NVS

Biotech and Pharma Roundup

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Image Source: e-Magine Art Some big news in the world of biotech and pharmaceuticals has come out this week, starting Monday October 21, that we want to get out in front of our members. In alphabetical order by ticker symbol: BIIB, BMY, MRK, NVS. By Callum Turcan Biogen Inc (BIIB) reported third quarter 2019 earnings on Tuesday October 22 that easily beat both top and bottom line estimates. That was partially due to strong sales at its SPINRAZA offering, which is used to treat spinal muscular atrophy. Shares of BIIB rocketed higher during the trading session as investors priced in the upside that Biogen’s Aducanumab treatment could generate, with the company announcing that it was going to ask the US … Read more

Merck Shows Impressive Margin Expansion

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Image Source: Merck & Co Inc – IR Presentation By Callum Turcan Pharmaceutical giant Merck (MRK) has performed well during the past few fiscal years by reducing operating costs while utilizing strong growth at some of its oncology drug offerings to drive sales higher. Shares of Merck yield 2.7% as of this writing and are trading at the upper half of our fair value estimate range after an impressive run up in Merck’s stock price began in April 2018. Management recently raised Merck’s full-year sales and non-GAAP EPS guidance for 2019, which we will cover in a moment. Enhancing Profitability Levels From 2016 to 2018, Merck cut its GAAP operating expenses from $35.1 billion to $33.6 billion (down over 4%) … Read more

Elanco Buys Bayer’s Animal Health Unit, Gaining Scale and Greater Exposure to the Humanization of Pets” Trend”

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Image Shown: Shares of Elanco Animal Health Inc (ELAN) sold off after the company announced on August 20 it was acquiring Bayer AG’s (BAYRY) animal health unit through a cash and deal stock deal worth $7.6 billion at the time the deal was announced. By Callum Turcan On August 20, Elanco Animal Health Inc (ELAN) agreed to acquire Bayer AG’s (BAYRY) animal health unit for $7.6 billion (at the time the deal was announced) through a cash and stock deal. That includes $5.3 billion in cash and $2.3 billion in stock, keeping in mind shares of ELAN initially shifted lower after the news. Bayer plans to exit its stake in Elanco over time as management seeks to rebuild the company’s … Read more

Apple Surging — Your Competition Is News-Driven and Failing

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No change to simulated newsletter portfolios. Clarification: On March 15, we sent out an alert for the Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio removing Novartis (NVS) and adding to the Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLV), the latter now in the 5.5%-7.5% weighting bands, a combination of its prior weighting and the new additional weighting. By Kris Rosemann and Brian Nelson, CFA Whether it’s the 24-7 business news channel or the up-to-the-millisecond charting functionality that is causing it, your competition is news-driven. For example, we often receive a lot of questions on stocks at the time when they are falling precipitously. This is not the time to do the homework. It could simply be because the investor is holding the stock and wants an update, … Read more

DG Newsletter Alert, Markets on a Roll! New Highs Coming?

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Image shown: We notified members December 26 that we had moved the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio and Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio to a “fully invested” position, from a 30% and 20% cash “weighting” at the high end of the range, respectively. It doesn’t look like the timing could have been much better.  Changes to Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio Removing Novartis (NVS) -3.5%-5.5% Adding Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLV) +3.5%-5.5% By Brian Nelson, CFA The back half of 2018 was among the most exciting in Valuentum’s history. For one, we might have made one of our best “market-direction” calls since inception in practically calling the near-term bottom December 26. In hindsight, it’s clear the market had overreacted, but at the time, going to “fully … Read more

Novartis Closes Out Busy Year; Proposes Dividend Hike

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Image Source: Novartis fourth quarter presentation European pharmaceutical giant Novartis had a busy year in 2018 on its quest to renew its focus on medicines, and management is excited about its future growth trajectory. We continue to like its free cash flow generation and dividend growth potential. By Kris Rosemann 2018 was a busy year for simulated Dividend Growth Newsletter idea Novartis (NVS), which reported fourth quarter results January 30. The company completed a strategic review resulting in the planned first half 2019 spin-off of its Alcon division, it agreed to sell its Sandoz US oral solids and dermatology portfolio, it sold its stake in the GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) consumer healthcare joint venture for $13 billion, and it invested in long-term … Read more

Valuentum Stock Screeners

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This article was sent to members via email December 29. That email can be accessed at the link that follows this article. By Brian Nelson, CFA Hi everyone, I wanted to provide an update with respect to Valuentum’s stock screeners. We believe our stock screeners are among the most robust when it comes to providing forward-looking data, or data that is important with respect to the investment decision-making process. We publish screens in each of the monthly newsletters, but we also provide a basic weekly screener for download on the left column of the website, “Download Weekly Stock Screener (xls) — login required.”   We also have other products. The more robust DataScreener, for example, is part of the quarterly Financial … Read more

Market Mayhem — Alerts for Members

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During these extremely volatile times, it’s important to stay focused. On December 15, we informed all of our members to “Pay Attention.” Shortly thereafter, we notified members of the potential for a stock market technical breakdown. This morning, we offered a pre-market briefing about the importance of thinking about portfolio protection. For Best Ideas Newsletter and Dividend Growth Newsletter members: http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?preview=true&m=1110817109903&ca=e2406cd6-c113-4344-8731-493f33fc44a4&id=preview For High Yield Dividend Newsletter members: http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?preview=true&m=1110817109903&ca=b3ba530f-38b3-489a-ac96-2961dca89c6b&id=preview For Exclusive members: http://campaign.r20.constantcontact.com/render?preview=true&m=1110817109903&ca=ba6d90c0-4433-48b2-9b8a-aac4ddf9006e&id=preview We’re here for any questions. Please just let us know how we can help! Kind regards, Brian Nelson, CFA  brian@valuentum.com

Earnings Roundup: Past, Present, and Potential Dividend Growth Ideas

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Image Source: Mike Cohen Let’s take a look at the earnings reports of some past, present, and potential simulated Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio ideas, including that of Novartis, Procter & Gamble, Honeywell, and Kinder Morgan.   By Kris Rosemann Novartis Reports Solid Volume Growth But Pricing Pressure Simulated Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio idea Novartis (NVS) reported third quarter 2018 earnings October 18, and its top line was driven 3% higher as reported thanks to nine percentage points of volume growth, which was partially offset by negative pricing action, generic competition, and currency headwinds. Drivers of the volume growth include Cosentyx, Entresto, its oncology portfolio, and Alcon, but reported operating income faced material pressure as a result of the voluntary withdrawal of … Read more

GlaxoSmithKline: Turnaround in Progress?

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Image Shown: GlaxoSmithKline’s share price performance since early 2014. GlaxoSmithKline may be poised to enter an earnings trough if generic competition is successful in providing a replacement for key product Advair, but management is working to right the ship. The company’s dividend yield is compelling, but its success will ultimately depend on the progress of its clinical pipeline. By Alexander J. Poulos Key Takeaways GlaxoSmithKline may be poised to enter an earnings trough should key product Advair face pending generic competition. CEO Emma Walmsley is engineering a turnaround with multiple achievable targets, but the success of her tenure ultimately depends on the success of the company’s clinical pipeline. The stock’s generous dividend yield is compelling, and the potential for capital … Read more