Valuentum Exclusive Analysis for the Discerning Investor

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Mar 1, 2024

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week of March 1
Let's take a look at firms raising/lowering their dividends this week.

Feb 24, 2023

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week of February 24
Let's take a look at firms raising/lowering their dividends this week.

Apr 25, 2022

High-Yielding Philip Morris Adeptly Navigating Exogenous Shocks
Image Shown: Utilizing a combination of innovation and brand strength, Philip Morris has been able to grow its market share of the tobacco industry in relevant regions in recent quarters. Image Source: Philip Morris – First Quarter of 2022 IR Earnings Presentation. There are a lot of reasons to like Philip Morris International as a high-yielding income growth opportunity. Its portfolio includes numerous top selling cigarette brands including Marlboro, L&M, Chesterfield, Parliament, and others. After splitting with Altria Group back in 2008, Philip Morris has the right to sell these cigarette brands in international markets while Altria Group has the right to sell these branded tobacco products in the US market. Philip Morris is a free cash flow generating powerhouse that utilizes its immense pricing power, along with ongoing cost structure improvement initiatives to offset secular declines in cigarette unit volumes to support its financial performance. We appreciate that Philip Morris is transitioning towards sales of alternative tobacco products such as its IQOS heated tobacco unit (‘HTU’) offering to support its longer term growth outlook. We include Philip Morris as an idea in the High Yield Dividend Newsletter portfolio and shares of PM yield a nice ~4.8% as of this writing. Sales of its IQOS products have grown robustly in recent years, and in our view, there is ample room for additional upside potential here. Before covering that upside, let’s first go over the developing legal situation in the US as it concerns marketing its IQOS product.

Feb 25, 2022

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week February 25
Let's take a look at companies that raised/lowered their dividend this week.

Dec 10, 2021

What Really Is the ”S” in ESG Investing
Image: The Valuentum Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Scoring System shows how “Social” considerations are analyzed. Social considerations tend to ebb and flow and reflect the values of society. Renewed interest in diversity, inclusion, and equity, for example, have made these areas a greater focus for companies and investors. As we have evolved as a society over decades and generations, the types of social considerations that may have primacy will change over time, so it’s important to make sure social considerations are just one part of your research. In addition to looking at how a company scores on the Valuentum ESG rating system and how it aligns with your own values, be sure to also look at whether such an idea is in the simulated newsletter portfolios, how it rates on the Valuentum Buying Index (VBI), its Dividend Cushion ratio for dividend-paying stocks, and much more. It’s extremely important to reward those companies doing the social good, but equity prices and returns will always be driven in part by a company’s cash-based sources of intrinsic value: net cash on the balance sheet and future expected free cash flow.

Oct 24, 2021

Philip Morris International Boosts Dividend, Cost Structure Improving
Image Shown: An overview of Philip Morris International Inc’s guidance for 2021. Image Source: Philip Morris International Inc – Third Quarter of 2021 IR Earnings Presentation. On October 19, Philip Morris International reported third quarter 2021 earnings that beat both consensus top- and bottom-line estimates. The firm narrowed its reported diluted EPS estimate for 2021 in conjunction with the report, which saw the midpoint of its guidance move marginally lower,. However, Philip Morris International’s non-GAAP currency-neutral adjusted diluted EPS forecast for 2021 now calls for 13%-14% growth over 2020 levels, which is an improvement from its previous guidance calling for 12%-14% growth.

Sep 22, 2021

Update on High-Yielding Philip Morris
Image Shown: Shares of Philip Morris International Inc have performed quite well over the past year. One of our favorite high-yielding plays is Philip Morris International---5.0% yield---the tobacco giant behind the Marlboro cigarette brand (excluding the US market) and the incredibly popular IQOS product, a heated tobacco unit (‘HTU’) offering. Shares of PM are included as in idea in the High Yield Dividend Newsletter portfolio and as of this writing, Philip Morris’ stock price is up 23% year-to-date before taking dividend considerations into account. The top end of our fair value estimate range sits at $119 per share of Philip Morris, indicating there is ample room for shares of PM to run higher still.

Jul 21, 2021

Philip Morris’ Transformation Continues
Image Shown: Philip Morris International Inc’s IQOS offering, a heated tobacco unit product (also classified as a “reduced risk product” by the company) that seeks to replicate the experience of traditional cigarettes for smokers in a bid to get those users to switch over to an offering the company views as relatively “safer,” has continued to post solid user base growth of late. We are big fans of Philip Morris and its ongoing transformation and include shares of PM as an idea in the High Yield Dividend Newsletter portfolio. Image Source: Philip Morris International Inc – Second Quarter of 2021 IR Earnings Presentation. On July 20, the company behind the Marlboro cigarette brand (excluding sales of the cigarette brand in the US) and the smokeless IQOS nicotine offering Philip Morris International reported second quarter 2021 earnings. The company missed consensus top-line estimates but beat consensus bottom-line estimates and boosted its full-year guidance for 2021 in conjunction with the report. Now Philip Morris expects to generate (the following are non-GAAP metrics) organic net revenue growth of 6%-7% (up from 5%-7% previously) and adjusted diluted EPS growth of 12%-14% (up from 11%-13% previously) on an annual basis in 2021 as its business steadily recovers from the worst of the coronavirus (‘COVID-19’) pandemic.

Feb 26, 2021

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week February 26
Let's take a look at companies that raised/lowered their dividend this week.

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!