Valuentum’s Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC) Distribution

The weighted average cost of capital is one of the most subjective measures in corporate finance, but it is also one of the most important ones. “The most important item over time in valuation is obviously interest rates…If interest rates are destined to be at low levels…It makes any stream of earnings from investments worth more money. The bogey is always what government bonds yield….Any investment is worth all the cash you’re going to get out between now and judgment day discounted back. The discounting back is affected by whether you choose interests rates like those of Japan or interest rates like those we had in 1982…When we had 15 percent short-term rates in 1982, it was silly to pay … Read more

What Are the Qualities of Highly-Rated Stocks on the Valuentum Buying Index?

If you were a CEO, what are the 7 most important metrics to focus on to get a rating of 10 on the Valuentum Buying Index? This is a great question because it hits at the absolute heart of the most important concept of investing. Investing may be about buying a great company with a solid and growing dividend, but it most certainly is about buying a great company at a discount to intrinsic value. The difference between what someone can pay for something and what something is worth is the most important concept of investing: price versus value. The price-versus-value component is an integral part of the Valuentum Buying Index. In fact, it is the first component. After all, … Read more

Restaurant Traffic Down, Chipotle Still a Favorite Idea

Image Source: Chipotle (page 89 of 160) In late April of this year, we added Chipotle to the simulated Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio. By Brian Nelson, CFA We like Chipotle (CMG) for three primary reasons: 1) in CEO Brian Niccol, the company has a new bold visionary at the helm and he is hiring top talent to fill gaps, 2) buyouts in the restaurant space will only offer support for shares as the fast-casual segment remains a key focus area for private equity (here and here), and 3) Chipotle has been plagued with so many health issues (“foodborne illnesses”) in the past that, even with the recent bounce in shares, the market’s expectations are still rather low. Though our fair value … Read more

Study: Valuentum’s Best Ideas Newsletter Portfolio

To read the study, please click on the image to download the pdf document (pdf).

ICYMI: Valuentum’s Improved Stock and ETF Web Pages

Valuentum has rolled out improved stock and ETF web pages on its website valuentum.com/. Now, subscribers can access key proprietary information on the stock and ETF web pages in addition to the customary stock and ETF reports. Dear reader, We have some exciting news that we can’t wait to share with you! At valuentum.com/, we have rolled out new stock and ETF pages that conveniently include a variety of our proprietary metrics from the Dividend Cushion ratio to the Economic Castle rating and beyond! There’s even mouseover functionality so you can learn about how we define the key metrics across our stock-selection and dividend growth methodologies. You’ll still have access to the stock and dividend reports on the landing pages, … Read more

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week Ending March 16

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

The “Luck” and “Randomness” of Index Funds

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

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

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

Valuentum’s Highest-Rated Economic Castles

Image Source: Dunrobin Castle; Golspie, Sutherland, John Haslam More information on the Economic Castle™ rating >>  Important Note: The data provided below is current as of the date of this article. Valuentum may have updated the stock and dividend reports of companies after the published date of this article. Members should view the data in this article as a starting point for further research and always access the individual stock page of each desired company on our website for its most recent ratings, metrics, and valuation information. If you have any questions about our services, please contact us at info@valuentum.com. Company Name Symbol Sector Est Div Yield VBI Economic Castle Advanced Micro Devices AMD Information Technology 0.0% 3 Highest Rated Apple AAPL Information Technology 1.6% … Read more

Risky Restaurants? Taking a Look at Chipotle and Domino’s Pizza

Image Source: Valuentum Chipotle and Domino’s Pizza have very little in common, in our view, but let’s take a look at what has been causing volatility in each company’s stock of late. By Kris Rosemann Burrito giant and once-beloved Chipotle (CMG) continues to attempt to battle back to prominence in the fast-casual restaurant space–an area in which it was once the golden child but now looks to be a prodigal son at best. The burrito-maker’s comeback story experienced a bit of a setback as shares dropped nearly 15% in the trading session October 25 after releasing third quarter 2017 results after the close October 24. Revenue grew nearly 9% in the period on a year-over-year basis in the quarter, restaurant … Read more