GOOGL

Catching the Bottom?

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Image shown: The depths of how far the S&P 500 (SPY) has fallen more recently, and the timing of the decision to move to being “fully invested” in simulated Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio and simulated Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio.   No Changes to Simulated Newsletter portfolios. This article was sent to members via email January 9. That email can be found at the link that follows this article. By Brian Nelson, CFA On the evening of December 26, we emailed members that we were moving to “fully invested” in both the simulated Best Ideas Newsletter and simulated Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio. First of all, please let me apologize. I wanted to stay in front of members during one of the most volatile times … Read more

Markets Up Big; Upside Volatility

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Image shown: The S&P 500 ETF (SPY) since August 2017. The index has broken through support and is now bouncing back to resistance. By Brian Nelson, CFA Good morning everyone, Are you watching these markets? This is incredible. The Dow finished down 660 points yesterday (briefly dropping 700 points), and today, the Dow is currently trading up 600 points at the time of this writing. Granted, there was Apple’s (AAPL) poor first-quarter 2019 guidance yesterday and the strong jobs report today, but this volatility is not “normal,” no matter what others are saying. A couple announcements up front. For those that already ordered our book Value Trap, I will send you the pdf download to your email address just to make sure … Read more

Market Mayhem — Alerts for Members

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During these extremely volatile times, it’s important to stay focused. On December 15, we informed all of our members to “Pay Attention.” Shortly thereafter, we notified members of the potential for a stock market technical breakdown. This morning, we offered a pre-market briefing about the importance of thinking about portfolio protection. For Best Ideas Newsletter and Dividend Growth Newsletter members: http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?preview=true&m=1110817109903&ca=e2406cd6-c113-4344-8731-493f33fc44a4&id=preview For High Yield Dividend Newsletter members: http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?preview=true&m=1110817109903&ca=b3ba530f-38b3-489a-ac96-2961dca89c6b&id=preview For Exclusive members: http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?preview=true&m=1110817109903&ca=ba6d90c0-4433-48b2-9b8a-aac4ddf9006e&id=preview We’re here for any questions. Please just let us know how we can help! Kind regards, Brian Nelson, CFA  brian@valuentum.com

Facebook to Test New Ad Feature

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Image Shown: Facebook’s share price performance since late 2017. Shares may be poised to breakout of a recent downtrend. Source: TradingView.com Facebook has faced significant pressure from a number of sources in recent months, but we continue to like the stock, which may be poised for a technical breakout and appears undervalued. By Kris Rosemann It’s no secret that simulated Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio idea Facebook (FB) has been working to right the ship while under an intense level of scrutiny from a variety of sources. The company has been caught in perhaps an unprecedented culmination of social and political pressures, but these are unprecedented times. We continue to like shares of Facebook due to the robust free cash flow … Read more

Alphabet’s Operating Margin Shrinks in Third Quarter; Free Cash Flow Still Robust

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The company formerly known as Google continues to invest for long-term growth, which is impacting its operating margin and free cash flow, but the two measures remain solid, particularly the latter of the two. The company retains a level of financial flexibility that is matched by few other firms.  By Kris Rosemann Simulated Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio idea Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL) continues to pour resources back into its long-term growth opportunities while generating robust levels of free cash flow, but the market was disappointed with its top-line growth in the third quarter of 2018, results released October 25, despite the figure coming in at 21% on year-over-year basis. The company’s revenue growth was strong across all geographies, and mobile search … Read more

Best Ideas Newsletter Portfolio Not Bad Thus Far in 2018

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Part of what we take pride in at Valuentum is telling things how they are. If things are going great, we let you know. If things aren’t going as good as they could be, we don’t hold back. In the year of crypto and cannabis, 2018 hasn’t been the best year for the simulated Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio, but it hasn’t been bad either.  By Brian Nelson, CFA We wrote up an extensive piece on the background of the simulated Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio earlier this year, and we encourage everyone to have a read of that here (pdf). We made some changes to the goals of the newsletter portfolio prior to the beginning of this year. For starters, we … Read more

Alphabet’s Top-Line Growing Nicely; Spending Also on the Rise

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Simulated Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio idea Alphabet continued its impressive top-line expansion in its second quarter of 2018, but we’re keeping a close eye on growing cost and capital spending levels. A massive ~$5.1 billion fine from the European Commission also impacted reported results in the period. [Update: Subsequent to the publishing of this article, on July 26, we raised our fair value estimate of Alphabet to $1,543.] By Kris Rosemann Google parent company Alphabet (GOOG, GOOGL) reported ongoing top-line strength in its second quarter report, released July 23, as reported revenue advanced 26% on a year-over-year basis thanks in part to a 58% jump in paid clicks on Google properties from the year-ago period. However, the second quarter was … Read more

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

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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

Oracle’s Dividend Still Very Healthy

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Image Source: May Wong Oracle issued what is likely conservative fiscal first-quarter 2019 guidance, but the company continues to generate record amounts of operating cash flow and has a solid net cash position on the books. We’re not worried about the dividend. By Brian Nelson, CFA Oracle’s (ORCL) Dividend Cushion ratio is 4.5 at the time of this writing, meaning that, on the basis of expectations of future free cash flows relative to expected cash dividends paid, assuming a nice 12-18% annual growth rate in dividends per share over the next 5 years (as shown in its dividend report), and factoring in its net cash position on the balance sheet, we expect Oracle to cover future expected cash dividends paid … Read more

Microsoft Wins GitHub Over Alphabet

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Image Source: Microsoft deal presentation Microsoft has agreed to acquire GitHub for $7.5 billion. Competing bids may have driven the price tag higher, but Microsoft’s financial flexibility remains top-notch. By Kris Rosemann On June 4, simulated Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio idea Microsoft (MSFT) agreed to acquire privately-held GitHub, one of the world’s leading software development platforms, for $7.5 billion in stock. We like that Microsoft isn’t taking on more debt related to this transaction, and in light of Microsoft’s buyback program, the deal is more cash-like than anything else. GitHub will continue to operate independently in providing an open platform for developers after the deal closes, which is expected by the end of 2018, similar to Microsoft’s course of action … Read more