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Big Pharma Round Up

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Though much has been made about the patent cliff—shorthand for the expiration of the patents of a large number of drugs over a short period of time—we continue to believe that pipelines across much of the pharmaceutical space are flush with new drugs and therapies. Readers may have an individual favorite or two (or three) within the space (and there’s nothing wrong with that), but we think one of the best ways for investors to play the strong pipelines across the healthcare sector—and ongoing consolidation—is through the Health Care Select SPDR ETF (XLV), a holding in the Best Ideas portfolio. The ETF boasts Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), Pfizer (PFE), Merck (MRK), Gilead Sciences (GILD), and AbbVie (ABBV) as its top … Read more

Valuentum Economic Castleâ„¢ Rating Update

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Read: Keeping the Horse Before the Cart: Valuentum’s Economic Castle™ Rating The Economic Castle Focuses on the Magnitude of Economic Value Creation The Valuentum Economic Castle™ rating is an enhancement of the competitive advantage framework (commonly known as economic moat analysis) that has become widespread and ubiquitous within the investing world. Whereas an economic moat framework evaluates a firm on the basis of the sustainability and durability of its competitive advantages, Valuentum’s Economic Castle™ rating evaluates a firm on the basis of the firm’s future economic profit spread (return on invested capital less its weighted average cost of capital). The companies with the strongest Valuentum Economic Castle™ ratings are poised to generate the most economic value for shareholders in the … Read more

Big News in Big Pharma

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Pfizer Held Talks to Acquire AstraZeneca “Pfizer Inc. (PFE), the world’s biggest drugmaker, held informal, now-discontinued talks with AstraZeneca Plc (AZN) about buying the London-based maker of asthma and heart drugs, said two people familiar with the matter… …The companies aren’t currently negotiating, said the people, who asked not to be identified. One said the talks happened several months ago and there are no plans to resume. The discussions were first reported yesterday by London’s Sunday Times, whose unnamed bank and industry sources said New York-based Pfizer made a tentative approach about a takeover valuing AstraZeneca at more than 60 billion pounds ($101 billion).” (Source: Bloomberg) To continue reading >> Valeant and Activist Investor Bill Ackman Pursue Allergan “Canada’s Valeant … Read more

Surveying Fourth Quarter Earnings at Health Care Firms

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The broader equity markets have been under pressure for much of January, and while it may be tempting to consider completely exiting stock investing for a time, we’re staying the course with both of our actively-managed portfolios. We had been expecting a contraction in price-to-earnings (P/E) multiples across the broader market (see our outlook here), and the performance thus far in 2014 has not been surprising. In case you may have missed it, I sent out some very important thoughts over the weekend to keep in mind as uncertainty and volatility increase through the course of 2014: Stay focused on @Valuentum portfolio holdings (best ideas), #asset allocation (cash) in portfolios and #prudence in allocating new capital. — Brian Nelson, CFA … Read more

Three Reasons Why Dividend Growth Investors Are Quite Savvy

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A version of this article appeared on our website on October 1, 2013. There are many different approaches to investing, but we think dividend growth investors are quite savvy, especially when they combine a rigorous dividend growth process in the form of the Valuentum Dividend Cushion ratio with the valuation rigors behind the Valuentum Buying Index. Let’s examine the three reasons why we think dividend growth investors are a smart group in the age of ultra-low interest rates. #1. Fool Me Once, Shame on You…Fool Me Twice, Shame on Me Today’s dividend growth crowd has seen enough. First, they witnessed the dot-com bubble (1997-2000), a period in stock market history where firms’ stock prices soared in some cases as a result … Read more

Surveying 3Q Performance from Big Pharma: Bristol-Myers, Eli Lilly, and AbbVie

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Bristol-Myers On Wednesday, Bristol-Myers (BMY) showcased the strength of its key marketed products in its third-quarter report. The firm experienced a 9% increase in net sales and a 12% jump in non-GAAP diluted earnings per share. Bristol-Myers also confirmed its 2013 non-GAAP earnings per share range of $1.70 to $1.78 per share. Looking at its current marketed portfolio, Abilify, its largest revenue generator, faced a 16% decline, though this was offset by strength in Yervoy, which grew 33%, Orencia, which grew 22%, and Sprycel, which grew 20%. Yervoy doesn’t lose exclusivity in key markets until after 2020 (2023 in the US), Orencia loses exclusivity in Japan, the EU, and the US between years 2017 and 2019, and Sprycel doesn’t lose … Read more

Eli Lilly Might Have a Blockbuster Cancer Drug

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Pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly (click ticker for report: ) saw its shares pop during Tuesday’s trading session after revealing positive data about one of the lung cancer drugs in its oncological pipeline. The company issued a press release on the treatment (necitumumab), saying: “SQUIRE, a recently completed Phase III study, met its primary endpoint, finding that patients with stage IV metastatic squamous non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) experienced increased overall survival (OS) when administered necitumumab (IMC-11F8) in combination with gemcitabine and cisplatin as a first-line treatment, as compared to chemotherapy alone.” While some have brushed off the news, this is very positive data for Eli Lilly. For one, the treatment met its primary endpoint, implying the efficacy of the drug … Read more

Pfizer and Eli Lilly Report Strong Performance; Drug Pipelines Continue to Advance

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Pfizer (click ticker for report: ) and Eli Lilly (click ticker for report: ) reported their respective fourth-quarter results Tuesday, and we were pleased with the performance. Pfizer’s $15.1 billion in revenue (down 7%) and $0.47 in adjusted earnings per share (down 4%) topped estimates, while Eli Lilly’s $5.96 billion in revenue (down 1%) and $0.85 in earnings per share (down 2%) also surprised the Street to the upside. Both companies are dealing with patent expiration on blockbuster drugs—Pfizer’s cholesterol-fighter Lipitor and Lilly’s schizophrenia drug Zyprexa. Pfizer expects to stem the losses from Lipitor with new drugs such as Xeljanz for rheumatoid arthritis and Eliquis, an anti-clotting drug that helps prevent stroke and systemic embolism in patients with nonvalvular atrial … Read more

The Valuentum Dividend100 Publication; A Must-Have For Any Income Investor

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Dividend investors literally have thousands of income stocks to choose from. So what are they to do, and where can they go for the most trusted forward-looking opinions on dividend growth and safety? That’s the question we seek to answer with our ValuentumDividend100 publication. In this document, we showcase the top 100 high-quality, dividend growth gems within our coverage universe. Whether you’re looking to build a portfolio consisting of high-yielding, dividend-growers or simply seeking to augment it with a few income gems, the Valuentum Dividend100 is an essential resource for any income investor. We outline some of the key components of our Dividend100 publication below, and explain how you can get the most from each of one Sign Up for … Read more

A Dual Focus on Valuation and Yield Is the Best Way to Combat Changes in Future Dividend Tax Rates

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With a potential hike in the dividend tax rate just around the corner, there is no more important time than now for income investors to evaluate their existing portfolio holdings to determine whether they are well-positioned for a higher-tax environment. Assuming there are no changes to the current trajectory, the top dividend tax rate is expected to rise to 39.6% next year (up from 15% currently), and the highest-income earners will see a Medicare surtax on top of that. Evaluate All Aspects of a Dividend Investment First of all, we think those investing in high-yielders (firms) at any price (HYAAP) may be most affected by this change in tax rates. These high-yielders at any price (HYAAP) tend to be favorites of those at or near retirement, particularly given the paltry payouts on fixed … Read more