Has the Stock Market Crash Begun?

Image: CDC. Transmission electron microscopic image of an isolate from the first U.S. case of COVID-19, formerly known as 2019-nCoV. The spherical viral particles, colorized blue, contain cross-section through the viral genome, seen as black dots. Dear members: This article is our fourth update on COVID-19. The previous three installments can be found here (Feb 22), here (Feb 7) and here (Jan 31). We trust you and yours are well during this global crisis. It’s hard to turn on the television these days without hearing about COVID-19, a novel coronavirus and respiratory illness that continues to spread from person to person around the world. COVID-19 is deadly, and particularly deadly among those 60 years of age and older and those … Read more

ALERT: Adding Market Crash ‘Protection,’ Removing MSFT, BKNG

Image source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  ALERT: Adding Market Crash ‘Protection,’ Removing MSFT, BKNG — Changes to newsletter portfolios — We’re adding out-of-the-money put options to both the Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio and Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio. — We’re removing Microsoft from the Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio. — We’re removing Booking Holdings from the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio. — By Brian Nelson, CFA — We’re making some moves in the newsletter portfolios today.  — The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DIA) is currently indicated down 900+ points in pre-market trading during the session Monday, February 24. We laid out a thesis where the US markets could experience a “crash,” and we encourage you to read that take here, “Is a … Read more

Is a Stock Market Crash Coming? — Coronavirus Update and P/E Ratios

Image Source: World Health Organization, Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), Situation Report — 32 We don’t think this is the environment to put new capital to work, and we remain highly cautious of what COVID-19 means for global economic growth not just in the first quarter of 2020 but for the rest of this year (maybe longer). Right now, the US markets are not really factoring in anything related to COVID-19, and perhaps may be adjusting to China’s stimulus in artificially propping up the markets as if the outbreak is somehow a “positive thing.” With the S&P 500 trading at 19.0 forward earnings estimates–estimates that are likely too high given the evidence we are seeing with respect to a slowdown due … Read more

AT&T Continues to Follow Through With Its Mission

Image Source: AT&T Inc – Fourth Quarter and Full-Year Earnings Presentation By Callum Turcan One of our holdings in the High Yield Dividend Newsletter portfolio, AT&T Inc (T), reported full-year and fourth quarter results for 2019 on January 29. Shares of T sold off modestly on the mixed report (adjusted non-GAAP EPS beat consensus estimates but revenues fell short of expectations), and now shares of T yield ~5.6% as of this writing. We continue to like what we see in AT&T as management is delivering on major value creating initiatives: deleveraging, margin expansion, and ultimately free cash flow growth. More information on the High Yield Dividend Newsletter >> Free Cash Flow Giant AT&T generated almost $48.7 billion in net operating … Read more

Resetting Your Mental Model

Image Source: affen ajlfe A version of this article was originally published on our website October 6, 2013. Having the right mental model and using the right information can be the reason why you win or lose in investing. “What is the definition of timeliness? Many believe it is getting information to investors as quickly as possible after an event, or updating something every single day or week for immaterial information. I believe in a different definition of timeliness. I believe timeliness is using all information available in a mosaic approach to accurately predict the event before it even happens. Take Kinder Morgan as the latest example. We were the only ones predicting what was going to happen before it did. To investors, … Read more

Member Question: Reaves Utility Income Fund

Image Source: Reaves Utility Income Fund, April 30 Question: Have you ever looked at Reaves Utility Income Fund (UTG)? The fund is a utility fund that uses a little bit (20%) of leverage. I have owned them for a long time and have made a good return, but I wonder going forward if I should keep them in my portfolio? Utilities are popular right now, but popularity worries me. Answer: For starters, as is the case for financial publishers such as Valuentum, we can’t provide any personal advice, as we’re not aware of your personal goals and risk tolerances. Please always contact your personal financial advisor regarding any investment decision. With that said, according to Reaves’ website, “the Reaves Utility … Read more

High Yield Dividend Newsletter Portfolio Holdings AT&T and Philip Morris International Continue to Shine

Image Shown: AT&T continues to surge higher this year as shares of T converge towards their intrinsic value, a process supported by recent activist investor activity directed towards the company. If you may wish to add the High Yield Dividend Newsletter to your membership, please click here. By Callum Turcan and Brian Nelson, CFA AT&T On October 28, AT&T Inc (T) reported third-quarter 2019 earnings, and the market clearly liked what the company had to say. Shares of AT&T are trading up ~4% as of this writing as the company’s stock price continues converging towards its intrinsic value, in our view. Our fair value estimate for AT&T stands at $40 per share, with room for upside, and we continue to … Read more

Consider This Blue Chip High Yield Dividend Play

Image Shown: Shares of AT&T moved higher on September 9 after hedge fund manager Elliott Management, run by multibillionaire activist investor Paul Singer, disclosed a $3.2 billion stake in the firm. The hedge fund has big plans for AT&T and is pushing for changes at the telecommunications, media, and entertainment company. By Callum Turcan High Yield Dividend Newsletter holding AT&T (T) was back in the news this Monday (September 9) as activist investor Paul Singer, founder of Elliott Management, announced that the hedge fund manager had acquired a $3.2 billion stake in the company. Through a four-point plan, dubbed “the Activating AT&T Plan” according to the letter Elliott Management sent AT&T pushing for change, Elliot Management thinks shares of T … Read more

Valuentum Stock Screeners

This article was sent to members via email December 29. That email can be accessed at the link that follows this article. By Brian Nelson, CFA Hi everyone, I wanted to provide an update with respect to Valuentum’s stock screeners. We believe our stock screeners are among the most robust when it comes to providing forward-looking data, or data that is important with respect to the investment decision-making process. We publish screens in each of the monthly newsletters, but we also provide a basic weekly screener for download on the left column of the website, “Download Weekly Stock Screener (xls) — login required.”   We also have other products. The more robust DataScreener, for example, is part of the quarterly Financial … Read more

Market Mayhem — Alerts for Members

During these extremely volatile times, it’s important to stay focused. On December 15, we informed all of our members to “Pay Attention.” Shortly thereafter, we notified members of the potential for a stock market technical breakdown. This morning, we offered a pre-market briefing about the importance of thinking about portfolio protection. For Best Ideas Newsletter and Dividend Growth Newsletter members: http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?preview=true&m=1110817109903&ca=e2406cd6-c113-4344-8731-493f33fc44a4&id=preview For High Yield Dividend Newsletter members: http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?preview=true&m=1110817109903&ca=b3ba530f-38b3-489a-ac96-2961dca89c6b&id=preview For Exclusive members: http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?preview=true&m=1110817109903&ca=ba6d90c0-4433-48b2-9b8a-aac4ddf9006e&id=preview We’re here for any questions. Please just let us know how we can help! Kind regards, Brian Nelson, CFA  brian@valuentum.com