What’s Weighing on the Markets

Renewed concerns over the severity of trade tensions, a flattening yield curve, negative news out of the homebuilding space and other geopolitical uncertainties have investors feeling anxious. December 4 marked the worst day for the Dow Jones Industrial Average since October 10. By Kris Rosemann What was once thought to be broad-based optimism related to potentially easing trade tensions between the US and China (FXI) and investors taking a liking to recent commentary from the Fed regarding an easing of the future trajectory of rate hikes came tumbling down during the trading session December 4. President Trump tweeted early in the session that people should remember he is “a Tariff Man” if a trade deal cannot be reached with China, … Read more

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week Ending August 31

Below we provide a list of firms that raised their dividends during the week ending August 31. 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 Avnet (AVT): now $0.20 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.19. Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS): now CAD 0.85 per share quarterly dividend, was CAD 0.82. Cadence Bancorporation (CADE): now $0.15 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.125. Canadian Western Bank (CBWBF): now $0.26 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.25. Capital Southwest (CSWC): now $0.34 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.29. Cimarex Energy (XEC): now $0.18 per share … 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

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

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.

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.

The Fed’s Dislocation and Too Few Stocks?

President of Investment Research Brian Nelson talks about how central banks may be pushing savers into riskier assets than what might otherwise be warranted by their risk profiles, how interest rates should be viewed within the valuation context, and whether too few stocks to invest in is driving a ‘rising tide lifts all boats’ dynamic. A discussion about the severe limitations of the price-to-earnings ratio is included. Running time: ~14 minutes.

Bank Valuations and We’re All Market Timers?

President of Investment Research Brian Nelson dives into questions about why an enterprise free cash flow model is not used for banking and insurance entities, and offers up the idea that we all might be market timers. What do you think? Running time: ~14 minutes.