BKNG

Best Ideas Newsletter Portfolio Not Bad Thus Far in 2018

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Part of what we take pride in at Valuentum is telling things how they are. If things are going great, we let you know. If things aren’t going as good as they could be, we don’t hold back. In the year of crypto and cannabis, 2018 hasn’t been the best year for the simulated Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio, but it hasn’t been bad either.  By Brian Nelson, CFA We wrote up an extensive piece on the background of the simulated Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio earlier this year, and we encourage everyone to have a read of that here (pdf). We made some changes to the goals of the newsletter portfolio prior to the beginning of this year. For starters, we … Read more

Is It Time for Booking Holdings to Stop Issuing Quarterly Guidance?

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Image shown: Booking Holdings share price performance in recent years. Note the magnitude of share price volatility around quarterly earnings reports. Shares of simulated Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio idea Booking Holdings faced pressure following its second quarter earnings report August 9 as it issued conservative third quarter guidance that disappointed investors. This has become a common occurance for Booking Holdings.  By Kris Rosemann Simulated Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio idea Booking Holdings (BKNG) turned in a solid second quarter report August 9 as total revenues came in at $3.5 billion, a nearly 20% increase from the year-ago period, and gross travel bookings grew 15% on a year-over-year basis to $23.9 billion in the quarter. Adjusted EBITDA leapt 35% from the comparable … Read more

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

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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

What Are the Qualities of Highly-Rated Stocks on the Valuentum Buying Index?

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If you were a CEO, what are the 7 most important metrics to focus on to get a rating of 10 on the Valuentum Buying Index? This is a great question because it hits at the absolute heart of the most important concept of investing. Investing may be about buying a great company with a solid and growing dividend, but it most certainly is about buying a great company at a discount to intrinsic value. The difference between what someone can pay for something and what something is worth is the most important concept of investing: price versus value. The price-versus-value component is an integral part of the Valuentum Buying Index. In fact, it is the first component. After all, … Read more

Study: Valuentum’s Best Ideas Newsletter Portfolio

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

Tiffany Rallies 20%+ on 1Q’18 Report; Positive Read-Through for China, High-End Retail Margins

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Tiffany’s first-quarter 2018 results were from another planet! Strong increases in comparable store sales almost across the board, blowing by consensus estimates, and the company’s free cash flow outlook has only improved. The read-through is significantly positive for aspirational and luxury players, in our view, and Ralph Lauren’s gross-margin improvement during its quarterly release bodes well for many brands across most of the high-end apparel space. Foreign tourism and high-end consumer spending remain very strong on the basis of Tiffany’s quarterly results, and geopolitical concerns did not impact the breakneck pace of jewelry sales in China or the Korean Peninsula. It’s hard to imagine Tiffany having a better first quarter than it did. By Brian Nelson, CFA On May 23, … Read more

Soft Guidance Weighs on Booking Holdings Despite Solid First Quarter

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Image Source: Luca Conti You may have read this sentiment before: shares of Booking Holdings, formerly Priceline, are facing pressure following a solid quarterly report as management continued its habit of issuing conservative quarterly guidance. By Kris Rosemann Shares of simulated Best Ideas Newsletter idea Booking Holdings (BKNG) faced selling pressure following its first quarter report, which came after the close May 9, as Mr. Market was disappointed once again by management’s second quarter guidance, a dynamic that has played out multiple times in recent years for the company formerly known as Priceline. Nevertheless, Booking Holdings turned in solid first quarter results as room nights booked grew 13% from the year-ago period, and gross bookings advanced 21%. Consolidated revenue climbed … Read more

The “Luck” and “Randomness” of Index Funds

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

Strategy Versus Tactics in the Best Ideas Newsletter Portfolio

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Image Source: Anna & Michal We made a few tactical tweaks to the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio during 2017. Let’s walk through them, and how we’re out to win the war, not win every battle. By Brian Nelson, CFA I’m not going to reference The Art of War written by Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu some time in the 5th century, nor am I going to use any quotes from the military treatise (I think it’s too well-traveled of a topic), but I do believe the approach to portfolio management is much like that of a general on a path to win the war. Now, don’t get me confused: I’m not saying that portfolio management is actually like being in … Read more

Valuentum’s Highest-Rated Economic Castles

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Image Source: Dunrobin Castle; Golspie, Sutherland, John Haslam More information on the Economic Castle™ rating >>  Important Note: The data provided below is current as of the date of this article. Valuentum may have updated the stock and dividend reports of companies after the published date of this article. Members should view the data in this article as a starting point for further research and always access the individual stock page of each desired company on our website for its most recent ratings, metrics, and valuation information. If you have any questions about our services, please contact us at info@valuentum.com. Company Name Symbol Sector Est Div Yield VBI Economic Castle Advanced Micro Devices AMD Information Technology 0.0% 3 Highest Rated Apple AAPL Information Technology 1.6% … Read more