Valuentum Exclusive Analysis for the Discerning Investor

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Apr 30, 2021

High Yielding Philip Morris Boosts Guidance
Image Shown: Philip Morris International Inc has been steadily growing its alternative tobacco product sales during the past several years and its growth outlook on this front is quite bright. RRP stands for reduced-risk products according to Philip Morris. Image Source: Philip Morris International Inc – First Quarter of 2021 IR Earnings Presentation. Philip Morris is a high-yielding income generator with a promising growth outlook. Historically, the firm hasn't allocated a significant amount of capital (or any) towards share repurchases, highlighting management’s commitment to income seeking shareholders. Though we understand that some investors may shy away from the company due to ESG-related considerations, for those that do not have such investment restrictions, we continue to like Philip Morris as an idea in the High Yield Dividend Newsletter portfolio. We view its forward-looking dividend coverage quite favorably, though we would like for management to pare down the firm’s net debt load over the long haul. Recently, shares of PM have been on a nice upward climb indicating investors continue to warm up to Philip Morris’ promising free cash flow growth outlook, supported in part by its alternate tobacco products (and what they imply regarding long-term resiliency versus traditional cigarettes).

Apr 8, 2021

The Best Years Are Ahead
The wind is at our backs. The Federal Reserve, Treasury, and regulatory bodies of the U.S. may have no choice but to keep U.S. markets moving higher. The likelihood of the S&P 500 reaching 2,000 ever again seems remote, and I would not be surprised to see 5,000 on the S&P 500 before we see 2,500-3,000, if the latter may be in the cards. The S&P 500 is trading at ~4,100 at the time of this writing. The high end of our fair value range on the S&P 500 remains just shy of 4,000, but I foresee a massive shift in long-term capital out of traditional bonds into equities this decade (and markets to remain overpriced for some time). Bond yields are paltry and will likely stay that way for some time, requiring advisors to rethink their asset mixes. The stock market looks to be the place to be long term, as it has always been. With all the tools at the disposal of government officials, economic collapse (as in the Great Depression) may no longer be even a minor probability in the decades to come--unlike in the past with the capitalistic mindset that governed the Federal Reserve before the “Lehman collapse."

Feb 14, 2021

Philip Morris International Issues Favorable Guidance
Image Shown: Philip Morris International Inc’s growth outlook rests heavily on its ability to grow its non-traditional cigarette sales volumes, and so far, the tobacco giant has put up tremendous performance on this front. Additionally, pricing power at its conventional cigarette business is also key, as that helps offset headwinds arising from secular declines in its annual cigarette shipment volumes. Image Source: Philip Morris International Inc – 2021 Investor Day Presentation. Philip Morris International did a solid job navigating major exogenous headwinds during 2020 and was still able to churn out gobs of free cash flow. We appreciate management’s promising guidance and continue to like exposure to Philip Morris International and its lofty yield in the High Yield Dividend Newsletter portfolio.

Feb 8, 2021

Stock Market Outlook for 2021
2020 was one from the history books and a year that will live on in infamy. That said, we are excited for the future as global health authorities are steadily putting an end to the public health crisis created by COVID-19, aided by the quick discovery of safe and viable vaccines. Tech, fintech, and payment processing firms were all big winners in 2020, and we expect that to continue being the case in 2021. Digital advertising, cloud-computing, and e-commerce activities are set to continue dominating their respective fields. Cybersecurity demand is moving higher and the constant threats posed by both governments (usually nations that are hostile to Western interests) and non-state actors highlights how crucial these services are. Retailers with omni-channel selling capabilities are well-positioned to ride the global economic recovery upwards. Green energy firms will continue to grow at a brisk pace in 2021, though the oil & gas industry appears ready for a comeback. The adoption of 5G wireless technologies and smartphones will create immense growth opportunities for smartphone makers, semiconductor players and telecommunications giants. Video streaming services have become ubiquitous over the past decade with room to continue growing as households “cut the cord” and instead opt for several video streaming packages. We’re not too big of fans of old industrial names given their capital-intensive nature relative to capital-light technology or fintech, but there are select names that have appeal. Cryptocurrencies have taken the market by storm as we turn the calendar into 2021, but the traditional banking system remains healthy enough to withstand another shock should it be on the horizon. Our fair value estimate of the S&P 500 remains $3,530-$3,920, but we may still be on a roller coaster ride for the year. Here’s to a great 2021!

Jan 27, 2021

ALERT: Raising Cash in the Newsletter Portfolios
Our research has been absolutely fantastic for a long time, but 2020 may have been our best year yet. With the S&P 500 trading within our fair value estimate range of 3,530-3,920 (and the markets rolling over while showing signs of abnormal behavior), we're raising the cash position in the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio and Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio to 10%-20%. For more conservative investors, the high end of this range may even be larger, especially considering the vast "gains" from the March 2020 bottom and the increased systemic risks arising from price-agnostic trading (read Value Trap). The individual holdings will be reduced in proportion to arrive at the new targeted cash weighting in the respective simulated newsletter portfolios. The High Yield Dividend Newsletter and Dividend Growth Newsletter are scheduled for release February 1. We'll have more to say soon.

