Valuentum Exclusive Analysis for the Discerning Investor

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Mar 8, 2020

Coronavirus Crisis Deepens, Italy on Lockdown
Image: WHO. The epidemic curve of confirmed COVID-19 cases that have been reported outside of China is steepening. Italy remains a hotspot. The situation with COVID-19 remains dire. A vaccine may not be available for another 12-18 months, which is simply too long before what could be an overwhelming of healthcare systems around the globe. The WHO has already revised the expected mortality rate of COVID-19 higher, now 3.4%, and its catastrophic impact on the large economies of China and Italy is already being felt. The US equity markets have largely lulled investors to complacency the past decade or so, and many have been conditioned to largely ignore major events as a result, employing the buy-the-dip-at-any-price mentality and championing “stocks always go up” doctrine. However, the situation with COVID-19 could be setting the stage for an all-out financial crisis, as we outline in this piece here. With the S&P 500 at 2,972, the market continues to largely ignore the long-term risks that may come from changed behavior as a result of COVID-19. We’re reiterating our near-term 2,350-2,750 target on the S&P 500, and we encourage long-term investors to evaluate long-term charts to assess how far we have come since the March 2009 panic bottom, and how even a modest 10-20% sell-off from here (supported by reasonable forward multiples and earnings) would be largely a blip over the long term. This blip, however, may cause an outright panic, made worse by price-agnostic trading. The Fed, for example, made an emergency 50 basis-point rate cut with the market just a few percentage points off all-time highs. Emotions are running high, and investors are simply not ready for COVID-19. All else equal, panic selling is not selling with the S&P 500 at 2,972, today's levels. Just because stock prices have fallen doesn't make them cheaper. Panic selling, for example, might be selling with the S&P 500 at 2,000 (if it ever reaches those levels), and that's if reasonable valuation expectations don't warrant those levels at that time. Today, we're still at relatively overpriced valuation levels on broader market indices, and the sell-off to this point has been more reasonable than overdone, in our view. Please stay safe out there!

Feb 21, 2020

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week Ending February 21
Let's take a look at companies that raised/lowered their dividend this week.

Jan 4, 2020

Valuentum Exclusive Success Rates Trump Even the Best Quant Hedge Funds
Image: President of Investment Research Brian Nelson, CFA. A new book, “The Man Who Solved the Market,” hit bookshelves last year, and thus far it has been a hit. The text goes into the story of quant hedge fund Renaissance Technologies and its hedge fund, the Medallion Fund, which has put up mammoth returns since inception.

Oct 12, 2019

ICYMI: Interview with Valuentum's President Brian M. Nelson, CFA
Catch up with Valuentum's President Brian M. Nelson, CFA in a recent interview with dividend growth investor Arne Magnus Lorentzen Ulland of the blog stockles.

May 14, 2019

Markets Swooning, Expect Extreme Volatility, Finger on Put-Option Trigger
Image shown: We notified members December 26 that we had moved  the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio and Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio to a "fully invested" position, from a 30% and 20% cash "weighting" at the high end of the range, respectively.

Apr 9, 2019

Top Research and Ideas You May Have Missed
Is Quant Value Giving Intrinsic Value Investors a Bad Name? Surely, you don't believe Warren Buffett's "style" is out of favor?

Mar 29, 2019

ATTN: Advisors and Planners -- Disruption Is Looming
"With the commoditization of investment advice and intense competition from robos and other more cost-efficient solutions, growth-minded advisors want to create bespoke experiences for clients." -- WealthManagement.com

Mar 29, 2019

8 Announcements and Top Research You May Have Missed
8 Announcements. This article was sent to members via email March 27.

Mar 15, 2019

DG Newsletter Alert, Markets on a Roll! New Highs Coming?
Image shown: We notified members December 26 that we had moved the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio and Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio to a "fully invested" position, from a 30% and 20% cash "weighting" at the high end of the range, respectively. It doesn't look like the timing could have been much better.

Mar 7, 2019

Valuentum's Stock and Data Screens and Screeners
Let’s go over where to find Valuentum’s stock and data screens and screeners. We believe our stock screeners are among the most robust when it comes to providing forward-looking data, and our data comes straight from our enterprise discounted cash flow models that we use to derive a company's fair value estimate.