CVS

Best Buy’s Rebound Continues

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Image Shown: Best Buy Co Inc has staged an impressive rebound over the past few years. This rebound was aided by significant investments in its digital presence, recognizing the core markets Best Buy wanted to target, and ultimately comparable store sales growth.  By Callum Turcan On November 26, Best Buy (BBY) reported third quarter earnings for its fiscal 2020 (three month period ended November 2, 2019) that beat both top- and bottom-line consensus estimates. Even better, Best Buy raised its guidance for fiscal 2020, largely on the back of stronger than expected same-store sales growth. Best Buy’s update helped send shares of BBY over our fair value estimate of $76 per share, and if this outperformance is sustained, the retailer … Read more

Johnson & Johnson Announces New Test Results That Reveal No Traces of Asbestos in Johnson Baby Powder Products

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Image Source: Johnson & Johnson – February 2019 CAGNY IR Presentation By Callum Turcan A holding in both our Dividend Growth Newsletter and Best Ideas Newsletter portfolios, shares of Johnson & Johnson (JNJ) have been on a wild ride of late over dueling narratives regarding the firm’s potential legal liabilities. In particular, liabilities concerning its talc-based Johnson Baby Powder product. On October 18, Johnson & Johnson announced it was voluntarily recalling “a single lot” of its Johnson Baby Powder product (equal to around 33,000 bottles) after the US FDA found sub-traces of chrysotile asbestos in a single bottle (less than 0.00002%). At the time, Johnson & Johnson vigorously defended its baby care brand and said that its Johnson Baby Powder … Read more

ICYMI: Interview with Valuentum’s President Brian M. Nelson, CFA

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Catch up with Valuentum’s President Brian M. Nelson, CFA in a recent interview with dividend growth investor Arne Magnus Lorentzen Ulland of the blog stockles. By Brian Nelson, CFA Recently, I was interviewed by Arne Magnus Lorentzen Ulland of the blog stockles. Arne is a dividend growth investor like many of you, and I sincerely hope you enjoy the interview he put together. I’m very grateful for his interest. His questions were fantastic. We discuss why and how I incorporate independence and integrity into the service at Valuentum. We go into detail regarding why Valuentum views stocks the way it does, and how Valuentum combines enterprise valuation and the information contained in prices in its stock-selection process. I discuss the pitfalls … Read more

Kroger Posts Solid Quarter, Issues Weak Guidance

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Image Shown: Kroger Company – IR Presentation By Callum Turcan On September 12, food retailer Kroger Company (KR) reported second-quarter earnings for its fiscal 2019 that ended August 17. The company posted 2.2% year-over-year same-store sales growth, when excluding fuel sales (due to the volatile nature of petroleum product prices), and that was assisted by 31% year-over-year digital sales growth. Its FIFO gross margin contracted by almost 30 basis points according to management due to pressures at its pharmacy and specialty pharmacy business. However, corporate initiative Restock Kroger allowed for the retailer’s GAAP operating margin to climb marginally year-over-year as operating expenses were kept relatively contained. Shares of KR, after a volatile trading session, ended flat September 12. Restock Kroger … Read more

Target Stuns, Shares Jump Higher

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Image Shown: Shares of Target Corporation (TGT) leapt higher on August 21 on the back of its strong performance during the second quarter of FY2019. In particular, the retailer’s comparable same store sales growth was quite impressive given the hard comparison period, with e-commerce and same-day fulfillment leading the way. By Callum Turcan On August 21, Target Corp (TGT) reported very strong second quarter FY2019 earnings (three months ended August 3) that sent shares up ~20% on the trading session. For starters, comparable store sales growth clocked in at 3.4% year-over-year and was up 9.9% on a two-year basis (adding comp growth from the second quarter of 2018 and 2019 together). That indicates this was much more than just a … Read more

Macy’s Cuts Guidance, Dividend Cut Could Be on the Horizon

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Image Source: Macy’s Inc – IR Presentation By Callum Turcan Retailers (XRT, RTH) have been struggling as the e-commerce shift has stressed margins and hurt foot traffic at stores and malls all across America. Macy’s Inc (M) had fared better than most, but that’s beginning to change. The company reported second quarter FY2019 earnings on August 14 which came with a guidance cut that saw shares of Macy’s plummet below their late-2017 lows. While Macy’s recovered throughout the trading day, the market is clearly signaling that investors are expecting more pain is ahead. As of this writing, shares of Macy’s yield ~9.0%, a major red flag. Guidance Cut Management cut earnings guidance for the full fiscal year while keeping estimates … Read more

In the News: Amazon, GE, Kraft-Heinz, Disney, CVS Health, Gilead

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We’re reiterating the large range of fair value outcomes for Amazon. We’re staying far away from General Electric and Kraft-Heinz. Netflix may have its back against the ropes with Disney Plus. CVS Health and Gilead were two setbacks in the newsletter portfolios in the past, but we kept losses to a minimum and new ideas more than offset the weakness. The Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio continues to do very well. By Brian Nelson, CFA Amazon (AMZN) Image Shown: Amazon has a large range of fair value outcomes, and shares are trading roughly in line with our fair value estimate. The e-commerce powerhouse’s shares have come in aggressively since it reported second-quarter results July 25. We get a lot of questions … Read more

Sprouts’ Growth Spurt Followed by Weak Operating Margins and Terrible Guidance

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Image Source: Sprouts Farmers Market Inc – IR Presentation By Callum Turcan Sprouts Farmers Market Inc (SFM) is a grocery chain that focuses heavily on selling organic foods, healthy foods, and other higher priced items in nearly two dozen US states through 331 stores as of August 1. The company does not pay out a common dividend at this time, and please keep in mind Sprouts’ fiscal year and calendar are slightly different (fiscal year 2018 ended on December 30). While Sprouts has a lot of room to grow as it enters new domestic markets, we caution that the company is operating in a very competitive industry and shares of SFM already appear fully valued, if not generously valued, as … Read more

Mall Retail Armageddon?

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We think investors should be extremely cautious if they are interested in any mall retailers. Mall REITs are starting to feel some of the pain, too. By Brian Nelson, CFA Our latest channel checks at the malls foreshadowed what eventually turned into a terrible showing during the first quarter for the department stores such as J.C. Penney, Kohl’s and Nordstrom, but the apparel names and other niche shops are feeling the pain, too. It is becoming eerie when visiting the malls these days. In some of the locations we’re visiting, hardly anyone is there! Generation Z may not pick up the slack from the millennial generation, and it is showing up in the numbers big time. Here’s a run down … Read more

Markets Swooning, Expect Extreme Volatility, Finger on Put-Option Trigger

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Image shown: We notified members December 26 that we had  moved  the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio and Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio to a “fully invested” position, from a 30% and 20% cash “weighting” at the high end of the range, respectively.  — No change to simulated newsletter portfolios…at this time.  — Hi everyone, — Hope you’re navigating these tumultuous markets well.   — If you recall, during the holiday season last year, we had moved the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio and Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio to “fully invested.” See image above (point of the arrow). Because many members were traveling and out of the office, not all were able to read the notification until a week or two after. They were … Read more