KFY

The Valuentum Buying Index as a Differentiating Factor

by

“No other research provider has approached mapping the market in this manner, making Valuentum’s research a differentiating factor behind your practice and a must-have for any investor.” — Brian Nelson, CFA  By Brian Nelson, CFA We have a huge day of earnings coming out today, and we’re excited about the upcoming releases at Apple (AAPL), Alphabet (GOOG) (GOOGL) and Microsoft (MSFT) after the close. Facebook (FB) is scheduled to report after the market close tomorrow, July 28. The important consideration, however, is how these reports impact our long-term forecasts, and we won’t be reading much into their share-price reaction to the reports, whether good or bad. Valuentum stock reports for Apple here (pdf), Facebook here (pdf), Alphabet here (pdf), PayPal … Read more

Two Alerts and Bull Market On!

by

By Brian Nelson, CFA It’s very hard not to be bullish on the stock market these days. The prudence exercised by many of the largest companies in the S&P 500 remains unprecedented, in our view. Some of the best companies out there have tremendous balance sheets, as evidenced by huge net cash positions. Perhaps two of our favorite companies, Microsoft (MSFT) and Facebook (FB) are the best examples of this, but Apple (AAPL) still retains quite the large net cash hoard as it works to net-cash breakeven. As we look at the next couple years, most investors will continue to focus on the Fed. We’ve seen this song and dance following the Great Financial Crisis (GFC) that wreaked havoc on … Read more

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week June 25

by

Below we provide a list of firms that raised their dividends during the week ending June 25. 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 Alico (ALCO): now $0.50 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.18. Bancolombia S.A. (CIB): now $0.072 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.064. Darden Restaurants (DRI): now $1.10 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.88. Empire (EMLAF): now CAD 0.15 per share quarterly dividend, was CAD 0.13. Fifth Street Asset Management (FSAM): now $0.014665 per share final dividend, was $0.0145. First Bancorp (FNLC): now $0.32 per share quarterly dividend, … Read more

Best Idea Korn Ferry Posts Record Results, Shares Surge

by

Image Shown: Korn Ferry posted record fee revenue and diluted EPS performance in the final quarter of fiscal 2021 as its business continued to recover. We include Korn Ferry as an idea in our Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio and continue to be huge fans of the name. Image Source: Korn Ferry – Fourth Quarter of Fiscal 2021 IR Earnings Presentation By Callum Turcan On June 22, the global organizational consulting firm Korn Ferry reported fourth quarter earnings for fiscal 2021 (period ended April 30, 2021) that beat both consensus top- and bottom-line estimates. Shares of KFY surged higher by almost 10% during the normal trading session on June 22 as management provided promising near-term guidance in conjunction with the earnings … Read more

Top Ideas Doing Great

by

Image Source: Aguayo Samuel By Brian Nelson, CFA Hi everyone: Hope you’re doing great. The S&P 500 (SPY) continues to roar higher. No longer is the market as easy of a call when we pounded the table near the bottom in April 2020, but we remain bullish on the backdrop. The economy remains very healthy, borrowing rates remain near all-time lows, and widespread interest in equities remains elevated given the paltry yields on alternatives such as investment-grade bonds. We continue to let our winners run, though we remain vigilant in protecting the downside. Quietly, the two top holdings in the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio, Alphabet (GOOG) and Facebook (FB), have raced to outsized performance during 2021, advancing 43%+ and ~21% … Read more

Best Idea Korn Ferry Getting Ready to Post Earnings

by

Image Shown: Korn Ferry’s revenue generation mix across business operating segments, geographies, and industries as of the third quarter of fiscal 2021. Image Source: Korn Ferry – Third Quarter of Fiscal 2021 Earnings IR Presentation By Callum Turcan The management consulting firm Korn Ferry (KFY) was added to the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio on January 12, 2021 (link here) after the firm registered a 9 on the Valuentum Buying Index (‘VBI’). Shares of KFY have increased by 31% since then versus an 11% gain for the S&P 500 (SPY) as of the end of normal trading hours on June 18. The top end of our fair value estimate range sits $79 per share of KFY, well above where shares of … Read more

ICYMI — Video: Exclusive 2020 — Furthering the Financial Discipline

by

ICYMI — Video: Exclusive 2020 — Furthering the Financial Discipline — — In this 40+ minute video jam-packed with must-watch content, Valuentum’s President Brian Nelson talks about the Theory of Universal Valuation and how his work is furthering the financial discipline. Learn the pitfalls of factor investing and modern portfolio theory and how the efficient markets hypothesis holds little substance in the wake of COVID-19. He’ll talk about which companies Valuentum likes and why, and which areas he’s avoiding. This and more in Valuentum’s 2020 Exclusive conference call.   Note: This video was originally published August 2, 2020.    To watch the video >>   The Theory of Universal Valuation —– Valuentum members have access to our 16-page stock reports, … Read more

Markets Back on Track – Seeking Net-Cash-Rich, Free Cash Flow Generators with Pricing Power!

by

By Brian Nelson, CFA The past few trading sessions have tested the conviction of many equity holders, but we remain focused on the long run and believe the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio, Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio, and the High Yield Dividend Newsletter portfolio (available to registered members of that publication) are well positioned for long-term capital appreciation potential, dividend growth potential, and sustainable high yield dividend income, respectively. During the trading session May 13, the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio was led by some of our favorite net-cash-rich, free-cash-flow powerhouses. Moving convincingly higher, Apple (AAPL), Cisco (CSCO) and Microsoft (MSFT) have strong net cash positions on the balance sheet and generate impressive free cash flow well in excess of expected cash … Read more

Why You Need to Hire an Active Stock Manager and Ditch Modern Portfolio Theory

by

Image: Why You Need to Hire an Active Stock Manager and Ditch Modern Portfolio Theory. An Approximate Hypothetical representation of an active manager that charges a 2% active management fee that mirrors the S&P 500 benchmark versus an advisor that charges a 1% advisor fee that applies a 60/40 stock/bond rebalancing from 1990-2021. Approximate Hypothetical returns are based on the following extrapolation: “Since inception in November 9, 1992, returns after taxes on distributions and sales of fund shares for the [Vanguard Balanced Index Fund Investor Shares] VBINX came in at 6.5% through June 30, 2020, while the same measure since inception in January 22, 1993, for the S&P 500, as measured by the S&P 500 ETF Trust (SPY), came in … Read more

Korn Ferry Leaps Higher Toward Our Fair Value Estimate

by

Image Shown: Korn Ferry’s stock has surged since it registered a 9 on the Valuentum Buying Index. The company is also included as a holding in the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio. Brian Nelson, CFA During the trading session Monday, February 22, Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio holding and 9-rated on the Valuentum Buying Index, Korn Ferry (KFY) jumped nearly 9% thanks to better-than-expected fiscal third-quarter 2021 results. Korn Ferry’s fee revenue advanced 9% on a sequential basis as the global consulting firm hauled in record operating income of $65.2 million, record adjusted EBITDA of $96.7 million, and record net income of $51.3 billion during the three months ended January 31, 2021. Here’s what CEO Gary D. Burnison had to say in … Read more