There Is Milk At The Store

This article first appeared in the September edition of the High Yield Dividend Newsletter. For more information about this publication, please see here. “Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.” — Winston Churchill By Brian Nelson, CFA Very few of us could have imagined that we’d witness the bull market that began on that fateful day in March 2009 that might very well mark a generational low. In 2009, major investment banks around the globe were struggling to survive, and the fallout in the mortgage markets left the banks holding paper that nobody wanted to own, let alone buy. The global financial system … Read more

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

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

Top Research and Ideas You May Have Missed

Is Quant Value Giving Intrinsic Value Investors a Bad Name? Surely, you don’t believe Warren Buffett’s “style” is out of favor? By Brian Nelson, CFA I need to make sure that you’re aware of something very important. The media and perhaps many investment professionals define the concept of “value” as companies with low price-to-book (P/B) ratios, and the concept of “growth” as companies with high price-to-book ratios. This definition of “value” and “growth” and their corresponding returns have been magnified in writings throughout the media and across quantitative research, even in prestigious journals. Warren Buffett has been rallying against most quantitative applications and how “growth” and “value” are defined in popular media and quantitative research for decades.  Here’s one of the Oracle’s most … Read more

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week October 22

Below we provide a list of firms that raised their dividends during the week ending October 22. 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 1st Source (SRCE): now $0.31 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.28. ACNB (ACNB): now $0.26 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.25. Albertsons Companies (ACI): now $0.12 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.10. American Electric Power (AEP): now $0.78 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.74. Armstrong World (AWI): now $0.231 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.210. ASML Holding (ASML): now EURO 1.80 per share interim dividend, was … Read more

Valuentum: Now Bearish, We’ve Been Here Every Step of the Way

Valuentum Has Been Here Every Step of the Way   From the COVID-19 top in February 2020 to the COVID-19 bottom to the massive bull run through the end of 2021, we’ve been here for you.    2022 started out to be a rough year, catching many by surprise.   But Valuentum stayed positive. When the markets headed south in June, Valuentum stood its ground. On June 14, Valuentum said that “we still believe stocks could make a “huge rebound” in the near term.   We reiterated our views a few days later and on June 19, we said that “investors shouldn’t panic during this bear market” and that “stocks remain an attractive proposition at the moment and a very attractive consideration … Read more

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week Ending October 23

Below we provide a list of firms that raised/lowered their dividends during the week ending October 23. 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 ALPS U.S. Equity High Volatility Put Write Index ETF (HVPW): now $0.3226 per share monthly dividend, was $0.3199. ArcBest (ARCB): now $0.08 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.06. American Electric Power (AEP): now $0.56 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.53.  AptarGroup (ATR): now $0.30 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.28. Associated Banc-Corp (ASB): now $0.11 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.10. Bank of Marin Bancorp (BMRC): … Read more

ICYMI — Video: Will Hasty Policy Facilitate the Next Leg Down, or Do We Have It Coming Anyway?

President of Investment Research and award-winning author of Value Trap: Theory of Universal Valuation Brian Nelson explains how US policymakers are stuck between a rock and a hard place, and how the market may be factoring in too high of a probability of a return to normalcy before 2021. This and more in the latest video report. Summary Make sure you review Value Trap on Amazon. Do so here. We think those that bought equities near the bottom of this swoon may be looking to take profits at present levels. The market is currently reflecting an 80%-85% probability of a return to normalcy before 2021, which we believe is too high at this time. Our main concern is that government … Read more

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week Ending October 21

Below we provide a list of firms that raised/lowered their dividends during the week ending October 21. 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 Accenture (ACN): now $1.21 per share semi-annual dividend, was $1.10. Amphenol (APH): now $0.16 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.14. AptarGroup (ATR): now $0.32 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.30. AVX (AVX): now $0.11 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.10. Bank First National (BFNC): now $0.16 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.15. Brunswick Corp (BC): now $0.17 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.15. Capital Bank Financial … Read more

The Dividend Cushion Ratio: Unadjusted Is Less Subjective, Adjusted Is More Subjective

  Image Source: Mike Lawrence Question: I’m a subscriber. I’m looking at your Dividend Report for Enterprise Product Partners (EPD). It says your Valuentum Adjusted Dividend Cushion ratio for EPD is 1.8 (a ratio that includes future expected proceeds from capital raising endeavors in the coming years), but several lines below it says the Unadjusted Dividend Cushion ratio, which is your regular normal ratio (a ratio that does not include future expected proceeds from capital raising endeavors in the coming years), is 0.22. Please explain the difference between the two ratios, and what is considered a good ratio for the Unadjusted Dividend Cushion ratio, what is an excellent score, what is neutral and what is poor? Also, how much relative importance should … Read more

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week October 23

Below we provide a list of firms that raised their dividends during the week ending October 23. 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 AllianceBernstein (AB): now $0.69 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.61. Alpine Income Property Trust (PINE): now $0.22 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.20. Altra Industrial Motion (AIMC): now $0.06 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.04. America Movil (AMX): now $0.177 per share dividend, was Peso 0.19. American Electric Power (AEP): now $0.74 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.70. Amphenol (APH): now $0.29 per share quarterly dividend, … Read more