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.

Subscribe: The Nelson Exclusive Is Simply One of a Kind

“I think the Nelson Exclusive publication is worth far more than what we charge for it, and we’re making it even better.” Hi folks, I have to admit that I was quite worried about launching the Nelson Exclusive May 2016. I didn’t know what to expect, and as we’ve progressed with new ideas each and every month, I’ve been working hard to incorporate feedback. For starters, we’re going to be moving to tracking the income characteristics of the income ideas on a go-forward basis as a measure of their success. Many members have voiced this long-term income-oriented preference, and frankly we think it makes a lot of sense. Not one income idea in the Exclusive has cut its dividend! But … Read more

Admit It: You Know Nothing About the Dividend

President of Investment Research Brian Nelson talks about how the concept of a dividend is completely miscontrued due to societal and cultural reasons, but he also explains why he likes dividends. Warning: He’s going to bust out Monopoly pieces. You don’t want to miss this! Running time: ~15 minutes.

I Love Dividends But the Dividend Discount Model is DEAD!

President of Investment Research Brian Nelson gives a plethora of reasons why the dividend discount model is dead and expresses his worries about how it continues to be used academically and professionally. Also included is a discussion about why the weighted average cost of capital, or the WACC, is used in the enterprise free cash flow valuation process, or the free cash flow to the firm process. Running time: ~13 minutes.

Video: Quants! You’re NOT Measuring VALUE and Nelson’s Theory of Universal Value

President of Investment Research Brian Nelson defines the concept of universal value and shows how quantitative statistical methods are inextricably linked to those of fundamental, financial, business-model related analysis. Value does not exist in respective process vacuums! Value is universal. Find out why. Running time: ~10 minutes.  Tickerized for Valuentum’s stock and ETF coverage universe. Transcript Hi this is Brian Nelson from Valuentum Securities, and this is the tenth edition of a series that I call “Off the Cuff,” where I get in front of the camera and I talk for ten minutes. This is what we have to talk about today. We have to talk about this concept: The Theory of Universal Value. Value does not exist in vacuums … Read more

Strategy Versus Tactics in the Dividend Growth Newsletter Portfolio

Image Source: fauxto_digit We made a few tactical tweaks to the Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio during 2017. Let’s walk through them, and how we’re out to win the war, not win every battle. < Note: The introduction is the same as that of the tactical analysis of the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio. If you have already read through the introduction, please proceed to the section, Dividend Growth Newsletter Portfolio below. > By Brian Nelson, CFA I’m not going to reference The Art of War written by Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu some time in the 5th century, nor am I going to use any quotes from the military treatise (I think it’s too well-traveled of a topic), but I do … Read more

How Have Our Best “Dividend Growth Ideas” Performed During 2017?

Read about the ideas in the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio >> We wrote recently about how well the top-weighted ideas in the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio have performed during 2017, but what about the top-weighted ideas in the other newsletter portfolio, the Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio? How have they performed during 2017? Please tell us you know how well the top-weighted ideas have been performing. Key Takeaways: 1) “Excluding dividends, the SPDR S&P 500 Dividend ETF has advanced less than 9% this year. Meanwhile, excluding dividends, the two top-weighted ideas in the Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio, Johnson & Johnson and Intel, are up ~20% and ~24%, respectively, more than double that of the SPDR S&P 500 Dividend ETF.”  2) “We’re viewing … Read more

Manufacturing Woes Continue to Hamper ZimmerBiomet

Image Source: ZimmerBiomet The medical device industry continues its torrid run during 2017 as the perception of a more-favorable regulatory environment continues to fuel investor enthusiasm for the industry. While a rising tide can lift all boats, shares of ZimmerBiomet have come under intense selling pressure post its recent earnings debacle. Let’s review the company’s prospects. By Alexander J. Poulos Overview ZimmerBiomet (ZBH) is a leading supplier of medical devices with a focus on the musculoskeletal market. The company holds a sizeable market share in artificial knees, hips, and spinal solutions thanks in large part to the recently-completed merger of Zimmer with Biomet. The musculoskeletal market’s overall value is estimated to be worth $50 billion, but it is growing at … Read more

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week Ending July 7

Below we provide a list of firms that raised/lowered their dividends during the week ending July 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 Bank of the Ozarks (OZRK): now $0.18 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.175. Enterprise Products Partners (EPD): now $0.42 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.415. Highway Holdings (HIHO): now $0.10 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.07. HopFed Bancorp (HFBC): now $0.05 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.04.        Medtronic (MDT): now $0.46 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.43. NetApp (NTAP): now $0.20 per share quarterly dividend, was … Read more

Alerts – Spring Cleaning in the Newsletter Portfolios

We’re making a number of changes to the newsletter portfolios. By Brian Nelson, CFA Changes in Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio We’re removing Medtronic. Medtronic (MDT) reported decent fiscal fourth-quarter results May 25 that showed revenue advancing ~5% and bottom-line earnings-per-share beating consensus by a couple pennies. We’re not messing around in this frothy market though, and we’ve learned from our miscue with Teva Pharma (TEVA). Medtronic has too much debt this late into the credit cycle for our comfort, and frankly, we’re starting to question more and more why it might have changed how it measures free cash flow. We’re letting shares go from the Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio. The company was added to the Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio under … Read more