PEP

ICYMI: Interview with Valuentum’s President Brian M. Nelson, CFA

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Catch up with Valuentum’s President Brian M. Nelson, CFA in a recent interview with dividend growth investor Arne Magnus Lorentzen Ulland of the blog stockles. By Brian Nelson, CFA Recently, I was interviewed by Arne Magnus Lorentzen Ulland of the blog stockles. Arne is a dividend growth investor like many of you, and I sincerely hope you enjoy the interview he put together. I’m very grateful for his interest. His questions were fantastic. We discuss why and how I incorporate independence and integrity into the service at Valuentum. We go into detail regarding why Valuentum views stocks the way it does, and how Valuentum combines enterprise valuation and the information contained in prices in its stock-selection process. I discuss the pitfalls … Read more

PepsiCo Posts Solid Quarterly Report, Targets Powerful Long-Term Growth Trends

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Image Source: PepsiCo Inc – IR Presentation By Callum Turcan On October 3, PepsiCo (PEP) reported third quarter earnings for fiscal 2019 (12 week period ended September 7) that were positively received by the market as the beverage and snack company beat both consensus top and bottom line estimates. Management reiterated that PepsiCo sees its organic non-GAAP revenues growing by at least 4% annually this fiscal year and that free cash flows would come in at approximately $5.0 billion, enough to cover approximately $5.0 billion in expected dividend payments. While core constant currency (non-GAAP) EPS is still expected to decline by 1% annually this fiscal year, strong apparent underlying demand for PepsiCo’s products creates room for optimism. Shares of PEP … Read more

Smucker Cuts Guidance with Weakness Widespread

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Image Source: J. M. Smucker Company – IR Presentation By Callum Turcan J. M. Smucker Company (SJM) is known for its peanut butter (sold under such brands as Jif and Adams), jams (including its namesake Smucker’s offering and Knott’s Berry Farm products), coffees (such as Folgers and Café Bustelo), pet products (including Nature’s Recipe and Meow Mix), and more. The firm posted first quarter earnings for FY2020 (quarter ended July 31) on August 27 that upset the market and sent shares down more than 8% that day. Smucker’s revenue and earnings both missed estimates while management lowered the firm’s full year guidance for fiscal 2020. Smucker now expects its FY2020 EPS to come in at $8.35-$8.55/share, down from $8.45-$8.65/share previously. … Read more

Owens-Illinois’ Debt Load Is Daunting, We Are Staying Away From This Value Trap

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Image Source: Owens-Illinois Inc – IR Presentation By Callum Turcan Owens-Illinois Inc (OI) is a global manufacturer of glass packaging products, and we see the firm as a major beneficiary of the shift in consumer preferences towards non-plastic packaging options for health and environmental reasons. As of this writing, shares of OI yield 1.9% on a forward-looking basis after management initiated a new dividend policy that saw common quarterly payouts commence in 2019. While Owens-Illinois’ share price below $11/share, as it is at the time of this writing, appears cheap at first glance because shares are trading at a steep discount to our $17 per share fair value estimate, we caution that its technicals are telling another story. Investors were … Read more

Coca-Cola’s Valuation Is Stretched

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Image Source: Broderick By Callum Turcan Coca-Cola Company (KO) posted a great second quarter report for 2019 on July 23, sending shares up 6% on the day. Management surprised the market by upgrading their forecast for Coca-Cola’s full-year performance with guidance for organic revenue, constant currency operating income, net operating cash flow, and capital expenditures for 2019 all getting a boost. We still think shares of KO are overvalued as the market has gotten ahead of itself. Consumer staples companies trading at premium valuations late in the business cycle are prime examples of how irrational exuberance can seep into every corner of the market. Furthermore, the IMF just downgraded global GDP growth projections for both 2019 and 2020, and while … Read more

Reviewing PepsiCo’s Latest Earnings

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Image Source: PepsiCo Inc – IR Presentation By Callum Turcan Maker of snacks and sugary beverages, PepsiCo Inc (PEP) posted second-quarter earnings for fiscal 2019 on July 9 that were positively received by the market. PepsiCo reaffirmed 2019 guidance calling for 4% annual organic revenue growth, a 1% decline in core constant EPS (3% decline when including an expected 200 basis point headwind from foreign currency movements) versus 2018 levels, and ~$4.5 billion in free cash flow generation. Shares of PEP yield 2.9% as of this writing and we like PepsiCo’s dividend coverage. However, please note that the company expects to spend $5.0 billion on dividends and $3.0 billion on share buybacks this year. Forecasted free cash flows will only … Read more

Markets Swooning, Expect Extreme Volatility, Finger on Put-Option Trigger

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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.  — No change to simulated newsletter portfolios…at this time.  — Hi everyone, — Hope you’re navigating these tumultuous markets well.   — If you recall, during the holiday season last year, we had moved the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio and Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio to “fully invested.” See image above (point of the arrow). Because many members were traveling and out of the office, not all were able to read the notification until a week or two after. They were … Read more

PepsiCo Fights off Forex Headwinds as it Gets Ready to Take on Amazon

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Image Source: PepsiCo Inc – IR Presentation By Callum Turcan While foreign currency headwinds are proving quite troublesome, PepsiCo continues to post strong organic growth that helped drive its outperformance during the first quarter of 2019. That strong performance will be needed as Amazon gets ready to enter the energy beverage arena. PepsiCo Inc’s (PEP) shares shot up to record highs on April 17 after posting first quarter results that clearly impressed the market. With shares now trading around $127 as of this writing, the beverage and snack giant yields 2.9% with decent dividend coverage going forward. The company beat consensus top and bottom-line estimates while reaffirming 2019E guidance, which signals to the market that management is confident in PepsiCo’s … Read more

ATTN: Advisors and Planners — Disruption Is Looming

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“With the commoditization of investment advice and intense competition from robos and other more cost-efficient solutions, growth-minded advisors want to create bespoke experiences for clients.” — WealthManagement.com By Brian Nelson, CFA Hi Valuentum members, colleagues and friends, Valuentum has a large subscriber base and is one of the most successful paid subscription financial information websites launched this decade. Over the past eight years or so, individuals, financial advisors and money managers from all over the world have subscribed to our services. We pride ourselves on independence and transparency, and we’re a champion of the investor. Today, I’d like to talk directly to our financial advisor, financial planner, and professional money-manager members. You probably already heard the news yesterday: Charles Schwab, which handles … 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