GM

Ferrari’s Results Speak to Resilience in Ultra-Luxury Markets

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Image: Ferrari raised its guidance for 2023.  By Brian Nelson, CFA On November 2, sports car maker Ferrari N.V. (RACE) reported excellent third-quarter results that showed net revenues advancing 23.5% on a year-over-year basis, with total shipments up 8.5% from the same period a year ago. Adjusted earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) advanced 41.6% from last year’s period, as the firm hauled in industrial free cash flow of €301 million in the quarter. Net industrial debt stood at €233 million at the end of September. As shown in the image above, management raised its year-end guidance thanks in part to a strong product mix and improved revenue from racing activities, and the firm noted that its “order book remains … Read more

ICYMI: Questions for Valuentum’s Brian Nelson

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Valuentum’s President Brian Nelson, CFA, answers your questions. Q: What Is Valuentum? A: In short, it is a strategy that combines the concepts of value and momentum within individual stocks. We measure value through the cash-based sources of intrinsic value – net cash on the balance sheet and future expected free cash flow. We measure momentum rather simply, generally via relative strength or other technical and momentum indicators. We like stocks with strong net cash positions on the balance sheet, ones that are generating tremendous free cash flow, and have strong secular growth prospects such that the prospect for expectations of free cash flow can continue to be ratcheted higher. Today, most Valuentum stocks are included in the stylistic area … Read more

Fed Rate Decision, UAW Strike Continues, Microsoft Ups Payout

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Image Source: Mike Mozart By Brian Nelson, CFA If you’re thinking like us about the ongoing Fed rate-hiking cycle, you’re probably thinking that perhaps we’ll see another rate hike or two down the road, even if the Fed pauses at today’s September 20 meeting. However, whether the Fed pauses from here on out or executes a couple more rate hikes, it really shouldn’t matter much to long-term investors. From where we stand, the conversation about interest rates should now be shifting away from worries about elevated inflation to the future positive prospects that correspond to the work that the Fed has already done. With the market-cap weighted S&P 500 (SPY) just a stone’s throw away from all-time highs, despite aggressive … Read more

Albemarle Is One of the Best Growth Stories on the Market Today

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Image: Albemarle is a low-cost producer of lithium derivatives, an end market that is expected to experience tremendous demand in the coming years. By Brian Nelson, CFA On August 2, Albemarle Corp. (ALB) reported excellent second-quarter 2023 results that showed net sales advancing 60% and adjusted diluted earnings per share more than doubling in the quarter. For the full-year 2023, net sales are now expected to be between $10.4-$11.5 billion (was $9.8-$11.5 billion) thanks in part to continued strength in electric vehicle (EV) demand. Our fair value estimate for Albemarle stands at $257 per share, well above where shares are currently trading. We think the market is underestimating not only its growth potential but also mid-cycle levels of profitability. Albemarle … Read more

Tesla Is A Net-Cash-Rich, Free-Cash-Flow Generating, Secular-Growth Powerhouse

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Image: Tesla is generating billions and billions of dollars in free cash flow. By Brian Nelson, CFA The cash-based sources of intrinsic value (and the trajectory of growth in them) are the most important considerations when it comes to assessing the attractiveness of an equity. Two of the most important cash-based sources of intrinsic value are net cash on the balance sheet and future expected free cash flows, and in these two areas, Tesla (TSLA) excels. Though we won’t be adding Tesla to any of the newsletter portfolios anytime soon, we like it within a diversified basket of large-cap growth equities, of which the Best Ideas Newsletter in some ways approximates. When Tesla reported its second-quarter 2023 results July 19, … Read more

Stock Report Updates

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In our 16-page equity research reports, we offer a fair value estimate for each company based on a rigorous and transparent discounted cash flow process, assess the attractiveness of a stock based on a firm-specific margin of safety, and provide a relative valuation comparison in the context of the company’s industry and peers. Each report includes detailed pro forma financial statements, explicit fundamental forecasts, and scenario analysis. A cross section of the ValueCreation and ValueRisk ratings provides a financial assessment of a company’s business quality (competitive position), while the ValueTrend and Economic Castle ratings offer insight into the trajectory of a firm’s economic profit creation (ROIC versus WACC). Included in each 16-page report is a company’s rating on the Valuentum Buying Index (VBI), a methodology that combines rigorous financial and valuation analysis with … Read more

Tesla Registers Record Total Deliveries in Second Quarter 2023

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Source: Tesla By Brian Nelson, CFA At the start of 2023, Tesla’s (TSLA) price-to-fair value ratio stood at just 0.39, revealing a stock that was severely undervalued and one of the most undervalued stocks in our coverage universe. Shares of Tesla have rocketed higher more than 150% so far in 2023, and while we highlighted it as one of our favorite stocks to start this year, it never made it into the newsletter portfolios. We’re not too worried about that though given how well the newsletter portfolios were positioned with respect to exposure to large cap growth, which, itself, is up more than 35% so far in 2023. On July 2, Tesla noted that it delivered a total of 466,140 … Read more

Dividends, Dividends, Dividends

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Valuentum’s President of Equity Research Brian Nelson shares three unique insights on dividends not commonly discussed among investors. The transcript of the video can be found in this article. Brian Nelson, CFA: This is Brian Nelson from Valuentum Securities. I wanted to share with you three insights on dividends that I don’t think are talked about enough in today’s dividend growth investing handbook. The first is the idea that the dividend is a symptom of a company’s strength so the key driver behind a firm’s valuation is its free cash flows, and the dividend is a symptom of the company being able to continue to generate those free cash flows and to pay a portion of those cash flows to … Read more

ICYMI: How Big Is Your “Too Hard” Bucket?

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Dear members: — I wrote a note about the role of luck in investing, and luck is certainly not to be underestimated when it comes to the long-term success of a company. Even minor changes in the history of the path of successful companies would have relegated them to mere footnotes in the annals of time. — Amazon (AMZN), as probably the best example, may not have made it past the dot-com bust without some timely financing just before the dot-com crash in 2000, while other companies may have looked a whole lot different today had just a few things not gone their way, from Apple (AAPL) to Meta Platforms (META) to Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL) and beyond. — In investing, it’s okay to … Read more

Albemarle Outlines Strong Lithium Demand Outlook

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  Image Source: Albemarle By Brian Nelson, CFA Albemarle Corporation (ALB) released preliminary fourth-quarter numbers for revenue and earnings on January 23 that came in better than the consensus estimate. Net sales in the quarter are expected in the range of $2.59-$2.65 billion, up 190% to 196%, while adjusted diluted earnings per share is targeted in the range of $8.35-$8.75, up 727% to 766%. We’ll get final results for the fourth quarter on February 15, but clearly Albemarle is doing a lot of things right to put up such fantastic growth rates. For those just getting familiar with key ideas in the simulated ESG Newsletter portfolio, here is some background on Albemarle’s operations from its most recent Form 10-K; note … Read more