CPB

Valuentum Economic Castleâ„¢ Rating Update

by

Read: Keeping the Horse Before the Cart: Valuentum’s Economic Castle™ Rating The Economic Castle Focuses on the Magnitude of Economic Value Creation The Valuentum Economic Castle™ rating is an enhancement of the competitive advantage framework (commonly known as economic moat analysis) that has become widespread and ubiquitous within the investing world. Whereas an economic moat framework evaluates a firm on the basis of the sustainability and durability of its competitive advantages, Valuentum’s Economic Castle™ rating evaluates a firm on the basis of the firm’s future economic profit spread (return on invested capital less its weighted average cost of capital). The companies with the strongest Valuentum Economic Castle™ ratings are poised to generate the most economic value for shareholders in the … Read more

Three Reasons Why Dividend Growth Investors Are Quite Savvy

by

A version of this article appeared on our website on October 1, 2013. There are many different approaches to investing, but we think dividend growth investors are quite savvy, especially when they combine a rigorous dividend growth process in the form of the Valuentum Dividend Cushion ratio with the valuation rigors behind the Valuentum Buying Index. Let’s examine the three reasons why we think dividend growth investors are a smart group in the age of ultra-low interest rates. #1. Fool Me Once, Shame on You…Fool Me Twice, Shame on Me Today’s dividend growth crowd has seen enough. First, they witnessed the dot-com bubble (1997-2000), a period in stock market history where firms’ stock prices soared in some cases as a result … Read more

Portion Packs Still in Strong Demand at Green Mountain; Free Cash Flow Surges in Fiscal 2013

by

On Thursday, Green Mountain (GMCR) reported excellent fiscal fourth-quarter results. Fourth-quarter revenue advanced 22% from the same period a year ago (52-to-52 weeks) thanks to robust brewer sales and portion pack revenue growth (up 11% and 21%, respectively, as adjusted). The 21% increase in portion packs revenue was driven by a 26% increase in unit volume offset by pricing and mix. Portion packs revenue accounted for 74.2% of total net sales in the fiscal fourth quarter. The company’s gross margin expanded 240 basis points during the quarter, to 36%, thanks primarily to favorable green coffee costs and lower labor and overhead manufacturing costs. Non-GAAP operating income advanced to 18.2% of sales in the period from 16.4% in last year’s quarter. … Read more

Clorox Faces Cash Flow Headwinds in Fiscal 1Q

by

Our general takeaway after surveying calendar third-quarter results from peers Hershey (HSY), Colgate-Palmolive (CL), and Unilever (UN) was that performance in the consumer staples space was mostly positive during the third quarter and that emerging-market performance remains robust (even though Unilever toned down expectations a bit). Clorox’s (CLX) better-than-expected fiscal first-quarter results, released Thursday, did not deviate from the mostly positive newsflow. Sales expanded 2% (3.5% excluding the negative impact from currency), and the company recorded pretax profit growth of 7%. Volume for the fiscal first quarter advanced 1% thanks to gains from Professional Products, Charcoal, Laundry and Burt’s Bees offset by declines in Home Care. Gross margins were flat as cost savings and price increases mitigated higher manufacturing and logistics … Read more

Dividend Increases for the Week Ending September 27

by

Below we provide a list of firms that raised their dividends for the week ending September 27. The dividend reports of covered firms on this list will be updated shortly with the new information. To access our dividend reports, please click here (or use our ‘Symbol’ search box in our website header). Firms Raising Their Dividends This Week Accenture (ACN): now $0.93 per share semi-annual dividend, was $0.81. Alico (ALCO): now $0.12 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.06. Bank of South Carolina Corp (BKSC): now $0.13 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.12. Banner Corp (BANR):  now $0.15 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.12. Campbell Soup (CPB): now $0.312 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.29. Hingham Institution for Savings (HIFS): now$0.27 per share … Read more

Amazon’s Expansion Knows No Bounds

by

On Tuesday, we received a variety of information about Amazon’s (click ticker for report: ) expansion into different product lines. The company is looking to expand its AmazonFresh same-day grocery delivery service and could enter as many as 40 markets this year. Additionally, the firm entered into the highest streaming content contract ever, purchasing the rights to stream over 4,000 episodes of Viacom (click ticker for report: ) TV shows. Let’s dig into the details. AmazonFresh For years, people have speculated that the end-game for Amazon was to build so many warehouses that it could effectively offer same-day shipping on any product and compete with brick-and-mortar shops on the basis of time. Thus, the expansion of AmazonFresh comes as little … Read more

Campbell Soup’s Solid Results Continue

by

Packaged food and beverage company Campbell Soup (click ticker for report: ) reported solid third quarter results Monday morning. Revenue, boosted by the acquisition of Bolthouse Farms, grew 15% year-over-year to $2.1 billion, modestly exceeding consensus estimates. Earnings per share were also a touch better than consensus expectations, increasing 11% year-over-year to $0.62 on an adjusted basis. Free cash flow year-to-date totaled $659 million, which is roughly equal to the tally during the same period a year ago. For a company in a mostly mature business, Campbell posted solid results in its US Simple Meals segment, where sales rose 11% year-over-year to $627 million. Of all things to drive the growth, it was soup, which posted a 14% jump in … Read more

The Valuentum Dividend100 Publication; A Must-Have For Any Income Investor

by

Dividend investors literally have thousands of income stocks to choose from. So what are they to do, and where can they go for the most trusted forward-looking opinions on dividend growth and safety? That’s the question we seek to answer with our ValuentumDividend100 publication. In this document, we showcase the top 100 high-quality, dividend growth gems within our coverage universe. Whether you’re looking to build a portfolio consisting of high-yielding, dividend-growers or simply seeking to augment it with a few income gems, the Valuentum Dividend100 is an essential resource for any income investor. We outline some of the key components of our Dividend100 publication below, and explain how you can get the most from each of one Sign Up for … Read more

Roaring 20s? — Consumer Staples Valuations Stretched

by

Strong outlooks for Kimberly-Clark, United Technologies, Hexcel and Lockheed Martin point to an economy that is still gaining momentum. We caution investors of consumer staples stocks, however, with many equities holding large net debt positions, and the sector trading at almost 20 times forward earnings. Learn about the difference between the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio and the Exclusive publication and much more in this note. Image Source: Alan Levine — By Brian Nelson, CFA Welcome new members!    As you’re getting familiar with the website, please watch the Navigation Video. For those passionate about financial analysis and to see how deep our team goes with our research, please watch the Financial Analysis Video. Finally, don’t forget to flip through the , and read our … Read more