Valuentum Exclusive Analysis for the Discerning Investor

Symbol Keyword

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week Ending October 27
Let's take a look at companies raising/lowering their dividends this week.

Analysis of Aspen Technology (AZPN) and IPG Photonics (IPGP)
Image Source: Aspen Tech. Aspen Technology helps some of the most capital-intensive industries optimize asset performance via process modeling, big data machine learning, and analytics, and its very own asset-light operations help it generate impressive levels of free cash flow. Shares aren’t cheap, however (it is trading above our fair value estimate range), and current price levels imply one hefty price-to-earnings ratio. Still, it’s hard not to like Aspen Technology’s high-ROIC business model, with the company garnering one of the highest Economic Castle ratings in our coverage. IPG Photonics is home to an impressive portfolio of high-performance fiber lasers and similar technologies that are used in materials processing, advanced communications, and medical applications--areas and applications that are expected to experience strong growth in coming years. We think IPG Photonics’ degree of vertical integration, IP portfolio, and process expertise offer it a number of competitive advantages. The company boasts a GAAP operating margin in the mid-30s and has generated impressive free cash flow expansion in recent years, but shares aren’t cheap either (it is trading at the high end of our fair value estimate range). Customer concentration and expansion into unproven markets add a layer of risk.

Microsoft’s Stock Now in the Mid-$80s!
Image Shown: While others said Microsoft's stock was "dead money," we were pounding the table on the idea! Microsoft has been one of our favorite dividend growth stocks, one that we have highlighted many a time at presentations explaining the Dividend Cushion ratio. We trust you are benefiting greatly from this fantastic idea!

Key Oncology Assets Powering Johnson & Johnson Higher
Image Source: Johnson & Johnson. Shares of newsletter portfolio holding Johnson & Johnson continue their stellar run, posting new all-time highs on the heels of an impressive third quarter earnings report. Let’s take an in-depth review of key pharma product franchises as they relate to the performance of the stock.

Bellwethers Drive Dow Jones Past 23,450 – Cheers!
Image: The stock market is partying like it's 1999 or 1929, or 1987. You pick. Cheers! Creative Commons, Ruth Hartnup. The market is reacting positively to calendar third-quarter earnings reports during the trading session October 24, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average has now surpassed 23,450+. The rally in US equities ensues. Stocks mentioned in this note: General Motors, McDonald’s, and Caterpillar.

In August, We “Cut” Position in Hasbro in Dividend Growth Newsletter Portfolio
We still have a small “position” in the emerging licensing giant in the Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio, having removed 75% of the “stake” in August.

Earnings Roundup: Unilever, Procter & Gamble, Kimberly-Clark
We love the business models of consumer staples, but recent fundamental performance hasn’t been great, and valuations are a bit stretched. Unilever is blaming natural disasters in the US for its underlying sales growth shortfalls, Procter & Gamble has to deliver now that it defeated Nelson Peltz, and Kimberly-Clark’s meager top-line expansion may not support its valuation. A good business does not always make a good stock.

Restasis Patent Protection Weighing on Shares of Allergan
Image Source: Allergan. We have witnessed numerous examples over the years of biotech/pharma companies selling-off over fears of the length of patent protection on an essential product. The concern is well-founded--if the company relies on the product for a significant portion of sales, it may be challenging to replace, especially if the clinical pipeline is relatively bereft of viable next-generation products. We believe the recent sell-off in the shares of Allergan may now be wholly factoring in the loss of patent protection of one of its core assets in Restasis, and the equity may not be getting enough credit for its highly diversified revenue stream.

Kinder Morgan’s Dividend Growth For Next Year Is Achievable; Here's Why
Image Source: Roy Luck. After its infamous dividend cut, Kinder Morgan is getting things back on track. We applaud management for its ability to bounce back from a tumultuous energy-resource pricing environment.

IBM's Third Quarter Offers Some Relief
Image Shown: IBM rallies back after third-quarter results October 18. IBM has been shunned by investors since it bailed on its operating earnings per share target of $20 a few years ago. The market, however, was recently relieved that IBM reiterated its full-year 2017 expectations calling for operating earnings per share of at least $13.80. Many are hoping for a comeback.