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EVERYTHING DIVIDENDS + 3 TOP IDEAS

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The Valuentum analyst team explains the difference between the adjusted Dividend Cushion ratio and its unadjusted counterpart. The success of the Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio is covered, and Valuentum’s top 3 dividend growth ideas are unveiled. ~13 minutes. If you are unable to view the video below, please select the link here or view the transcript below. Kris Rosemann: Hello and welcome to the Valuentum Securities podcast. My name is Kris Rosemann and with me today is Chris Araos and Brian Nelson, the president of equity research and ETF analysis here at Valuentum, and today we’re going to be discussing the Dividend Cushion ratio, the Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio, and some of our favorite dividend ideas on the market today. So … Read more

Part III: Nelson’s Evaluation of Berkshire’s 2015 Annual Report

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<< Go back to Part I << Go back to Part II By Brian Nelson, CFA It’s always a wonder to open up on the Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A, BRK.B) annual report for a large variety of different reasons, but every time I do I can’t help but ponder yesteryear through the table on page 2, “Berkshire’s Performance vs. the S&P 500.” I think I have a unique knack for imagining what might have been if today’s standards would have been applied to Berkshire in the 1970s, perhaps in some ways how many baseball fans may think about whether the legends of the past would have put up the type of numbers that they did if presented with today’s dynamics. For … Read more

Dividend Increases for the Week Ending November 7

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Below we provide a list of firms that raised their dividends during the week ending November 7. 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 Aaron’s (AAN): now $0.023 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.021. Acadia Realty Trust (AKR): was $0.24 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.23. Agrium (AGU): now $0.78 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.75. Atmos Energy (ATO): now $0.39 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.37. AmTrust Financial Services (AFSI): now $0.25 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.20. Cantel Medical (CMN): now $0.05 per share semi-annual dividend, was $0.045. … 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

AIG Still Trades at a Meaningful Discount to Book Value

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On October 31, AIG (AIG) reported third-quarter net income of $2.17 billion and diluted earnings per share of $1.46, compared to $1.9 billion and $1.13 per share in the same period a year ago. Pre-tax income in the firm’s insurance operations were solid during the quarter, with ‘AIG Property Casualty’ and ‘AIG Life and Retirement’ advancing 33% and 38%, respectively, from the same period a year ago. Third-quarter after-tax operating income attributable to AIG came in at $1.42 billion, or $0.96 per share, compared to $1.62 billion, or $0.99, in last year’s quarter. Net income exceeded after-tax operating income as a result of valuation allowance releases associated with deferred tax assets (a non-core boost). Image Source: AIG Though we would … Read more

The Mortgage Refinancing Boom Could Be Ending

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Early Wednesday morning, the Mortgage Banker’s Association (MBA) announced that refinancing activity declined 20% from one week earlier. Adjusted for the Labor Day weekend, total mortgage applications dropped 13.5% from the previous week. Consistent with the dramatic upward movement in interest rates, refinancing activity is down 71% since it peaked during the week of May 3, 2013. Why Do We Monitoring Refinancing Activity? When homeowners refinance, a couple outcomes can occur that pump more dollars into the economy. First, with a refinanced mortgage, owners may choose to take equity out of the home, allowing for large purchases like vehicles or even home remodeling. CoreLogic recently reported that 2.5 million more residential properties have returned to positive equity in the second quarter … Read more

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week Ending November 4

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Below we provide a list of firms that raised/lowered their dividends during the week ending November 4. 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 Aaron’s (AAN): now $0.0275 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.025. Alliance Bernstein (AB): now $0.45 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.40. American States Water (AWR): now $0.242 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.224. Archrock (AROC): now $0.12 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.095. B&G Foods (BGS): now $0.465 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.42. Big 5 Sporting Goods (BGFV): now $0.15 per share quarterly dividend, was … Read more

There Is Milk At The Store

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This article first appeared in the September edition of the High Yield Dividend Newsletter. For more information about this publication, please see here. “Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.” — Winston Churchill By Brian Nelson, CFA Very few of us could have imagined that we’d witness the bull market that began on that fateful day in March 2009 that might very well mark a generational low. In 2009, major investment banks around the globe were struggling to survive, and the fallout in the mortgage markets left the banks holding paper that nobody wanted to own, let alone buy. The global financial system … Read more

Raising Our Fair Value Estimate on Berkshire Hathaway, Our Thoughts on the Insurance Industry

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Image Source: AIG Competitive Structure of the Insurance Industry Constituents in the insurance industry earn revenues primarily from insurance premiums, policy fees from life insurance/investment products, and income from investments. Operating expenses consist of policyholder benefits and claims incurred, interest credited to policyholders, commissions and other costs of servicing products, as well as general business expenses. An insurer’s profitability is dependent on its ability to price and manage risk on insurance and annuity products, to manage its portfolio of investments effectively, and to control costs through expense discipline. The insurance industry is highly competitive, with rivals numbering in the thousands–including stock companies, specialty insurance organizations, life insurers, mutual companies, other underwriting firms, and banks. Though risk-acceptance criteria, product pricing, and … Read more