DG

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week Ending April 6

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Below we provide a list of firms that raised their dividends during the week ending April 6. 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 Bank of the Ozarks (OZRK): now $0.195 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.19. BP Prudhoe Bay Royalty Trust (BPT): now $1.2748 per share quarterly dividend, was $1.23. Cisco (CSCO): now $0.33 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.29. CurrencyShares Australian Dollar Trust ETF (FXA): now $0.05599 per share monthly dividend, was $0.05154. CurrencyShares Canadian Dollar Trust ETF (FXC): now $0.01500 per share monthly dividend, was $0.01107. Dollar … Read more

Avoiding Troubled Equities Such as General Electric

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The Valuentum process waits for a stock’s price to be moving higher before it is considered. The stock must not only be undervalued on both a discounted cash-flow basis and relative value basis, in our view, but the market must also believe that its true intrinsic value should be higher, too, as evidenced by a rising share price. The process is symmetrical. We also would wait for a company’s share price to break down before we may consider removing an overpriced stock. In some cases, the information contained in prices can even provide clues when to remove an underpriced stock, as in the case of General Electric. By Brian Nelson, CFA There should be no confusion. General Electric (GE) was … Read more

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week Ending March 16

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Below we provide a list of firms that raised their dividends during the week ending March 16. 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 Acushnet Holdings (GOLF): now $0.13 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.12. American Vanguard (AVD): now $0.02 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.015. Atlantica Yield (AY): now $0.31 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.29. BRT Apartments (BRT): now $0.20 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.18. Canterbury Park (CPHC): now $0.07 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.06. CareTrust REIT (CTRE): now $0.205 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.185. … Read more

Dollar General: A Model of Consistency

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Dollar General’s fiscal 2017 marked its 28th consecutive year of positive same-store sales growth, and we couldn’t be more impressed with the consistency of its operational performance in the past three decades, as well as its share price performance since its addition to the simulated Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio. By Kris Rosemann Dollar General’s (DG) fiscal 2017 fourth quarter report, released before the open March 15, was full of reasons for investors to get excited, and its share price reacted accordingly. The company has been a model of consistency for nearly three decades, and it continues to have a significant runway for growth while simultaneously generating an attractive and growing free cash flow stream. Same-store sales grew 3.3% in the … Read more

The “Luck” and “Randomness” of Index Funds

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Please select the image below to download the document. Image shown, page 1 of 14. Tickerized for Valuentum’s coverage universe.

Dividends: Costco and Walmart

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Image Source: Fiscal Year 2017 Annual Report By Alexander J. Poulos Costco Wholesale We continue to be impressed with the differentiated business model successfully implemented and flawlessly executed by Costco Wholesale (COST). Costco is and will continue to operate as one of the very best in the retail industry due in large part to its keen focus on delighting its membership base with low prices (as evidenced by Costco operating at a puny 11.33% gross margin). Costco can operate at such razor-thin margins in large part to its reliance on membership fees to augment its overall profitability. Costco retains the allure of exclusivity while appealing to each member’s thriftiness with an ever-changing assortment that incorporates a bit of “the thrill … Read more

Video: Quants! You’re NOT Measuring VALUE and Nelson’s Theory of Universal Value

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President of Investment Research Brian Nelson defines the concept of universal value and shows how quantitative statistical methods are inextricably linked to those of fundamental, financial, business-model related analysis. Value does not exist in respective process vacuums! Value is universal. Find out why. Running time: ~10 minutes.  Tickerized for Valuentum’s stock and ETF coverage universe. Transcript Hi this is Brian Nelson from Valuentum Securities, and this is the tenth edition of a series that I call “Off the Cuff,” where I get in front of the camera and I talk for ten minutes. This is what we have to talk about today. We have to talk about this concept: The Theory of Universal Value. Value does not exist in vacuums … Read more

Altria Back Above $70, Dollar General Pleases, Verint Sells Off

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Image shown: Dollar General’s stock has performed very well since being added to the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio. We were very happy to see newsletter portfolio idea Altria surge back above $70 per share in recent days. Dollar General continues its strength as the economy churns out more of its demographic, and we continue to believe the dollar store arena may be one of the few spaces of retail that is truly insulated from the Amazon effect. Verint Systems, on the other hand, has faced selling pressure, which we think is flat-out unwarranted. By Kris Rosemann and Brian Nelson, CFA In case you missed the latest video from President of Investment Research Brian Nelson here, we’ve been following very closely developments … Read more

Shopping for Income Within Retail in a Digital World

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Image Source: Mike Mozart The 2017 holiday shopping season has shown that e-commerce has never been stronger and it will only continue to grow. But there is still potential for income generation among more traditional retailers. Investors must be tremendously discerning in this area, however, as margin, and ultimately free cash flow, pressures remain prevalent. We like Walmart, Target, Costco as income ideas in retail, but TJX Companies and Best Buy may be worth a look. We’re avoiding the department stores and teen retail like the plague, regardless of their Dividend Cushion ratios. By Kris Rosemann and Brian Nelson, CFA What an incredible time we’re living in. For those that study history, the US’ pressure on other countries like China … Read more

Strategy Versus Tactics in the Best Ideas Newsletter Portfolio

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Image Source: Anna & Michal We made a few tactical tweaks to the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio during 2017. Let’s walk through them, and how we’re out to win the war, not win every battle. By Brian Nelson, CFA I’m not going to reference The Art of War written by Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu some time in the 5th century, nor am I going to use any quotes from the military treatise (I think it’s too well-traveled of a topic), but I do believe the approach to portfolio management is much like that of a general on a path to win the war. Now, don’t get me confused: I’m not saying that portfolio management is actually like being in … Read more