Study: Valuentum’s Best Ideas Newsletter Portfolio
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AXP
The Most Important Topic in Stock Investing
President of Equity Research, Brian Nelson, discusses why price vs. value is the paramount consideration in stock investing. Brian Nelson, CFA: This is Brian Nelson from Valuentum Securities. Today, I wanted to talk about a number of investment concepts that I think are absolutely paramount for every investor to know. The very first concept is price versus value, and this one is paramount to any investment process. Now I’m not just giving this lip service–this is just one of the core concepts of investing, equity investing. The reality of stock investing is that each company has a present value of future free cash flows that it generates, and those future free cash flows roll up to a fair value, the … Read more
PayPal Grows Stronger
PayPal scooped up assets that will help it better compete against Square, and we think both entities have a bright future regardless of the increased competition. Brian Nelson, CFA It’s no secret that PayPal (PYPL) generates a considerable amount of free cash flow and boasts a very strong net cash position that allows it to scoop up assets that it deems worthy of the long-term picture. Many have been concerned about PayPal’s expected loss of its contract with eBay (EBAY) in 2023, and it was quite the blow, but the entire relationship merely amounts to a few months of organic growth at the payment-processing giant. We also view Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies as more of an opportunity than a threat for … Read more
American Express Charges Ahead, Discover’s Shares Look Cheap
Image Source: Philip Taylor By Kris Rosemann American Express delivered strong first quarter results as it begins to transition from its unique spend-centric business model. American Express’ (AXP) first quarter 2018 results, released after the close April 18, impressed investors, and shares moved higher immediately following the report. The strong quarter kicks off the beginning of a year in which management plans to adjust its strategy, which has historically placed more emphasis on charging merchant fees on transactions using its cards ahead of charging interest on credit card balances. The company plans to cut merchant fees by 5 to 6 basis points in 2018 in an attempt to grow acceptance and drive volumes, and it is also working to grow … Read more
ICYMI: Valuentum’s Improved Stock and ETF Web Pages
Valuentum has rolled out improved stock and ETF web pages on its website valuentum.com/. Now, subscribers can access key proprietary information on the stock and ETF web pages in addition to the customary stock and ETF reports. Dear reader, We have some exciting news that we can’t wait to share with you! At valuentum.com/, we have rolled out new stock and ETF pages that conveniently include a variety of our proprietary metrics from the Dividend Cushion ratio to the Economic Castle rating and beyond! There’s even mouseover functionality so you can learn about how we define the key metrics across our stock-selection and dividend growth methodologies. You’ll still have access to the stock and dividend reports on the landing pages, … Read more
Bank Earnings Pour In
The banking industry is on solid footing, and while Wells Fargo is creating negative headlines, the first quarter of 2018 was a good one for many financial institutions. Expanding revenue and net income, increased capital-return programs, solid returns on equity, and generally positive commentary, despite an increasingly competitive lending environment, were the norm. A narrowing of spreads on US Treasury instruments may pose a challenge to net interest margin expansion in the group, but there are other opportunities to capitalize on a surging LIBOR and the increasingly volatile equity market environment. All in, the performance in the first quarter of 2018 was “more good than bad” for the banks, and we continue to look for the right price to consider … Read more
Our Ideas Are Performing Awesome So Far in 2018!!! 6 of the Top 7 of the Dow!
By Brian Nelson, CFA Every day we think about how we can make things easier for our members. Instead of having to visit multiple links on our website with screens, you now have access to one downloadable Excel file where you can sort and rank how you wish. Of course, you can always find those screens in the newsletters, each and every month, too, but we think a weekly data download is a huge value add to our offering. Can you imagine getting updated data every week for 52 weeks of the year for what we charge, let alone two newsletters, hundreds of reports, commentary, and education material? Wow, right? People keep saying we do too much, but when our … Read more
The “Luck” and “Randomness” of Index Funds
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Buffett’s Berkshire, Corporate Buybacks on Pace for Record; Lithium, Steel Prices on the Move
Image Source: Berkshire Hathaway, Shareholder Letter (2017). “Fifteen common stock investments at year end that had the largest market value.” “The less the prudence with which others conduct their affairs, the greater the prudence with which we must conduct our own.” – Warren Buffett, Shareholder Letter (2017) By Kris Rosemann and Brian Nelson, CFA Simulated Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio holding Berkshire Hathaway’s (BRK.A, BRK.B) fourth-quarter results didn’t disappoint, and commentary from the Oracle of Omaha, Warren Buffett, was at its finest in the company’s Shareholder Letter. The letter was chock full of insights, from an emphasis on normalized earnings power, to buying stocks at a “sensible purchase price,” to warning about the dangers of “purchasing frenzy” with respect to M&A, … Read more
Discount Rates, Growth Rates, and “Skin in the Game”
In episode 18 of his video series “Off the Cuff,” President of Investment Research Brian Nelson talks about why it is so important for you to learn the discounted cash-flow model and how to think about discount rates and growth rates within it. He also provides a few perspectives on the concept of “skin in the game,” and the areas where it might be good and the areas where it might be bad. Running time: ~12 minutes.