FIS

ALERT: Adding Market Crash ‘Protection,’ Removing MSFT, BKNG

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Image source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  ALERT: Adding Market Crash ‘Protection,’ Removing MSFT, BKNG — Changes to newsletter portfolios — We’re adding out-of-the-money put options to both the Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio and Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio. — We’re removing Microsoft from the Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio. — We’re removing Booking Holdings from the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio. — By Brian Nelson, CFA — We’re making some moves in the newsletter portfolios today.  — The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DIA) is currently indicated down 900+ points in pre-market trading during the session Monday, February 24. We laid out a thesis where the US markets could experience a “crash,” and we encourage you to read that take here, “Is a … Read more

Is a Stock Market Crash Coming? — Coronavirus Update and P/E Ratios

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Image Source: World Health Organization, Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), Situation Report — 32 We don’t think this is the environment to put new capital to work, and we remain highly cautious of what COVID-19 means for global economic growth not just in the first quarter of 2020 but for the rest of this year (maybe longer). Right now, the US markets are not really factoring in anything related to COVID-19, and perhaps may be adjusting to China’s stimulus in artificially propping up the markets as if the outbreak is somehow a “positive thing.” With the S&P 500 trading at 19.0 forward earnings estimates–estimates that are likely too high given the evidence we are seeing with respect to a slowdown due … Read more

PayPal Closes Out a Stellar 2019 and the Future Looks Bright

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Image Shown: PayPal Holdings Inc has been a big winner in our Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio, and we expect that to continue being the case going forward. By Callum Turcan PayPal Holdings Inc (PYPL) is one of our favorite companies out there in the payment processing/financial tech space, up there with top weighted Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio holding Visa Inc (V), and back on January 13 (link here) we increased our weighting in shares of PYPL in the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio. We like PayPal’s rock-solid balance sheet, quality cash flow profile, and most importantly, its growth outlook. Guidance Commentary On January 29, PayPal reported fourth-quarter and full year earnings for 2019, and the company continued to outperform. The firm … Read more

Resetting Your Mental Model

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Image Source: affen ajlfe A version of this article was originally published on our website October 6, 2013. Having the right mental model and using the right information can be the reason why you win or lose in investing. “What is the definition of timeliness? Many believe it is getting information to investors as quickly as possible after an event, or updating something every single day or week for immaterial information. I believe in a different definition of timeliness. I believe timeliness is using all information available in a mosaic approach to accurately predict the event before it even happens. Take Kinder Morgan as the latest example. We were the only ones predicting what was going to happen before it did. To investors, … Read more

Visa Enhances Its Long-Term Outlook

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Top weighted Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio holding Visa continues to augment its long-term outlook for the betterment of its shareholders, in our view. By Callum Turcan On January 13, top weighted Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio holding Visa Inc (V) announced it was buying financial tech company Plaid for $5.3 billion. Plaid primarily offers a network that allows consumers to connect financial accounts to apps securely and safely, meaning that when a consumer downloads a mobile financial-oriented app to their phone (for example), Plaid is the company that ensures a smooth connection between app and the relevant financial institution when it comes to transferring information and ultimately money. What’s important about this acquisition is that Visa, once again, is showcasing its … Read more

Valuentum Exclusive Success Rates Trump Even the Best Quant Hedge Funds

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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

Improving Our Coverage

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Valuentum continues to scour the stock market for new ideas. We’ll be following the set of companies in this list via commentary on our website and a data sheet updated periodically. By Valuentum Analysts The list of companies in the download below were previously covered by our team via 16-page report and dividend report fashion. Going forward, we are now covering these companies with commentary on the website and via a data sheet updated periodically. This will be a much better use of members’ time, especially as members scour our Best Ideas Newsletter, Dividend Growth Newsletter, stock methodology, dividend methodology, and the hundreds of stock valuation reports and dividend reports on our website, available through the Symbol search box.  We … Read more

Our Reports on Stocks in the Financial Tech Services Industry

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Image Source: frankieleon Structure of the Financial Tech Services Industry The financial tech services industry is primarily composed of firms that generate revenue by charging fees to customers for providing transaction processing and other payment-related services. Constituents operate in a rapidly-evolving legal/regulatory environment, particularly with respect to interchange fees, data protection, and information security. Several participants benefit from a significant competitive advantage – the network effect. As more consumers use credit/debit cards, more merchants accept them, thereby creating a virtuous cycle. The industry is one of the most attractive in our coverage. We’ve optimized our tehnology coverage. To access the reports, please select here.

Portfolio Holdings Intel and Visa Hit It Out of the Park

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Image Shown: Shares of Intel Corporation leapt higher on Friday October 25 as the market digested its solid earnings report and guidance for this quarter. By Callum Turcan Intel One of our favorite Dividend Growth Newsletter and Best Ideas Newsletter portfolios holdings, Intel Corporation (INTC), posted third quarter fiscal 2019 earnings (period ended September 28) on October 24 that handily beat consensus top and bottom line estimates. Revenue in the third quarter on a GAAP basis came in at $19.2 billion, flat year-over-year, which management noted was $1.2 billion higher than guidance issued out in July. This outperformance was driven by Intel’s ‘data-centric’ offerings, with sales up 6% year-over-year, as Intel Xeon processors for data centers sold well. Additionally, Intel … Read more

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

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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