How Some Members Use Valuentum’s Investment Services

By Brian Nelson, CFA Thank you for your membership to Valuentum. We serve a wide variety of investors, including dividend growth investors, value investors, and pure Valuentum investors, among others. Many different types of investors and professionals use our research and financial analysis in a whole host of applications from individual stock-selection to the evaluation of closed-end funds to an overlay in a money-management setting and beyond. We wanted to make sure that you know that, if you’re a dividend growth or income investor, that there are others that use our website to utilize the Valuentum process, fair value estimates and other metrics. Similarly, if you’re a practitioner of the Valuentum system, I wanted to make sure that you are … Read more

Dividend Growth Idea UnitedHealth’s Growth Story Expected to Continue

Image Shown: Shares of dividend growth idea UnitedHealth Group Inc have surged higher over the past year. The company put up solid performance in 2021 and its guidance for 2022 indicates that its growth trajectory is expected to continue. By Callum Turcan On January 19, UnitedHealth Group Inc (UNH) reported fourth-quarter 2021 earnings that beat both consensus top- and bottom-line estimates. The company’s health insurance business is covered by its ‘UnitedHealthcare’ segment, and its health care provider business is covered by its ‘Optum’ segment. Virtually all of the firm’s revenues come from the U.S. It also reaffirmed its guidance for 2022 in its fourth-quarter earnings report. We continue to be impressed with UnitedHealth and include shares of UNH as an … Read more

Dividend Growth Idea UnitedHealth Group Beats Estimates, Raises Guidance (Again)

Image Shown: Shares of dividend growth idea UnitedHealth Group Inc moved higher in the wake of its latest earnings report and guidance boost. By Callum Turcan On October 14, the health insurance and health care services provider giant UnitedHealth Group Inc (UNH) reported third-quarter 2021 earnings that beat both consensus top- and bottom-line estimates. The company also raised its full-year earnings guidance (again) for 2021 in conjunction with its latest earnings report, boosting its EPS forecast to $17.70-$17.95 and its non-GAAP adjusted EPS forecast to $18.65-$18.90. Please note that UnitedHealth Group also increased its full-year earnings guidance during the first and second quarters of 2021. Back in December 2020, UnitedHealth Group expected to post $16.90-$17.40 in EPS and $17.75-$18.25 in … Read more

Dividend Growth Idea UnitedHealth Group Surges Towards All-Time Highs After Stellar Earnings Update, Guidance Boost

Image Shown: Shares of UnitedHealth Group Inc, an idea in the Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio, are trading near their all-time highs as of this writing after the firm reported a stellar second quarter 2021 earnings report. In conjunction with its latest earnings report, UnitedHealth Group once again raised its full-year adjusted EPS guidance for 2021. We continue to be huge fans of the name. By Callum Turcan On July 15, UnitedHealth Group Inc (UNH) reported second-quarter 2021 earnings that beat both consensus top- and bottom-line estimates thanks to the enduring strength of its Optum businesses and strong performance at its UnitedHealthcare health insurance businesses. Its Optum businesses provide an expansive slate of healthcare offerings from ambulatory services to pharmacy and … Read more

Dividend Growth Idea UnitedHealth Group Boosts Payout

Image Shown: We include UnitedHealth Group Inc as an idea in our Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio. The health care giant recently boosted its quarterly payout by 16% on a sequential basis. By Callum Turcan Recently, the US-based health care insurance, services, and solutions provider UnitedHealth Group Inc (UNH) boosted its quarterly dividend by 16% to $1.45 per share or $5.80 on an annualized basis. On a forward-looking basis, shares of UNH yield ~1.5% as of this writing. We include UnitedHealth Group as an idea in the Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio as its forward-looking dividend coverage is rock-solid. Strong Payout Coverage UnitedHealth Group’s Dividend Cushion ratio sits at 3.1, which incorporates our expectations the firm will significantly grow its payout in … Read more

UnitedHealth Group Raises Guidance After Stellar Earnings Report

Image Shown: We added UnitedHealth Group Inc to the Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio back on November 27, 2020. Since then, shares of UNH have surged higher, though we are primarily interested in the company’s immense dividend growth potential. By Callum Turcan On April 15, health insurance and health care solutions provider UnitedHealth Group Inc (UNH) reported first quarter 2021 earnings that beat both consensus top- and bottom-line estimates. In conjunction with the earnings update, management raised the company’s full-year adjusted (non-GAAP) EPS forecast for 2021 up to $18.10 – $18.60 versus $17.75 – $18.25 previously. At the midpoint of guidance, the company’s new forecast represents ~9% growth over its 2020 adjusted EPS of $16.88. UnitedHealth Group maintained its expectations for … Read more

Cigna Is An Intriguing Health Care Idea

Image Source: Cigna Corporation –2021 Investor Day Presentation Executive Summary: Health care giant Cigna Corporation has a stellar cash flow profile, pristine balance sheet, promising growth outlook, and remains committed to rewarding shareholders. The company initiated a quarterly dividend at the start of 2021 and intends to continue buying back a sizable amount of its stock going forward. Management recently issued favorable guidance that indicates Cigna’s growth story is expected to continue this year as the world emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic. Cigna’s telehealth ambitions are quite intriguing as well. Recent updates at Cigna have placed the health care company on our radar. By Callum Turcan Cigna Corporation (CI) offers various health care products and services including health insurance plans, behavioral … Read more

UnitedHealth Group Is a Rock-Solid Dividend Growth Opportunity

Image Shown: Shares of UnitedHealth Group Inc, which we added to our Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio back on November 27, continue to climb higher. The top end of our fair value estimate for UnitedHealth Group sits at $401 per share. By Callum Turcan On January 20, UnitedHealth Group (UNH) issued fourth quarter and full-year results for 2020 that beat both consensus top- and bottom-line estimates. The health care giant reported a 6% annual increase in its GAAP revenues in 2020, with its ‘Premiums,’ ‘Products’ and ‘Services’ sales all reporting meaningful increases. Its GAAP earnings from operations grew by 14% annually in 2020, though we caution there is some noise due to the deferral of certain medical procedures, a result of … Read more

ICYMI: Valuentum’s Brian Nelson on the Latest Howard Marks’ Memo: “Something of Value”

Valuentum’s President of Investment Research Brian Michael Nelson, CFA, explains why there are not really value and growth stocks, why most of the research in quantitative finance is spurious and needs to be redefined on a forward-looking basis, and why enterprise valuation (not the efficient markets hypothesis) should be the organizing principle of finance. Nelson explains his views about valuation, what it means to be a value investor, and investing in the context of Oaktree Capital Howard Marks’ latest memo, “Something of Value,” January 11, 2021. Please don’t forget to give the second edition of the book “Value Trap” a 5-star rating on Amazon here. Thank you for your membership! —– Tickerized for holdings in the IWM. Valuentum members have … Read more

Walgreens Begins to Recover

Image Shown: Shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc are beginning to recover. By Callum Turcan Shares of Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc (WBA) are on the rise after the company recently posted a solid earnings report while also reaching a big divestment deal. As we recently covered, Walgreens is divesting most of its European-focused wholesale pharmaceutical distribution business to AmerisourceBergen (ABC) and that article can be viewed here. Please note Walgreens has a material strategic stake in AmerisourceBergen’s equity which will grow in terms of total shares once the divestment closes. Here is a brief excerpt from that article: On January 6, Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc announced it had reached a deal with AmerisourceBergen Corporation (ABC) to sell the “the majority of” … Read more