The Quick-Serve Restaurant Space Could Be Poised for a Rebound

Wendy’s Every time we look at the restaurant space, we are surprised to see at how small Wendy’s (click ticker for report: ) market capitalization is. Shares have been stuck in neutral for the past year, even though we think the company is in a much better competitive position. Unlike McDonald’s (click ticker for report: ), which has distinctly made itself the preeminent value chain, Wendy’s has mostly held the line on pricing. Wendy’s “Right Price, Right Size” menu has helped, but overall the company has lost traffic. If economic conditions improve, we think Wendy’s could be a beneficiary versus its peers because it has maintained its quality reputation. While the levels of price differences in the burger space (Wendy’s/McDonald’s/Burger … Read more

Nelson: The 16 Most Important Steps To Understand The Stock Market

A previous version of this article appeared on our website July 21, 2013. Refreshed and updated throughout, as of July 2018. By Brian Nelson, CFA After earning my MBA at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and training stock and credit analysts from large organizations over the past decade or so, I have heard just about every question (though I admit I am still surprised by many things and remain a very humble student of the markets). I’ve also spent years perfecting the discounted cash flow process for large research organizations such as Morningstar and studied under one of the most famed aggressive growth investors of all time, Richard Driehaus. My knowledge runs the gamut from value through … 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

Stock Market Outlook for 2021

By Valuentum Analysts February 8, 2021 2020 was one for the history books. We covered our thoughts and reflections on the past year in our “2020 Won’t Soon Be Forgotten” article (link here), and now we are looking towards the future. Global health authorities should be able to bring an end to the ongoing coronavirus (‘COVID-19’) pandemic sooner than many had expected as several vaccines have already been improved for emergency use and several others appear increasingly likely to get approved. Global vaccine distribution activities are currently underway, and this should allow the world to slowly return to pre-pandemic activities. Before then, immense stimulus measures launched primarily in developed nations should support global economic activities until the public health crisis … Read more

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week May 14

Below we provide a list of firms that raised their dividends during the week ending May 14. 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 AirBoss of America (ABSSF): now CAD 0.10 per share quarterly dividend, was CAD 0.07. Alerus Financial (ALRS): now $0.16 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.15. CapStar Financial (CSTR): now $0.06 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.05. Chesapeake Energy (CHK): now $0.34375 per share quarterly dividend. Companhia Siderurgica (SID): now $2.00 per share annual dividend, was $0.002. Curtiss-Wright (CW): now $0.18 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.17. … Read more

Surveying Valuentum Buying Index Performance in the Restaurant Space

The stock-selection methodology, the Valuentum Buying Index, is as simple as an efficacious stock-selection methodology can be. However, that doesn’t mean that the Valuentum Buying Index is simple. The Valuentum Buying Index considers the rigors of a discounted cash-flow process, the considerations of relative valuation techniques, and the transparency of pricing information via market indicators. Yet despite its straightforwardness, the Valuentum Buying Index casts a discerning eye on the equities it monitors. The Valuentum Buying Index does not make a ‘call’ on every company. It only views a 9 or a 10 on the measure to be actionable on the long side, and it only views a 1 or 2 on the measure to be actionable on the short side. … Read more

How to Think About Corporate Tax Reform