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Restaurant Industry Update

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The fast-food (quick-service) breakfast wars have intensified. It has become a high-stakes game for all participants, and most have gone all-in to capture market share, to use poker parlance. The NPD Group, a leading global information firm, noted that the pace of expansion for fast-food breakfast across the restaurant industry has been a key bright spot, and executives across the industry are taking note: Quick service, which accounts for about 80 percent of total restaurant morning meals, showed the strongest increase in breakfast visits of all restaurant segments with a 4 percent increase in the year ending December 2013 period compared to year ago, reports NPD CREST, which every day tracks how consumers use restaurants and other foodservice outlets. Morning … Read more

Cheesecake Factory and BJ’s Restaurants Buck the Earlier Trend

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We’ve received fairly consistent guidance from the casual dining space recently, with chains generally anticipating 1.5% to 3% same-store sales growth, countered with higher input costs. This is by no means incredibly bullish for the US economy, but we are happy to see firms looking for growth (even though the broader signals point to mediocre expansion). We aren’t fans of the space in particular, but if we see results accelerate (or slow) materially, it could be a sign of broader strength (or weakness). Earlier this week we examined the solid results and guidance from casual diners Texas Roadhouse (click ticker for report: ) and Red Robin (click ticker for report: ). The results from the Cheesecake Factory (click ticker for … Read more

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week April 29

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Below we provide a list of firms that raised their dividends during the week ending April 29. 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      Adecoagro (AGRO): now $0.1571 per share semi-annual dividend. AGCO (AGCO): now $0.24 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.20. Alexander & Baldwin (ALEX): now $0.20 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.19. Alliance Resource Partners (ARLP): now $0.35 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.25. Altra Industrial Motion (AIMC): now $0.09 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.08. American Water Works (AWK): now $0.655 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.603. … Read more

Nelson: The 16 Most Important Steps To Understand The Stock Market

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A previous version of this article appeared on our website July 21, 2013. Refreshed and updated throughout, as of July 2018. By Brian Nelson, CFA After earning my MBA at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and training stock and credit analysts from large organizations over the past decade or so, I have heard just about every question (though I admit I am still surprised by many things and remain a very humble student of the markets). I’ve also spent years perfecting the discounted cash flow process for large research organizations such as Morningstar and studied under one of the most famed aggressive growth investors of all time, Richard Driehaus. My knowledge runs the gamut from value through … Read more

Surveying Valuentum Buying Index Performance in the Restaurant Space

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The stock-selection methodology, the Valuentum Buying Index, is as simple as an efficacious stock-selection methodology can be. However, that doesn’t mean that the Valuentum Buying Index is simple. The Valuentum Buying Index considers the rigors of a discounted cash-flow process, the considerations of relative valuation techniques, and the transparency of pricing information via market indicators. Yet despite its straightforwardness, the Valuentum Buying Index casts a discerning eye on the equities it monitors. The Valuentum Buying Index does not make a ‘call’ on every company. It only views a 9 or a 10 on the measure to be actionable on the long side, and it only views a 1 or 2 on the measure to be actionable on the short side. … Read more

How to Think About Corporate Tax Reform

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Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week Ending August 2

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Below we provide a list of firms that raised their dividends during the week ending August 2. 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 Alexander & Baldwin (ALEX): now $0.19 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.165. AllianceBernstein (AB): now $0.56 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.49. American States Water (AWR): now $0.305 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.275. Apollo Global Management (APO): now $0.50 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.46. Arbor Realty Trust (ABR): now $0.29 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.28. Artisan Partners Asset Management (APAM): now $0.60 per … Read more

US Congress Is Getting Ready to Pass a Massive ~$2.2 Trillion Fiscal Stimulus Bill

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Image Shown: US equities have started to recover some of their lost ground as the likelihood that the US Congress will pass a massive ~$2.2 trillion fiscal stimulus and emergency spending package, dubbed the CARES Act, has increased significantly over the past week as seen through the bounce in the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY). President Trump has clearly indicated that he intends to sign such a bill into law as soon as possible, with the US House of Representatives expected to take up the legislation this upcoming Friday morning on March 27. By Callum Turcan On March 25, the US Senate worked late into the night to secure a bipartisan compromise on a massive ~$2.2 trillion fiscal stimulus … Read more