each year. The top end of our fair value estimate range sits at $618 per share of UnitedHealth Group, indicating that the health care giant also possesses substantial capital appreciation upside potential as well. Looking ahead, we expect that UnitedHealth Group will grow its dividend at a robust pace, aided by its strong free cash flow generating abilities and pristine balance sheet. Shares yield ~1.2% at the time of this writing.

Nov 28, 2022

2022 Showcased the Value of a Valuentum Membership
In bull markets, almost everyone is a winner. But 2022 was different. This year was a big test for Valuentum, and we passed with flying colors. We delivered across the board during the year from ideas in the Exclusive publication and the efficacy of the dividend growth methodology to the resilience of high yield ideas and simulated Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio relative performance--despite setbacks from Meta Platforms, PayPal, and beyond. Tune in to the latest video installment from Valuentum. Thanks for listening!

Nov 10, 2022

Market Whipsaw: Crypto Collapse and a Lower-than-Expected Inflation Print
Image: Uncertainty in the cryptocurrency markets has surged with concerns over the liquidity of a key exchange. Investors are weighing the spillover effects of crypto with the view that the pace of inflation may have peaked. The U.S. equity market continues to be highly volatile as it whipsaws between concerns over the health and sustainability of cryptocurrency and optimism over lower-than-feared inflation readings. We maintain our bearish/defensive stance on equities, but at the same time, we continue to be “fully-invested” across the simulated newsletter portfolios in part because we don’t want to miss out on days like today, November 10, when the markets are soaring ~2.5%-5.5% depending on which index you are monitoring. We’re also not ruling out a Santa Claus rally through the end of the year. Merry Dow Jones, as they say!

Oct 30, 2022

Something New!
Hi everyone: To stay true to our mission, you'll find something new regarding our methodology. In the coming weeks, you'll see this table in our work going forward.