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

Economic Commentary: Apple $225+, Brokers Tumble, Auto Sales Look Tired

“Though all signs point to increased volatility, we maintain our view that we’re well-positioned in the newsletter portfolios, and the ideas highlighted in the Exclusive publication consider the backdrop economic conditions we closely monitor.” — Brian Nelson, CFA There has been plenty of news in the markets this week, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DIA) experiencing significant declines only to bounce back a bit. From where we stand, the markets look vulnerable technically, but that doesn’t mean we’re looking to change anything in the newsletter portfolios. We have some dry powder in the form of a ~10% cash weighting in the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio and Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio. The disappointing September ADP jobs report added to lower-than-expected ISM (Institute … Read more

Semiconductors Broadcom and Cree Push Forward in an Uncertain Environment

Image Source: Broadcom Inc – IR Presentation By Callum Turcan Broadcom (AVGO) posted third quarter earnings for its fiscal 2019 on September 12. The semiconductor and enterprise software giant reported GAAP revenues of $5.5 billion (up 9% year-over-year) and non-GAAP diluted EPS of $5.16 (up 4% year-over-year). The initial reaction from Wall Street was pessimistic on September 13 but shares of AVGO climbed later in the trading session to recover some of those initial losses. Reiterating FY2019 Outlook, FY2020 Outlook Uncertain Right off the bat, one thing we think is very important is that Broadcom reaffirmed revenue guidance for FY2019 calling for $22.5 billion in net sales ($17.5 billion from semiconductor solutions and $5.0 billion from infrastructure software sales). However, … Read more

Economic Roundtable: “Value” Versus “Growth” Rotation

Tickerized for the DIA. “This kind of trading activity could be setting the stage for a big quant fund blow up, if the kind of leverage it takes to move the markets to this magnitude was applied. All it may take is for the B/M “value” factor to continue to suffer in the coming 12-18 months–it’s possible we could see a few quant firms go belly up. My guess is that market participants are paying very close attention to this activity, and if they “smell blood,” things could get ugly.” – Brian Nelson, CFA Earlier this week, the markets experienced significant internal “rotation,” as cyclicals and “value” stocks materially outperformed their defensive and “growth” counterparts, all the while the broader … Read more

Nvidia Beats Low Expectations and Shares are Rewarded Accordingly

Image Source: Nvidia Corporation – IR Presentation By Callum Turcan Nvidia Corporation (NVDA), like the rest of the semiconductor industry, has been on a wild ride over the past few years. On the one hand, the industry has benefited from the cloud-computing build out and the rise of smartphones, along with the emergence of autonomous driving, the internet of things (“IoT”), machine learning, and artificial intelligence. On the other hand, semiconductors are now contending with headwinds from the bust in the cryptocurrency craze, the sharp slowdown in data center investments due in part to ongoing trade wars, and other factors like excess inventory. Expectations were very low for Nvidia heading into its second quarter FY2020 earnings, released August 15, which … Read more

Our Reports on Stocks in the Broad Line Semiconductor Industry

Image Source: Laineema Structure of the Broad Line Semiconductor Industry The broad line semiconductor industry is characterized by intense competition, rapid technological change, and frequent product introductions. The number and variety of computing devices have expanded rapidly, creating a connected landscape between suppliers and competitors. New market segments have emerged rapidly (smartphones, tablets), and constituents must continuously innovate to maintain share as traditional PC demand faces pressure. Though some firms may gain advantages via the combination of their manufacturing/test facilities with their design teams, we think the structure of the group is poor. We’ve optimized our tehnology coverage. To access the reports, please select here.

Thought Piece: The Hidden Advantage

As activist investing proliferates, investors are becoming more and more familiar with celebrity investing gurus such as Carl Icahn and David Einhorn. Let’s examine how these investing giants have carved out a unique structural advantage over mom-and-pop investors. This article was originally published in June 2014. By Brian Nelson, CFA Wouldn’t it be great to load up on options and then announce to the world that you’ve done so, thereby generating tremendous gains as other investors pile into the stock driving its price higher? I think most investors either believe that such behavior is mere fantasy, or would love to have this significant influence for their own use, assuming it was legal. Perhaps to your surprise, this behavior is neither … Read more

Intel Seeks 5G Network and IoT Growth to Offset Data Center Weakness

Image Source: Picture taken by the author. By Callum Turcan A holding in both our Best Ideas Newsletter and Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio, Intel Corporation (INTC) reported earnings on July 25. The semiconductor boosted full-year revenue guidance by $0.5 billion to $69.5 billion while increasing non-GAAP EPS up to $4.40 (from $4.35 previously) for fiscal year 2019, keeping in mind Intel’s top- and bottom-lines are expected to weaken modestly on a year-over-year basis due to poor performance at its data center segment. Management reiterated that Intel still expects to generate $15.0 billion in free cash flow in fiscal year 2019 after spending $15.5 billion on capital expenditures. We like Intel’s free cash flows and income growth trajectory. Shares of INTC … Read more

Join the Conversation on the Market Plunge

The Valuentum team shares its thoughts on the recent surge in volatility and collapse in interest rates amid a trade and currency war between two of the largest economies in the world, the US and China. No changes to the newsletter portfolios at this time. During the past few days, the US (SPY, DIA) and China (FXI, MCHI) have escalated a trade war, turning it into a currency war, the latter allowing its yuan to drop to lower levels against the U.S. dollar. The US has now labeled China a “currency manipulator,” and China has responded by suspending U.S. agricultural purchases. China is one of the largest buyers of U.S. agricultural goods. The Valuentum team builds on its previous conversation … Read more

Google, Intel — Yes!

Google, Intel — Yes! — Let’s talk Google and Intel, remind you that we’ve removed Chipotle, Xilinx, and Boeing from the newsletter portfolios some time ago. I’ll talk a little about PayPal’s run higher and address some other themes, including contingent liabilities with J&J and 3M. — By Brian Nelson, CFA — We don’t get everything right, of course, but lately, we’ve been really doing a great job getting the right ideas in front of you! I’m super proud of our team at Valuentum, and I hope that you are capitalizing on our research. — In a prior article, I talked about how Facebook (FB) and Visa (V), two top-weighted ideas in the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio, were on fire … Read more