Valuentum’s Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC) Distribution

The weighted average cost of capital is one of the most subjective measures in corporate finance, but it is also one of the most important ones. “The most important item over time in valuation is obviously interest rates…If interest rates are destined to be at low levels…It makes any stream of earnings from investments worth more money. The bogey is always what government bonds yield….Any investment is worth all the cash you’re going to get out between now and judgment day discounted back. The discounting back is affected by whether you choose interests rates like those of Japan or interest rates like those we had in 1982…When we had 15 percent short-term rates in 1982, it was silly to pay … Read more

Study: Valuentum’s Best Ideas Newsletter Portfolio

To read the study, please click on the image to download the pdf document (pdf).

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

The “Luck” and “Randomness” of Index Funds

Please select the image below to download the document. Image shown, page 1 of 14. Tickerized for Valuentum’s coverage universe.

Video: Quants! You’re NOT Measuring VALUE and Nelson’s Theory of Universal Value

President of Investment Research Brian Nelson defines the concept of universal value and shows how quantitative statistical methods are inextricably linked to those of fundamental, financial, business-model related analysis. Value does not exist in respective process vacuums! Value is universal. Find out why. Running time: ~10 minutes.  Tickerized for Valuentum’s stock and ETF coverage universe. Transcript Hi this is Brian Nelson from Valuentum Securities, and this is the tenth edition of a series that I call “Off the Cuff,” where I get in front of the camera and I talk for ten minutes. This is what we have to talk about today. We have to talk about this concept: The Theory of Universal Value. Value does not exist in vacuums … Read more

Valuentum’s 3 Breakthroughs in the Field of Finance and More

Valuentum’s President Brian Nelson pauses for a picture before speaking at the CFA Society of Houston in March 2017. By Valuentum Editorial Staff Let’s cover Valuentum’s 3 major breakthroughs in the field of finance. The first one is big and may challenge you to rethink everything you think you know about investing. 1. On a logical framework, Valuentum has debunked John C. Bogle’s landmark syllogism that has paved the way for the concept of index investing. Index investing has been built on a logical shortcoming, whether supported by evidence or not. We think it is important that the investment community know of this. Read (pdf): The “Luck” and “Randomness” of Index Funds (2018), Brian Nelson, CFA See video documentation: /FALLACY_of_Index_Funds To … Read more

Utilities and Telecoms to Benefit Most from Corporate Tax Reduction?

Image Source: Michael Vadon By Kris Rosemann and Brian Nelson, CFA Speculation over which sectors may be the biggest beneficiaries of the incoming Trump administration has been running rampant in recent weeks, and we’ve received questions from members pertaining to this topic, specifically with respect to the utilities and telecom sectors. In fact, an article in the Financial Times, released mid-November, tabbed the utilities (XLU) and telecom (XTL) spaces as two sectors that may be able to generate outsize earnings improvements thanks to a reduced corporate income tax. But will they truly benefit over the long haul? Let’s walk through our take on the impact a potential reduction in corporate tax rates may provide these two areas. It may not all be … Read more

April Deals May Flower Future Growth

Image Source: Iqbal Osman By Kris Rosemann Thursday, April 28, was marked by a surge of M&A activity, as major corporations continue to search for growth as global economic concerns remain and the US economy shows signs of slowing. The world’s largest economy, which is accustomed to slow starts to the year, saw seasonally-adjusted GDP grow at a 0.5% rate in the first quarter of 2016, the slowest rate for the first quarter since 2014. Though a rebound in GDP growth in the second quarter has followed in nearly every year since the Great Recession, a variety of global pressures has caused US GDP growth to slow on a quarter-over-quarter basis since the second quarter of 2015 when it nearly … Read more

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week Ending February 6

Below we provide a list of firms that raised/lowered their dividends during the week ending February 6. The dividend reports of covered firms on this list will be updated shortly with the new information. To access our dividend reports use the ‘Symbol’ search box in our website header. Firms Raising Their Dividends This Week Armada Hoffler Properties (AHH): now $0.17 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.16. Artisan Partners (APAM): now $0.60 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.55. Assured Guaranty (AGO): now $0.12 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.11. Avista (AVA): now $0.33 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.3175. BCE (BCE): now C$0.65 per share quarterly dividend, wasC$0.62. Bemis (BMS): now $0.28 per share annual dividend, was $0.27. Brookfield Renewable Energy … Read more

Verizon Warns, AT&T and Sprint Sell Off

The telecom services industry is in a pricing war, and we want no part of it. From outlining how AT&T’s (T) best dividend growth years are behind it (see its dividend report ) and revealing Verizon’s (VZ) potentially prohibitive debt load (see here) to Sprint’s (S) cutthroat pricing behavior and T-Mobile’s (TMUS) aggressive marketing, we’ve been pounding the table on how the telecom services industry is a mess right now. Verizon announced in a warning December 8 that the operating environment is not getting any better, and in our view, it may not for some time: As (Verizon) is accelerating the upgrades of high-quality customers to 4G, total retail postpaid disconnects are trending higher both sequentially and year over year … Read more