Latest Report Updates Concentrated in Mining & Chemicals and Healthcare Industries

———- In our 16-page equity research reports, we offer a fair value estimate for each company based on a rigorous and transparent discounted cash flow process, assess the attractiveness of a stock based on a firm-specific margin of safety, and provide a relative valuation comparison in the context of the company’s industry and peers. Each report includes detailed pro forma financial statements, explicit fundamental forecasts, and scenario analysis. A cross section of the ValueCreation and ValueRisk ratings provides a financial assessment of a company’s business quality (competitive position), while the ValueTrend and Economic Castle ratings offer insight into the trajectory of a firm’s economic profit creation (ROIC versus WACC). Included in each 16-page report is a company’s rating on the Valuentum Buying Index (VBI), a methodology that combines rigorous financial and valuation analysis … Read more

Apple’s ‘Vision Pro’ Not in Our Valuation Model; Expect Upside

Image: Apple released its first major product since the Apple Watch in the Vision Pro on June 5. The device opens the door to the era of spatial computing and is priced at $3,499. By Brian Nelson, CFA Apple (AAPL) unveiled its Vision Pro at the company’s Worldwide Developers Conference on June 5. We were impressed with the new major product launch, its first since the release of the Apple Watch nearly a decade ago but estimating the total market opportunity for a $3,499 device is a difficult one. The Vision Pro will be available in early 2024 and will compete in many areas with the Meta (META) Quest, and we expect Apple’s annual numbers come next year to be … Read more

Call Me Unconcerned

Image: Large cap growth has dominated returns the past five years. The Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio continues to have significant exposure to this area. By Brian Nelson, CFA When it comes to the financial markets, the debt ceiling debate is nothing to worry about. Countries (sovereigns) cannot generally default on debt that is denominated in their own currency. The concern that there will be any sort of calamity if the U.S. government doesn’t raise the debt ceiling is far overblown, in our view. The political will of the U.S. to pay its debt will only resolve itself in time, and any risk premium built into Treasuries as a result of the debt ceiling showdown will be fleeting. Of course, nobody … Read more

Nice! — NASDAQ-100 Follows Through on Breakout

Image: NASDAQ-100 breaks through August 2022 resistance. NOW READ: There Are No Free ‘Income’ Lunches ———- It’s Here!  The Second Edition of Value Trap! Order today!   —– Tickerized for holdings in the QQQ. Brian Nelson owns shares in SPY, SCHG, QQQ, DIA, VOT, BITO, RSP, and IWM. Valuentum owns SPY, SCHG, QQQ, VOO, and DIA. Brian Nelson’s household owns shares in HON, DIS, HAS, NKE, DIA, and RSP. Some of the securities written about in this article may be included in Valuentum’s simulated newsletter portfolios. Contact Valuentum for more information about its editorial policies.         Valuentum members have access to our 16-page stock reports, Valuentum Buying Index ratings, Dividend Cushion ratios, fair value estimates and ranges, dividend reports and … Read more

Adobe Acrobat Pro Prices Up 33%; Price Tag of Figma Deal Remains Overhang on Shares

Image: Adobe’s long-term market opportunity is huge. Image Source: Adobe By Brian Nelson, CFA All things considered, fiscal 2022 was a solid year for Adobe (ADBE), as reported in its latest quarterly earnings report December 15. The company generated record revenue, operating income, and operating cash flow, and we loved that management is talking in terms of the “next decade of growth,” not next quarter or even next year. We like executive suites that are positioning their companies for the long run, and we think Chairman and CEO Shantanu Narayen has done a great job leading the charge. Adobe is among the most well-known software companies due in part to its Adobe Acrobat software. Almost anyone that has applied for a job has … Read more

Our Reports on Stocks in the Technology Giants Industry

Valuentum members have access to our 16-page stock reports, Valuentum Buying Index ratings, Dividend Cushion ratios, fair value estimates and ranges, dividend reports and more. Not a member? Subscribe today. The first 14 days are free. Dividend Yield: Estimated on a forward-looking annualized basis. VBI: The Valuentum Buying Index, a timeliness indicator that overlays a price-to-fair-value estimate consideration. Fair Value Estimate: Derived by Valuentum’s enterprise valuation process. Dividend Cushion ratio: A ratio assessing the health of the dividend (the higher, the better). Data as of the date of this article. Individual company reports may have been updated subsequent to the publishing of this article, so please download a company’s stock and dividend report for its latest information and data. Note: The … Read more

Exclusive Call: What To Expect From Valuentum in 2023

Video: 2022 was a successful year by almost every measure from the simulated Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio and simulated Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio to the simulated High Yield Dividend Newsletter portfolio and Exclusive publication and beyond. There were some disappointments in 2022, of course, but the year showed the value of a Valuentum membership. Join President of Investment Research Brian Nelson on this year’s Exclusive conference call to learn what to expect from Valuentum in 2023. Cheers! Transcript President of Investment Research Brian Nelson: Happy Holidays everyone! I hope that you are enjoying this special time of year with family and friends, and I wish you all a wonderful 2023! I just wanted to take a few minutes to recap … Read more

Salesforce Doesn’t Make the Cut for the Newsletter Portfolios

Image: How we rank our favorite ideas. We’re huge fans of ideas in the simulated newsletter portfolios and Exclusive publication. We like the ideas in the simulated newsletter portfolios and Exclusive publication the best. By Brian Nelson, CFA Salesforce, Inc. (CRM) has never been an idea in the simulated newsletter portfolios since inception, and that’s not going to change anytime soon. Its share price has been roughly cut in half in 2022, and we’re sticking with our $130-$196 per share fair value estimate range following the company’s disappointing outlook for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2023. Weakness across the software space and the exit of co-CEO Bret Taylor and Stewart Butterfield, the head of Salesforce-owned Slack, aren’t reassuring. Risks are … Read more

2022 Showcased the Value of a Valuentum Membership

In bull markets, almost everyone is a winner. But 2022 was different. This year was a big test for Valuentum, and we passed with flying colors. We delivered across the board during the year from ideas in the Exclusive publication and the efficacy of the dividend growth methodology to the resilience of high yield ideas and simulated Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio relative performance–despite setbacks from Meta Platforms, PayPal, and beyond. Tune in to the latest video installment from Valuentum. Thanks for listening! Tickerized for holdings in the SPY. ——————————————— About Our Name But how, you will ask, does one decide what [stocks are] “attractive”? Most analysts feel they must choose between two approaches customarily thought to be in opposition: “value” … Read more

Market Whipsaw: Crypto Collapse and a Lower-than-Expected Inflation Print

Image: Uncertainty in the cryptocurrency markets has surged with concerns over the liquidity of a key exchange. Investors are weighing the spillover effects of crypto with the view that the pace of inflation may have peaked. — By Brian Nelson, CFA — The U.S. equity market continues to be highly volatile as it whipsaws between concerns over the health and sustainability of cryptocurrency and optimism over lower-than-feared inflation readings. We maintain our bearish/defensive stance on equities, but at the same time, we continue to be “fully-invested” across the simulated newsletter portfolios in part because we don’t want to miss out on days like today, November 10, when the markets are soaring ~2.5%-5.5% depending on which index you are monitoring. We’re also … Read more