Valuentum Exclusive Analysis for the Discerning Investor

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Aug 28, 2023

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

Aug 28, 2023

Our Reports on Stocks in the Industrial Leaders Industry
Our reports on stocks in the Industrial Leaders industry can be found in this article. Reports include: MMM, DHR, GE, HON, BA, GD, LMT, NOC, RTX, WM, RSG, CAT, DE, CNI, CSX, UNP, FDX, UPS, FAST, APH, GLW, TEL, ETN, ITW, EMR, ROP, PH.

Aug 25, 2023

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week of August 25
Let's take a look at firms raising/lowering their dividends this week.

Aug 23, 2023

“A New Computing Era Has Begun” -- Nvidia Delivers Yet Again
When we first wrote that Nvidia would power this market higher back in May, the firm had just put up one of the most prolific earnings beats I had ever seen. I’d have to go back almost 20 years to the invention of Apple’s iPod click-wheel technology to remember something that came close. Well, on August 23, Nvidia just put up another monster quarter, this one the second of its fiscal year 2024, beating top-line and bottom-line consensus estimates by a huge margin for the period ending July 30. We’ve raised our fair value estimate of Nvidia considerably following the blockbuster second-quarter performance and third-quarter outlook, released today, and the race is on to adopt artificial intelligence [AI].

Aug 22, 2023

Dick’s Sporting Goods Down ~7% Year-to-Date; Sticking with It Long Term
Image Source: Mike Mozart. Some of our favorite dividend growth ideas in the Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio include Cisco, Microsoft, Oracle, Apple, and Republic Services. Cisco is up more than 15% year-to-date, Microsoft is up more than 34% year-to-date, Oracle is up more than 38% year-to-date, Apple is up over 40% year-to-date, and Republic Services is up more than 14% year-to-date. These dividend growth ideas are trouncing the basket of high-yielding Dividend Aristocrats. With big cap tech and large cap growth powering the market higher during 2023, it’s been great having this type of exposure within the Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio, and we hope you have enjoyed it, too...Unlike big dividend growth winners such as Cisco, Microsoft, and Oracle, which are higher weightings (5%-7%) in the Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio, Dick’s Sporting Goods has a smaller 3-5% weighting and fills a more diversifying role with respect to retail. That said, the sporting goods retailer’s second-quarter results (ending July 29, 2023) missed top-line consensus expectations by a small margin, but the miss on the bottom line was a bit more pronounced due to concerns over shrink. Dick’s Sporting Goods, however, still delivered 3.6% sales expansion in the period while quarterly comparable store sales increased 1.8% (an improvement from the 5.1% decline in last year’s quarter), as it reiterated its 2023 comparable store sales target of “flat to positive 2%.” The company’s full-year 2023 outlook for diluted earnings per share now stands at $11.33-$12.13 (was $12.90-$13.80), implying shares are trading at about 10x current-year earnings.

Aug 22, 2023

Theft Becoming a Huge Problem for Retailers
Image Source: Ben Schuman. Theft has always been a problem for retailers, but it has never been as big of a problem as it has been in recent quarters. Emboldened by the lack of police response and employees sometimes getting fired for confronting shoplifters, retail organized crime is on the rise. We’re not talking theft in the millions, or billions, but likely in the tens of billions per year or more across the U.S. Some attribute the rise of organized retail crime to the pandemic, which paved the way for shoplifters to post their loot online in order to make a quick buck. Some retailers are especially feeling the pinch, and recent commentary reveals just how bad retail theft (shrink) has become to their respective businesses.

Aug 18, 2023

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week of August 18
Let's take a look at firms raising/lowering their dividends this week.

Aug 17, 2023

3 High Dividend Yielders for Consideration
Image: Entities with large net cash positions and substantial free cash flow generation have outperformed not only the broader stock market, but also key high yield areas, including REITs, mortgage REITs and master limited partnerships during the past 10 years. Source: The respective ETF sponsors. The skills to successfully invest for long-term capital gains or long-term dividend growth are much different than those required for generating high yield dividend income. Income investing is a much different proposition. However, the skills do center on a similar equity evaluation process, but one that requires an acknowledgement and heightened awareness of considerably greater downside risks. Income investing, or high yield dividend income investing, should at times be considered among the riskiest forms of investing, as many high dividend-yielding securities tend to trade closer to the characteristics of junk-rated bonds than they do most net cash rich and free cash flow generating powerhouses that we like so much in the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio and Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio.

Aug 15, 2023

Home Depot’s Comparable Store Sales Continue Declines, Big Ticket Purchases Slow
Image: Our fair value estimate range of Home Depot. Shares of Home Depot are trading at the high end of the range at ~$325 per share at the time of this writing. Home Depot is one of the most resilient companies across the retail arena. The firm weathered the Great Financial Crisis [GFC] well and it handled the vicissitudes of the COVID-19 pandemic and aftermath flowingly as it juggled supply chain issues, changing consumer buying preferences, and increased demand as consumers remodeled and upgraded their working and living spaces while cocooning at home. The company’s second-quarter 2023 results, released August 15, came in better than expected, but comparable store sales fell 2% both in aggregate and in the U.S. Though comparable store sales declines improved from bigger declines in the first quarter, Home Depot’s guidance for comparable sales to fall 2%-5% for all of fiscal 2023 indicates there may be some further year-over-year weakness ahead. We’re sticking with Home Depot in the Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio, however.

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.