Nov 12, 2020

Altria May Never Make A Comeback
Image Source: Altria. Altria’s core business is under attack from almost every front, and the trend toward investing in ESG-friendly (Environment, Social and Corporate Governance) names has the company’s investor basing shrinking by the day. Aside from cigarettes, Altria has exposure to cigars, smokeless tobacco (UST), wine (Ste. Michelle), oral nicotine pouches, AB-InBev, JUUL, cannabinoid company Cronos, among other interests, but it’s clear the company’s back is against the wall as it struggles to diversify. A huge misstep with JUUL that cost it billions, very tight dividend coverage with earnings and free cash flow, a huge net debt position that will be tough to pay down given dividend obligations, and a lofty dividend yield that speaks more to risk than anything else should give investors pause. We don’t expect trouble at Altria anytime soon, but we think the red flag will go up if it ever starts to look to unload its stake in AB-InBev. If that happens, investors should run for the hills, in our view. Altria may never make a comeback, and we’ve been out of the name since it announced the deal with JUUL back in December 2018. Our fair value estimate stands at $42 per share.

Oct 23, 2020

Our Thoughts on Philip Morris International’s Latest Earnings Report
Image Shown: Philip Morris International Inc has been able to maintain its global market share in the tobacco industry while pushing through price increases as indicated by its relatively strong ‘Combustible Tobacco Pricing’ performance seen through the first nine months of 2020. Image Source: Philip Morris International Inc – Third Quarter of 2020 IR Earnings Presentation. Tobacco giant Philip Morris reported third quarter 2020 earnings on October 20 which saw the company beat both consensus top- and bottom-line estimates. Philip Morris International also raised its full-year guidance for 2020 in part due to industry volumes holding up better than expected in Indonesia, which raised the minimum selling price for cigarettes while also increasing cigarette taxes at the start of 2020. For the full-year, the company now expects to generate $5.03 - $5.08 in GAAP diluted EPS (up from $4.84 - $4.99 previously) and $5.37 - $5.42 in non-GAAP adjusted diluted EPS (up from $5.23 - $5.38 previously). Philip Morris International continued to maintain its ~28-29% market share (excluding China and the US) of the global tobacco industry in the third quarter. Additionally, the firm has been able to also push through price increases versus year-ago levels. We continue to like shares of Philip Morris International as a holding in our High Yield Dividend Newsletter portfolio. Shares of PM yield ~6.4% as of this writing on a forward-looking basis after the firm raised its quarterly dividend by roughly 3% in September.

Sep 3, 2020

3 Lessons in Portfolio Management Over 10 Years
Image Source: http://www.epictop10.com/. "When I left as director in the equity and credit department at Morningstar in 2011, I thought I knew a whole heck of a lot about investing. I felt like I was one in the top 5-10 in the world as it relates to the category of practical knowledge of enterprise valuation (maybe include Koller at McKinsey, Mauboussin at Counterpoint, and Damadoran at Stern on this list). After all, I oversaw the valuation infrastructure of a department that used the process extensively, and the firm was among just a few that used enterprise valuation systematically. Then, at Valuentum, our small team would go on to build/update 20,000+ more enterprise valuation models. There can always be someone else out there, of course, but I don't think anybody has worked within the DCF model as much as I have across so many different companies. That said, through the past near-10 years managing Valuentum's simulated newsletter portfolios, I've also learned a number of things to become an even better portfolio manager." -- Brian Nelson, CFA

Sep 1, 2020

Valuentum Website Overview
Overview of the key features of www.valuentum.com (03:55). Valuentum (val∙u∙n∙tum) [val-yoo-en-tuh-m] Securities Inc. is an independent investment research publisher, offering premium equity reports, dividend reports, and ETF reports, as well as commentary across all sectors/companies, a Best Ideas Newsletter (spanning market caps, asset classes), a Dividend Growth Newsletter, modeling tools/products, and more. Independence and integrity remain our core, and we strive to be a champion of the investor. Valuentum is based in the Chicagoland area. Valuentum is not a money manager, broker, or financial advisor. Valuentum is a publisher of financial information.

Jul 31, 2020

Philip Morris International Posts Solid Guidance, Cuts Costs
Image Shown: Excluding foreign currency headwinds, Philip Morris International Inc’s financials held up relatively well during the first half of 2020, all things considered with an eye towards the pandemic. Image Source: Philip Morris International Inc – Second Quarter of 2020 IR Earnings Presentation. The ongoing coronavirus (‘COVID-19’) pandemic has severely stressed consumer spending in countries all over the globe, and that includes spending on cigarettes and other tobacco products. For a major tobacco company like Philip Morris International, this dynamic weighs negatively on its near-term outlook, though the company is well-positioned to ride out the storm for several reasons. We continue to like Philip Morris International as a holding in the High Yield Dividend Newsletter portfolio, and shares of PM yield ~6.0% as of this writing. Philip Morris International’s dividend coverage on a forward-looking basis is decent and supported by its optimistic guidance (a rebound is expected during the second half of 2020), growing demand for its heated tobacco offerings (such as IQOS, which is not an acronym), high quality cash flow profile, ongoing access to capital markets at attractive rates (particularly debt markets), pricing power at its traditional cigarette brands (such as Marlboro), and its ample liquidity position at the end of June 2020. However, we caution that Philip Morris International’s large net debt load, while manageable, weighs negatively against its dividend coverage strength. We give Philip Morris International a “GOOD” Dividend Safety rating which factors in modest per share payout growth and expected future free cash flows over the next five full fiscal years, along with its large net debt load.