MRK

Our Ideas Are Performing Awesome So Far in 2018!!! 6 of the Top 7 of the Dow!

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By Brian Nelson, CFA Every day we think about how we can make things easier for our members. Instead of having to visit multiple links on our website with screens, you now have access to one downloadable Excel file where you can sort and rank how you wish. Of course, you can always find those screens in the newsletters, each and every month, too, but we think a weekly data download is a huge value add to our offering. Can you imagine getting updated data every week for 52 weeks of the year for what we charge, let alone two newsletters, hundreds of reports, commentary, and education material? Wow, right? People keep saying we do too much, but when our … Read more

The “Luck” and “Randomness” of Index Funds

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

A Key Inflection Point for Gilead Sciences

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We have closely followed events at Gilead Sciences for signs of an inflection point as we have long felt the market is myopically focused on the Hepatitis C franchise instead of cash flows. Our decision to add the idea to the simulated Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio and the simulated Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio has played out very well as the share price remains locked in an uptrend. We are updating our thesis following the recent conference call. By Alexander J. Poulos Looking Past HCV Image Source: Gilead Sciences Lost in the cacophony of opinions on Gilead (GILD), we are amazed at the intense focus on the Hepatitis C franchise by the investment community. In our opinion, the HCV franchise remains … Read more

Our Overview on Merck in Light of Recent Clinical Events

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Clinical data reads can have an outsize impact on the fortunes of the research-based pharma industry, irrespective of the size of the organization. We came away very impressed with the recent release from Merck and felt a timely overview of the various pharmaceutical products developed by the company would be of value to readers. By Alexander J. Poulos Third Quarter Results Image Source: Merck On October 27, Merck (MRK) released its third-quarter results. The results were met with an immediate sell-off in the shares as the pace of the clinical pipeline disappointed. To say the least, we were surprised by the aggressiveness of the sell-off–the catalyst for the leg down in the share price, in our view, is the declaration … Read more

GlaxoSmithKline: Not All Dividends Are Created Equal

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Many seeking ideas to generate dividend income may be drawn to slow-growing entities with large dividend yields. However, without proper examination of the balance sheet and competitive position, an investor may enter a position banking on a steady dividend stream only to be caught by a sudden cut in the dividend. It is growing increasingly likely that GlaxoSmithKline may be ready to sacrifice the dividend on the altar in the name of additional M&A, in our view. By Alexander J. Poulos GSK Overview GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) remains a venerable European entity with a number of business lines similar to its US rivals such as Pfizer (PFE). At GSK’s core is its heavy reliance on research to bring forth additional novel branded … Read more

Gilead Sciences’ HCV Guidance Is the Star of the Show

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Shares of Gilead Science have been held hostage due to the vagaries of the HCV business. The shares blasted through $100 as the initial sales ramp for its suite of HCV meds took the market by storm. The record revenues posted in 2015 proved to be unsustainable, however, as the curative nature of the treatment meaningfully decreased the eligible pool of patients much to the benefit of society. The Street subsequently punished shares of Gilead as the equity made a near roundtrip back down the high $60’s. The investment community has maintained a near-maniacal obsession with the HCV pipeline with the latest fear of a new competitor stealing share. Let’s examine these key points a bit further. By Alexander J. … Read more

The New Theorem of the Stock Market

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President of Investment Research Brian Nelson talks about the new theory of the stock market and explains how syllogisms developed by Noble prize winners and the largest asset managers may not accurately reflect active management at the investor level, which Nelson argues is what matters. Running time: ~15 minutes. To view Valuentum’s updated YouTube page, please see here.  Excerpts from Value and Momentum Within Stocks, Too (Valuentum) Read the paper from the beginning here (pdf).   Tickerized for stocks in the Dow Jones Industrial Average.

Mutual Fund Tragedy, ROE, and the Time Horizon

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Comparisons between growth versus value stocks may never go away, but President of Investment Research Brian Nelson explains why you should know better than to think stocks can easily be divided up as such. He talks about this, as well as the pitfalls of ROE (return on equity) and how to think about the time horizon. Running time: ~10 minutes.

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

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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

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week Ending December 1

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Below we provide a list of firms that raised their dividends during the week ending December 1. 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 Aircastle (AYR): now $0.28 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.26. Atlantica Yield (ABY): now $0.29 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.26. C&F Financial (CFFI): now $0.34 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.33. Cass Information Systems (CASS): now $0.24 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.23. Capital Southwest (CSWC): now $0.26 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.24. Cedar Fair (FUN): now $0.89 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.855. … Read more