June Dividend Growth Newsletter & Intrinsic Value Investing

“But how, you will ask, does one decide what [stocks are] “attractive”? Most analysts feel they must choose between two approaches customarily thought to be in opposition: “value” and “growth,”…We view that as fuzzy thinking…Growth is always a component of value [and] the very term “value investing” is redundant.“  —                — Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway annual report, 1992 — By Brian Nelson, CFA — To add our new options commentary to your membership, please register here ($500/year). — Hi everyone!  — We remain unequivocally bullish on the markets and intrinsic value investing. We believe value today rests within companies that have strong net cash positions (all cash less short- and long-term debt) and solid expected future free cash flows … Read more

CubeSmart’s Financial Flexibility Will Come In Handy

Image Source: CubeSmart – March 2020 Investor Presentation By Callum Turcan On May 7, High Yield Dividend Newsletter portfolio holding CubeSmart (CUBE)–5.0% yield–reported first-quarter 2020 earnings. The company pulled its full-year guidance for 2020 given the uncertainties caused by the ongoing coronavirus (‘COVID-19’) pandemic. We appreciate that the self-storage real estate investment trust (‘REIT’) remained comfortably free cash flow positive last quarter, which is one of the reasons why we like CubeSmart as a high yielding play in the REIT world. Quarterly Update As you can see in the upcoming graphic down below, one of the biggest operating expenses CubeSmart (and the self-storage REIT space at-large) faces is property taxes. Rising property values in major metropolitan areas in particular pushes … Read more

Public Storage Currently Has the Financial Strength to Support Its Payout

Image Source: Public Storage – 2019 Annual Report By Callum Turcan High Yield Dividend Newsletter portfolio holding Public Storage (PSA) reported its first quarter results for 2020 on May 1. The self-storage real estate investment trust’s (‘REIT’) core funds from operations (‘FFO’) per share grew by 2% year-over-year last quarter, hitting $2.58 per share, while its occupancy rate (as measured by its rentable square feet) grew by ~60 basis points year-over-year, reaching 93.1%. Public Storage was also able to push through marginal same-store rent increases, though rising operating costs (particularly property taxes, payroll expenses, and marketing expenses) chipped away at its margins last quarter. As of this writing, shares of PSA yield ~4.4%. Public Storage owns and operates self-storage facilities … Read more

Repub from July 2019 — The Valuentum Economic Roundtable

This article was published July 23, 2019. We sat down with the Valuentum team to get their thoughts on the global economy and key issues that may threaten this near 10-year bull market. Let’s start with Valuentum’s Bank and Financials Contributor Matthew Warren, and then we’ll go around the horn. Matthew Warren: It’s interesting what’s happening at the nexus of the consumer and various retailers. It reminds me of the pockets of discretionary weakness back in 2008. I made money on Men’s Warehouse (TLRD) puts back then. Nobody is really in a rush to buy a suit, especially if they are concerned about their job prospects. At least we only have CLOs (collateralized loan obligations) and Europe/China stress to ponder … Read more

Self-Storage Industry Faces a Rocky 2020, But Long-Term Outlook Remains Bright

Image Source: CubeSmart – November 2019 IR Presentation By Callum Turcan With housing costs rising aggressively in “Tier 1” and “Tier 2” cities across the East and West coasts in the US, that has created an immense need from households for additional storage space but at a much lower cost than simply buying a larger home, apartment, or condo. This has created a major secular growth trend that we’ve highlighted repeatedly in our High Yield Dividend Newsletter (‘HYDN’) by including shares of CubeSmart (CUBE) and Public Storage (PSA) in our HYDN portfolio, both of which are self-storage focused real estate investment trusts (‘REITs’). Click here for more information on our HYDN. Both self-storage REITs have steadily grown their already sizable … Read more

Valuentum Exclusive Success Rates Trump Even the Best Quant Hedge Funds

Image: President of Investment Research Brian Nelson, CFA By Brian Nelson, CFA A new book, “The Man Who Solved the Market,” hit bookshelves last year, and thus far it has been a hit. The text goes into the story of quant hedge fund Renaissance Technologies and its hedge fund, the Medallion Fund, which has put up mammoth returns since inception. Though the book focuses more on the life and times of founder Jim Simons and dedicated only a page or two to the fall of Long-Term Capital Management (LTCM), another quant fund that went belly-up during the late 1990s, it was nonetheless a thoroughly interesting and enjoyable read. But why I am bringing up one of the most successful quant … Read more

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

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

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week Ending May 24

Below we provide a list of firms that raised their dividends during the week ending May 24. 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 Advanced Drainage Systems (WMS): now $0.09 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.08. American Tower (AMT): now $0.92 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.90. Ashland (ASH): now $0.275 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.25. AXA Equitable Holdings (EQH): now $0.15 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.13. Canadian Banc Corp (CNDCF): now CAD 0.0948 per share monthly dividend, was CAD 0.09. Cineplex (CPXGF): now CAD 0.15 per share … Read more

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

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

ATTN: Advisors and Planners — Disruption Is Looming

“With the commoditization of investment advice and intense competition from robos and other more cost-efficient solutions, growth-minded advisors want to create bespoke experiences for clients.” — WealthManagement.com By Brian Nelson, CFA Hi Valuentum members, colleagues and friends, Valuentum has a large subscriber base and is one of the most successful paid subscription financial information websites launched this decade. Over the past eight years or so, individuals, financial advisors and money managers from all over the world have subscribed to our services. We pride ourselves on independence and transparency, and we’re a champion of the investor. Today, I’d like to talk directly to our financial advisor, financial planner, and professional money-manager members. You probably already heard the news yesterday: Charles Schwab, which handles … Read more