Dividend Growth Idea Dick’s Sporting Goods Beats Estimates, Raises Guidance

Image Shown: Shares of Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc have been on a nice upward climb of late. The sporting goods retailer raised its full-year guidance for fiscal 2022 during its fiscal second quarter earnings report. By Callum Turcan On August 23, Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc (DKS) reported second quarter earnings for fiscal 2022 (period ended July 30, 2022) that beat both consensus top- and bottom-line estimates. The sporting goods retailer also raised its full-year guidance for fiscal 2022 in conjunction with the report, after previously lowering its guidance during its fiscal first quarter earnings update in May 2022. We continue to like Dick’s Sporting Goods as an idea in the Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio. Shares of DKS yield ~1.8% as … Read more

Walmart’s Business Update Likely Means U.S. Is In Recession, But Near-Term Weakness Is Already Baked Into Stock Market

Image Shown: Shares of Walmart Inc dropped sharply during afterhours trading on July 25 as the retailer sharply cut its adjusted operating income and EPS guidance for the current fiscal year as inflationary pressures are taking a sizable toll on its bottom-line. By Callum Turcan On July 25, Walmart Inc (WMT) issued a business update that saw the retailer sharply cut its adjusted operating income and EPS guidance for fiscal 2023 (period ended January 2023), while boosting its consolidated net sales guidance. The company also adjusted its guidance for the fiscal second quarter. Shares of WMT plummeted during afterhours trading on July 25 as investors began to price in concerns over the retailer’s deteriorating margins. We anticipated ongoing weakness in … Read more

Nike’s Gross Margin Falls, Inventory Leaps in Fourth Quarter Fiscal 2022

Image Source: Valuentum By Valuentum Analysts Very few other companies, if any other, have built such deep, personal connections with the consumer as Nike, Inc. (NKE) has, let alone the tremendous brand strength, and its endorsement deal with LeBron James gives it yet another top-notch globally marketable superstar. Nike’s annual free cash flows averaged ~$4.0 billion from fiscal 2019-2021, versus its ~$1.6 billion in dividend obligations in fiscal 2021, and it had a solid net cash position on the books at the end of fiscal 2022. The sustained strength seen at its digital and direct-to-consumer operations supports Nike’s outlook. Nike’s Dividend Cushion ratio is impressive; however, its ~1.1% dividend yield is relatively modest. From its namesake to Jordan Brand to … Read more

Valuentum’s Dividend Growth Strategy ‘Outperforming’

Image: The Valuentum Dividend Growth strategy has delivered thus far in 2022. With the S&P 500, as measured by the SPY, down 18.1% (negative 18.1%) thus far in 2022 and the S&P Dividend ETF (SDY) down 6.7% (negative 6.7%), the Valuentum dividend growth strategy, as measured by the hypothetical performance of the Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio (as shown above), is down an estimated 4.6% (negative 4.6%) so far in 2022, all on a price-only basis. Though two percentage points better than the S&P High Yield Dividend Dividend Aristocrats Index doesn’t seem like much, the large cap tilt of the simulated Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio makes such “outperformance” significant and material. The benefits of a dividend growth strategy, in general, have also … Read more

Best Idea Dollar General Beats Consensus Estimates and Raises Guidance in the Face of Substantial Headwinds

Image Shown: Dollar General Corporation’s GAAP net sales rose in the first quarter of fiscal 2022 on a year-over-year basis due to growth in its net store count. Image Source: Dollar General Corporation – May 2022 8-K SEC Filing  By Callum Turcan On May 26, Dollar General Corporation (DG) reported first quarter earnings for fiscal 2022 (period ended April 29, 2022) that beat both consensus top- and bottom-line estimates. Even in the face of major supply chain issues and inflationary headwinds, Dollar General modestly increased its net sales and same-store sales growth guidance for fiscal 2022 and maintained its other forecasts. We include Dollar General in our Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio as we are big fans of its resilient business model, strong cash flow … Read more

Lululemon Firing on All Cylinders; Shares Recovering

Image Shown: Shares of Lululemon Athletica Inc are recovering in the wake of the company’s recent earnings report. By Callum Turcan On March 29, Lululemon Athletica Inc (LULU) reported fourth quarter earnings for fiscal 2021 (period ended January 30, 2022) that matched consensus top-line estimates and beat consensus bottom-line estimates. Lululemon also announced it had initiated a new $1.0 billion stock buyback program after completing its previous program in the first quarter of fiscal 2022. The company issued favorable guidance for fiscal 2022 during its latest earnings update, which helped drive shares of LULU sharply higher during normal trading hours on March 30. Shares of LULU are up more than 20% during the past 52 weeks through the time of … Read more

3 Dividend Growth Ideas That Just Raised Their Payouts

Image: American Tower By Brian Nelson, CFA Over the past decade, I have grown to appreciate the compounding dynamics of reinvested dividends on appreciating stocks even more than some of the most widely distributed historical studies have revealed. The strategy of dividend growth investing not only benefits from the reinvestment of dividends into the purchase of new stock, but it also benefits from the higher dividend payments on an ever-increasing number of shares owned by the investor. This means that dividend growth investing results in a compounding dynamic that is even better than that of compound interest, which is calculated on the fixed starting principal and the accumulated interest from prior periods like that on a bond, for example. This … Read more

Nike Holding Its Own Against Major Exogenous Shocks

Image Shown: Shares of Nike Inc are on an upward climb again after dropping significantly from November 2021 to March 2022. By Callum Turcan On March 21, Nike Inc (NKE) reported its third quarter earnings for fiscal 2022 (period ended February 28, 2022) that beat both top- and bottom-line estimates. Shares of Nike are trading around ~$135 as of this writing, near our fair value estimate of $139 per share, after dropping significantly from November 2021 to March 2022. The company’s stock shot up initially after its latest earnings report was made public as Nike indicated it was getting a better handle on its supply chain issues, which have made keeping up with robust consumer demand quite difficult of late. … Read more

Nike Beats Estimates in the Face of Supply Chain Constraints

Image Shown: Shares of Nike Inc shifted higher in the wake of its latest earnings report. By Callum Turcan On December 20, Nike Inc (NKE) reported second quarter earnings for fiscal 2022 (period ended November 30, 2021) that beat both consensus top- and bottom-line estimates. The company did its best to navigate serious supply chain hurdles as efforts by public health officials and governments to contain the spread of the coronavirus (‘COVID-19’) pandemic in Southeast Asia (a major production hub for apparel and footwear) weighed quite negatively on its ability to meet demand. Earnings Update Nike’s GAAP revenues grew 1% year-over-year in the fiscal second quarter, hitting $11.4 billion, as the company, and the apparel and footwear industry at large, … Read more

Dividend Growth Stocks Soar!

Dear members: — We’re watching one of the strongest stock market rallies we’ve seen in some time during the trading session December 7. At the time of this writing, the Dow Jones Industrial Average is up over 500 points, the S&P is up nearly 100, while the NASDAQ is up a tremendous 440+. We continue to like what we see. — Almost every idea in the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio is up today, led by Chipotle (CMG) +5.9%, PayPal (PYPL) +3.3%, Domino’s (DPZ) +3.1%, Apple (AAPL) +2.9% and Alphabet (GOOG) +2.9%. — We’re loving the moves by Valuentum-style stocks today, and we’re even more excited to report that every idea in the Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio is advancing today, as shown below. We know … Read more