MWW

Something New!

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Hi everyone: To stay true to our mission, you’ll find something new regarding our methodology. In the coming weeks, you’ll see this table in our work going forward. We just wanted to let you know. We appreciate your membership very much!   ——————————————— About Our Name But how, you will ask, does one decide what [stocks are] “attractive”? Most analysts feel they must choose between two approaches customarily thought to be in opposition: “value” and “growth,”…We view that as fuzzy thinking…Growth is always a component of value [and] the very term “value investing” is redundant.                          — Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway annual report, 1992 At Valuentum, we take Buffett’s thoughts one step further. We think the best opportunities arise from an understanding of … Read more

New Payment Option! Valuentum Research Update!

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Hi everyone: — We’re excited to say that we’re adding additional payment flexibility at Valuentum. — Many members have expressed interest in paying via other providers, and we have added Square to the mix. You can use credit or debit card or bank (ACH) to pay via invoice. — With all of the goings-on in the financial technology and payments space, we wanted to continue to provide members options to pay their memberships how they want and through who they want. You can always reach out to us at info@valuentum.com. — You’ll notice that we’ve also tightened our focus at Valuentum during the past 12-24 months in advance of what has certainly become a more difficult 2022 than even some … Read more

Our Reports on Stocks in the Media (Advertising) Industry

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Image Source: Dan Structure of the Media (advertising) Industry The media (advertising) industry spans a variety of firms, including those that operate out-of-home liquid crystal display advertising, companies that engage in magazine publishing, and entities that provide services that enable marketers to sell their products online. National and local media revenues are affected by changes in demand for advertising and overall consumer health, both of which are tied to general economic conditions. Advertisers in China are beholden to significant government regulations, while all participants compete with other mass media, including Internet and television. We don’t like the group. We no longer publish reports on stocks in the Media (advertising industry). For reports on other media stocks: Media: CBS, CETV, GCI, … Read more

Discovery-Scripps Joining Forces to Take on the Changing Digital Media Landscape

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Image Source: Lwp Kommunikáció Discovery Communications has agreed to acquire Scripps Networks, but will it be enough for the two to remain competitive in the rapidly evolving–and consolidating–media landscape? By Kris Rosemann The cable TV industry is not what it was only a few short years ago, and Discovery Communications (DISCA) finally getting its hands on the assets of Scripps Networks (SNI) is only further evidence of this. Both companies have had a relative amount of success in delivering compelling programming to targeted audiences in years past via traditional pay-TV channels, but the days of tuning in to Shark Week on The Discovery Channel through your local cable provider are fading fast. The cord-cutting revolution is one that has been well-covered … 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

LinkedIn Acknowledges Its Stock Is Overpriced

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Business social networking site LinkedIn (click ticker for report: ) announced Wednesday afternoon that it would execute a secondary public offering expected to close on September 10. LinkedIn will offer 5,381,166 shares of its Class A common stock at a price of $223 per share for proceeds of $1.2 billion. When a well-capitalized company like LinkedIn offers stock, it can often signal that the company believes its shares are overvalued. As of its most recent quarter, LinkedIn had over $800 million in cash and short-term investments against no long-term debt. The company was also free cash flow positive (albeit free cash flow wasn’t robust) in fiscal year 2012. LinkedIn isn’t in dire need of cash, so we think the company … Read more

Revenue Growth at LinkedIn Remains Strong But Shares Are Expensive

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Business networking leader LinkedIn (click ticker for report: ) reported relatively strong third quarter results last Thursday afternoon. Revenue growth continued its robust path, surging 81% year-over-year to a consensus beating $252 million. Excluding several items, earnings accelerated 267% year-over-year to $0.22 per share—more than double the consensus estimate. Unlike most firms’ non-GAAP items, which exclude “one-time” expenses, LinkedIn’s earnings exclude very real costs like stock-based compensation and amortization of intangible asset acquisitions—perhaps non-cash, but still material, in our view. Regardless, the company’s third quarter results reflected relatively strong performance. Talent (Hiring) Solutions revenue increased 95% year-over-year to $138.4 million. The segment continues to steal market share away the old line of online hiring solutions, including Monster Worldwide (click ticker … Read more

Facebook May Start a Job Board To Compete With LinkedIn

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Rumors continue to swirl that social media giant Facebook (FB) is in the process of creating a job board with its third party platforms to compete with LinkedIn (LNKD) and Monster Worldwide (). We understand why Facebook would want to compete with LinkedIn, especially after a Forbes article reported that LinkedIn earns $1.30 in revenue per hour of usage versus a measly $0.062 for Facebook. However, we’re unsure whether Facebook will be able to compete in the business networking space. Since its inception, Facebook has successfully captured a significant amount of its users’ free-time by providing a (mostly) unfiltered social experience. On Facebook, there’s a bit of a separation between one’s work life and one’s personal life. On the other … Read more