The Free Cash Flow Shortfall in the Master Limited Partnership Space

With the recent acceleration of master limited partnership simplification transactions, we find it appropriate to revisit the internally-generated cash flow shortfall present throughout much of the space. The table provides a breakdown of traditional free cash flow (cash from operating activities less all capital spending) relative to distributions paid, as well as a measure of the elevated financial leverage often found within the group. In case you missed it, “Nearly 60 Distribution Cuts Later, We Maintain Our View on the Hazards of the MLP Business Model.” By Kris Rosemann We think it is worth noting that the two entities at the top of this list in terms of traditional free cash flow coverage of distributions paid have significantly reduced their … Read more

Study: Valuentum’s Best Ideas Newsletter Portfolio

To read the study, please click on the image to download the pdf document (pdf).

Master Limited Partnership Simplifications on the Rise

  With the announcement of three separate master limited partnership simplification transactions on May 17 alone, we must revisit our thesis that the business structure may not be in it for the long haul. By Kris Rosemann At Valuentum, we continue to believe the master limited partnership (MLP) business model is at risk over the long haul, and recent news from the space only seems to support the notion that the MLP model we once knew may be fading more quickly than some had expected. If there is nothing inherently wrong with the structure of MLPs, then the rate at which simplification transactions are occurring would certainly be an alarming development, but we continue to point to factors such as … Read more

ICYMI: Valuentum’s Improved Stock and ETF Web Pages

Valuentum has rolled out improved stock and ETF web pages on its website valuentum.com/. Now, subscribers can access key proprietary information on the stock and ETF web pages in addition to the customary stock and ETF reports. Dear reader, We have some exciting news that we can’t wait to share with you! At valuentum.com/, we have rolled out new stock and ETF pages that conveniently include a variety of our proprietary metrics from the Dividend Cushion ratio to the Economic Castle rating and beyond! There’s even mouseover functionality so you can learn about how we define the key metrics across our stock-selection and dividend growth methodologies. You’ll still have access to the stock and dividend reports on the landing pages, … Read more

Portfolios: Dividend Growth Versus Best Ideas

Let’s talk about the difference between the Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio and the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio. Hi folks, I wanted to post a short note because it’s important that we continue to explain the difference between the two newsletter portfolios that we provide as part of the individual membership. We publish a Dividend Growth Newsletter and a Best Ideas Newsletter, the former delivered on the 1st of the month and the latter delivered on the 15th of the month. We also cover and provide reports on over 1,000 stocks and dividends on our website, as well as provide quarterly publications like the Dividend100 publication, for example. We cover the bases. We also provide the monthly Nelson Exclusive publication, which by … Read more

Why Some Investors Fail — Worms!


Image Source: crabchick

When you read our research, we’re not just providing financial metrics — Valuentum is striving to provide an answer to the most important question in investing: what is a company worth? Though there are varying opinions about which underlying factor is the most important investment consideration, at the end of the day, the process of valuation collects every investment consideration to provide a conclusion. It is the answer after all other considerations, the final outcome of analysis. It is why we say that investors that don’t pay attention to valuation may be doomed to fail…eventually. Not seeking valuation is not seeking the answer.

Nearly 60 Distribution Cuts Later, We Maintain Our View on the Hazards of the MLP Business Model

Image Source: Brian Cantoni Valuentum has been highlighting the inherent risks associated with the master limited partnership (MLP) structure for some time now, but we are not alone in acknowledging the limited sustainability of such structures. Internal simplification transactions may only become more common moving forward as management teams seek to optimize the structure of their entities. Readers should continue to cast a skeptical eye on this business model. By Kris Rosemann and Brian Nelson, CFA Quite possibly, Valuentum made the “call of the century” when it outlined its warning on MLPs in June 2015, embedded in its Kinder Morgan (KMI) “call,” and more explicitly in September 2015, “Why the MLP Business Model May Be a Goner.” There was a … Read more

The “Luck” and “Randomness” of Index Funds

Please select the image below to download the document. Image shown, page 1 of 14. Tickerized for Valuentum’s coverage universe.

Hanesbrands Leaps, IBM Falters and More

We were pleased to see the recent performance of Hanesbrands, and we continue to think IBM is not yet out of the woods, despite some life with respect to revenue trends. Let’s cover this and more. By Kris Rosemann There are a lot of things happening in the markets these days. For starters, growth in the world’s second-largest economy accelerated for the first time in seven years as China’s reported growth of 6.9% in 2017 was slightly higher than the 6.7% it achieved in 2016 and the projected growth rate for 2017 of ~6.5%. However, many observers are anticipating a return to the slowing trends of years past as the Chinese government works to reduce risky lending in areas such … Read more