Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week Ending October 26

Firms Raising Their Dividends This Week Access National (ANCX): now $0.17 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.16. Alliance Resource Partners (ARLP): now $0.525 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.52. American Electric Power (AEP): now $0.67 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.62. Apollo Senior Floating Rate Fund (AFT): now $0.10 per share monthly dividend, was $0.10. Bank of Hawaii (BOH): now $0.62 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.60. Bank of Marin Bancorp (BMRC): now $0.35 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.32. Brookline Bancorp (BRKL): now $0.105 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.10. Cabot Oil & Gas (COG): now $0.07 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.06. Cheniere Energy Partners (CQP): now $0.58 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.56. Coca-Cola European (CCE): now … Read more

2,350-2,750 on the S&P? Could the Coronavirus Catalyze a Financial Crisis?

Image: We think a rather modest sell-off in the market to the target range of 2,350-2,750 on the S&P 500 is rather reasonable in the wake of one of the biggest economic shocks since the Global Financial Crisis. The chart above shows how far markets have advanced since 2011, and an adjustment lower to the target range of 2,350-2,750 is rather modest in such a context and would only bring markets to late 2018 levels (note red box as the target range). The range reflects ~16x S&P 500 12-month forward earnings estimates, as of February 14, adjusted down 10% due to COVID-19. When companies like Visa talk about a couple percentage points taken off of growth rates, one knows that … Read more

4 Very Good Reasons Why We Don’t Like Dividends of Banking Stocks

Untermyer: Is not commercial credit based primarily upon money or property?Morgan: No, sir. The first thing is character.Untermyer: Before money or property?Morgan: Before money or anything else. Money cannot buy it … a man I do not trust could not get money from me on all the bonds in Christendom. –Mr. JP Morgan’s testimony before the Pujo Committee (questioning from Samuel Untermyer), 1912-1913   Image: Bank Run in Michigan, USA, February 1933. Source: Public Domain. By Brian Nelson, CFA It’s sometimes easy to lose sight of the fragility of a banking firm’s business model. Let’s examine the reasons why we don’t like banking firms’ dividends. Reason #1: A Bank Run Is Always Possible. Reason #2: Others Have Tried to Invest in Bank Dividends and Have Failed. Reason #3: … Read more

Why We Don’t Like Dividends of Banking Firms: 4 Very Good Reasons

Untermyer: Is not commercial credit based primarily upon money or property? Morgan: No, sir. The first thing is character. Untermyer: Before money or property? Morgan: Before money or anything else. Money cannot buy it … a man I do not trust could not get money from me on all the bonds in Christendom. –Mr. JP Morgan’s testimony before the Pujo Committee (questioning from Samuel Untermyer), 1912-1913 Reason #1: A Bank Run Is Always Possible Though the history of banking dates back to as early as 2000 BC in Babylonia, the makings of the present-day banking system in the US really didn’t take hold until the beginning of the 20th century. Some financial historians may argue for a later date, but we … Read more

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week Ending October 27

Below we provide a list of firms that raised/lowered their dividends during the week ending October 27. The dividend reports of covered firms on this list will be updated shortly with the new information. To access our dividend reports use the ‘Symbol’ search box in our website header. Firms Raising Their Dividends This Week 1st Constitution Bancorp (FCCY): now $0.06 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.05. Abaxis (ABAX): now $0.16 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.14. AbbVie (ABBV): now $0.71 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.64. AFLAC (AFL): now $0.45 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.43. Agnico Eagle (AEM): now $0.11 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.10. Alliance Holdings (AHGP): now $0.735 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.73. Alliance Resource … Read more

Update: Frequently Asked Questions About Valuentum Securities, Inc.

What is Valuentum Securities? Valuentum (val∙u∙n∙tum) [val-yoo-en-tuh-m] Securities Inc. is an independent investment research publisher, offering premium equity reports and dividend reports, as well as commentary across all sectors/companies, a Best Ideas Newsletter (spanning market caps, asset classes), a Dividend Growth Newsletter, modeling tools/products, and more. Independence and integrity remain our core, and we strive to be a champion of the investor. Valuentum is based in the Chicagoland area. Valuentum is not a money manager, broker, or financial advisor. Valuentum is a publisher of financial information. How do I subscribe to Valuentum’s investment research services? 1)    Click the following link: signup-page. 2)    Select your membership plan. 3)    Enter your contact details. 4)    Click ‘Sign Up.’ 5)    Complete your purchase. 6)   Your payment profile may be recurring, so please check … Read more

How to Think About Corporate Tax Reform

US Congress Is Getting Ready to Pass a Massive ~$2.2 Trillion Fiscal Stimulus Bill

Image Shown: US equities have started to recover some of their lost ground as the likelihood that the US Congress will pass a massive ~$2.2 trillion fiscal stimulus and emergency spending package, dubbed the CARES Act, has increased significantly over the past week as seen through the bounce in the SPDR S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY). President Trump has clearly indicated that he intends to sign such a bill into law as soon as possible, with the US House of Representatives expected to take up the legislation this upcoming Friday morning on March 27. By Callum Turcan On March 25, the US Senate worked late into the night to secure a bipartisan compromise on a massive ~$2.2 trillion fiscal stimulus … Read more

Primer on the Banking Sector: Where Are We in the Cycle?

Image Source: GotCredit Three of our favorite banks are JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, and US Bancorp. These are three very high-quality institutions which are also very well managed. They all benefit from cultures that encourage the right kind of risk/reward thinking. If these equities start to trade at a meaningful discount to our fair value estimates, they may be are worth considering as long-term investments, in our view. Summary We’ll talk about how banks make money, and the three most important costs of running a bank. The Great Financial Crisis revealed the tremendous risks of banking equities, and we’ll walk through these in depth. We’ll discuss how to conceptualize where we are in the banking cycle, and how that … Read more

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week Ending January 29

Below we provide a list of firms that raised/lowered their dividends during the week ending January 29. The dividend reports of covered firms on this list will be updated shortly with the new information. To access our dividend reports use the ‘Symbol’ search box in our website header. Firms Raising Their Dividends This Week A.O. Smith (AOS): now $0.24 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.19. AGCO (AGCO): now $0.13 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.12. Apartment Investment (AIV): now $0.33 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.30. Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. (AIT): now $0.28 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.27. Archrock Inc. (AROC): now $0.1875 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.15. Arthur J. Gallagher (AJG): now $0.38 per share quarterly dividend, … Read more