Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week Ending November 10

Below we provide a list of firms that raised their dividends during the week ending November 10. 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 Aaron’s Inc. (AAN): now $0.03 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.0275. Acadia Realty Trust (AKR): now $0.27 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.26. Assurant (AIZ): now $0.56 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.53. Atmos Energy (ATO): now $0.485 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.45. Automatic Data Processing (ADP): now $0.63 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.57. BorgWarner (BWA): now $0.17 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.14. … Read more

Housing Market Very Strong But To “Face Two Contradicting Challenges”

Image Shown: The iShares US Home Construction ETF (ITB) has advanced ~ 24% year-to-date, according to data from YahooFinance. “Housing indicators may be leveling off,” per S&P Corelogic, and the threat of rising interest rates looms (as it has for years), but we like the fundamental strength that we’re seeing from the homebuilders of late, which has translated into strong equity performance. By Brian Nelson, CFA We’ve been bullish on the US housing market recovery since early 2012, and we’ve pointed to several factors as to why–including improved affordability, investment by both individuals and investors, falling unemployment, improved household formation, limited inventory, and more recently, the wealth effect that a rising stock market provides. Things continue to be on the … Read more

Valuentum’s 3 Breakthroughs in the Field of Finance and More

Valuentum’s President Brian Nelson pauses for a picture before speaking at the CFA Society of Houston in March 2017. By Valuentum Editorial Staff Let’s cover Valuentum’s 3 major breakthroughs in the field of finance. The first one is big and may challenge you to rethink everything you think you know about investing. 1. On a logical framework, Valuentum has debunked John C. Bogle’s landmark syllogism that has paved the way for the concept of index investing. Index investing has been built on a logical shortcoming, whether supported by evidence or not. We think it is important that the investment community know of this. Read (pdf): The “Luck” and “Randomness” of Index Funds (2018), Brian Nelson, CFA See video documentation: /FALLACY_of_Index_Funds To … Read more

Housing Is Back! Trends in Home Improvement

Housing prices are no longer in the dumps. What does this mean for the home improvement retailers, and how might other trends be helping to provide a positive industrywide backdrop? Both Home Depot and Lowes may be long-term winners, but valuation considerations shouldn’t be ignored. The Valuentum analyst team digs in. ~8 mins. If you cannot view the podcast below, please select the link here or view the transcript that follows. Chris Araos: Hello, this is Chris Araos at Valuentum Securities. With me are Kris Roseman and Brian Nelson. Today, we are going to focus on Home Depot (HD) and Lowes (LOW) and why they are doing so well. We have a strong housing market. New home sales have hit … Read more

New Home Sales Leap, Computer Sciences Surges; Xilinx Jumps

May 24 brought news that US new home sales rose at the fastest pace in more than 8 years during the month of April 2016. Computer Sciences leaps to our estimate of intrinsic value on buyout news, and Altera rival Xilinx rises on speculation of potential suitor. ————————- By The Valuentum Team New Homes Sales Leap “Sales of new single-family houses in April 2016 were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 619,000, according to estimates released jointly today by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. This is 16.6 percent (±15.4%) above the revised March rate of 531,000 and is 23.8 percent (±22.8%) above the April 2015 estimate of 500,000… …The median sales price … Read more

Don’t Be Tempted By Homebuilders’ Dividends

Image Source: Toll Brothers By Kris Rosemann The underproduction of homes since 2008 has created pent-up demand, providing a material tailwind for homebuilders as of late. According to estimates from Toll Brothers (TOL), the total estimated shortfall of housing starts from the period 2008-2014 was 5.7 million. That equates to an annual shortfall in production of ~818,000 new homes, providing significant opportunities for the homebuilding group as a whole moving forward. Pent-up housing demand has been accruing for years, and stronger general economic conditions, including lower unemployment, modest wage growth, and general consumer confidence continue to drive demand. A favorable jobs/wage market has the potential to provide a material boost for homebuilders, and additional demand could be found in the … Read more

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week Ending November 13

Below we provide a list of firms that raised/lowered their dividends during the week ending November 13. 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 Aaron’s (AAN): now $0.025 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.023. Acadia Realty Trust (AKR): now $0.25 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.24. Automatic Data Processing (ADP): now $0.53 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.49. ClearOne (CLRO): now $0.05 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.035. D.R. Horton, Inc. (DHI): now $0.08 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.0625. DCT Industrial Trust (DCT): now $0.29 per share quarterly dividend, … Read more

What’s The Deal with US Housing?

Pictured: An unfinished sub-division in rural Illinois, May 2015. Springtime is here, and housing construction is booming. The US Census Bureau’s latest tally for the seasonally-adjusted annualized rate of housing starts in April came in at 1.14 million, up an incredible 20% from the revised March estimate of 944k (sequentially) and up 9% from the April 2014 rate (year-over-year). That’s some nice expansion, to say the least. Our long-held indirect plays on the US housing recovery have been a couple of ETFs, which focus on an improving consumer credit environment and incremental loan growth from the depths of the Financial Crisis. The two ETFs can be found in the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio, and we continue to believe that they … Read more

One Dividend Suspension and Five Other Disappointments

The wreckage in crude oil prices has left many in awe of the range of probable outcomes for the commodity even over a multi-month period, let alone a multi-year period. The precipitous decline has forced high-yielding equities such as Linn Energy (LINE) and Seadrill (SDRL) to slash their income payouts and begin the long road to recovery, as it has pushed the backs of others, including Legacy Reserves (LGCY), against the wall. Investor confidence, once lost, however may never be regained, and management teams know this. A dividend cut will always be the last resort, but crude oil hasn’t been the only commodity falling out of favor. Copper and iron ore have also seen much better days, too. January 26 … Read more