PETS

Theft Becoming a Huge Problem for Retailers

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Image Source: Ben Schuman Theft has always been a problem for retailers, but it has never been as big of a problem as it has been in recent quarters. Emboldened by the lack of police response and employees sometimes getting fired for confronting shoplifters, retail organized crime is on the rise. We’re not talking theft in the millions, or billions, but likely in the tens of billions per year or more across the U.S. Some attribute the rise of organized retail crime to the pandemic, which paved the way for shoplifters to post their loot online in order to make a quick buck. Some retailers are especially feeling the pinch, and recent commentary reveals just how bad retail theft (shrink) … Read more

Pet Insurer Trupanion’s Business Facing Numerous Challenges; Short Interest at 35%+

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Image: Trupanion may be growing its top line like a weed, but its operating losses have been growing, too. Image Source: Trupanion 10-K. By Brian Nelson, CFA Trupanion, Inc. (TRUP) offers medical insurance for cats and dogs across the U.S, Canada, Europe, Puerto Rico, and Australia. The company generates revenue primarily from subscription-based insurance fees, and the firm prices its offerings to achieve a target margin that seeks to balance the costs of pets with less-expensive veterinary expenses with the costs of pets that have more-expensive veterinary expenses. As with any insurer, Trupanion’s actuarial team is a big value driver to its operations, and the firm has been collecting pet health data for over 20 years to finetune its pricing … Read more

ALERT: Bull Raids, Short Squeezes and Highly Unusual Market Activity

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We are putting short investors on high alert! By Brian Nelson, CFA In late 2018, Valuentum published Value Trap, a book that warned to all that would heed its warning that a collapse in the traditional quant value factor was coming and that excessive volatility in the markets caused by price-agnostic trading–or those that aren’t paying attention to fair value estimate calculations–would only build and build to eventually reach extreme and irrational levels. The book, while hugely successful winning award after award, was largely ignored by the media, despite our best efforts to get the word out. Now, the chickens are coming home to roost. Image Shown: The book Value Trap warned about the impending collapse of the value factor, … Read more

ICYMI: Valuentum’s Brian Nelson on the Latest Howard Marks’ Memo: “Something of Value”

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Valuentum’s President of Investment Research Brian Michael Nelson, CFA, explains why there are not really value and growth stocks, why most of the research in quantitative finance is spurious and needs to be redefined on a forward-looking basis, and why enterprise valuation (not the efficient markets hypothesis) should be the organizing principle of finance. Nelson explains his views about valuation, what it means to be a value investor, and investing in the context of Oaktree Capital Howard Marks’ latest memo, “Something of Value,” January 11, 2021. Please don’t forget to give the second edition of the book “Value Trap” a 5-star rating on Amazon here. Thank you for your membership! —– Tickerized for holdings in the IWM. Valuentum members have … Read more

Recent Data Indicates US Consumer Spending Holding Up Well, Online Sales Surging

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Image Shown: As of this writing, the S&P 500 (SPY) appears ready to end 2020 on a high note, supported by the resilience of the US consumer. By Callum Turcan The ongoing coronavirus (‘COVID-19’) pandemic accelerated the shift towards e-commerce, and that change has long legs. Retailers that previously invested in their digital operations and omni-channel sales capabilities were able to capitalize on this shift while those that relied heavily on foot traffic were hurt badly. Numerous retailers went under in 2020 including J.C. Penney Company Inc (JCPNQ) and Neiman Marcus. Holiday season shopping data indicates that US consumer spending was frontloaded and grew modestly in 2020, aided by surging e-commerce sales, which advanced nearly 50% on a year-over-year basis. … Read more

Value Is Not Static and the Qualitative Overlay Is Vital to Our Process

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With prudence and care, the Valuentum Buying Index process and its components are carried out. Our analyst team spends most of its time thinking about the intrinsic value of companies within the context of a discounted cash-flow model and evaluating the risk profile of a company’s revenue model. We have checks and balances, too. First, we use a fair value range in our valuation approach as we embrace the very important concept that value is a range and not a point estimate. A relative value overlay as the second pillar helps to add conviction in the discounted cash-flow process, while a technical and momentum overlay seeks to provide confirmation in all of the valuation work. There’s a lot happening behind the scenes even before a VBI rating is published, but it will always be just one factor to consider. Within any process, of course, we value the human, qualitative overlay, which captures a wealth of experience and common sense. We strive to surface our best ideas for members.

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week Ending January 26

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Below we provide a list of firms that raised/lowered their dividends during the week ending January 26. 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 3M (MMM): now $1.36 per share quarterly dividend, was $1.17. AGCO (AGCO): now $0.15 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.14. Air Products and Chemicals (APD): now $1.10 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.95. Alaska Air (ALK): now $0.32 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.30. ALLETE (ALE): now $0.56 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.535. Alliance Data Systems (ADS): now $0.57 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.52. … Read more

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week Ending May 13

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Below we provide a list of firms that raised their dividends during the week ending May 13. 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 AirBoss of America (ABSSF): now C$0.065 per share quarterly dividend, was C$0.06. Algonquin Power & Utilities (AQUNF): now $0.1059 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.09626. American Software (AMSWA): now $0.11 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.10. Black Box (BBOX): now $0.12 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.11. Colombia Pipeline (CPGX): now $0.13875 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.13375. Connecticut Water Service (CTWS): now $0.2825 per share … Read more

Dividend Increases for the Week Ending August 2 Included Illinois Tool Works and Union Pacific

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Below we provide a list of firms that upped their dividends for the week ending August 2. The dividend reports of covered firms on this list will be updated shortly with the new information. To access our dividend reports, please click here. Arbor Realty Trust (ABR): $0.13 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.12. B&G Foods (BGS): now $0.32 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.29. Carlisle Companies (CSL): now $0.22 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.20. CBOE Holdings (CBOE): now $0.18 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.15. Chemed Corporation (CHE): now $0.20 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.18. Comfort Systems: (FIX): now $0.055 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.05. Energizer Holdings (ENR): now $0.50 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.40. Ethan Allen Interiors … Read more

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week Ending May 12

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Below we provide a list of firms that raised/lowered their dividends during the week ending May 12. 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 The Brink’s (BCO): now $0.15 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.10. Buckeye Partners (BPL): now $1.25 per share quarterly dividend, was $1.2375. BWX Technologies (BWXT): now $0.11 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.09. Cabot (CBT): now $0.315 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.30. Canadian Pacific Railway (CP): now CAD 0.5625 per share quarterly dividend, was CAD 0.50. Clorox (CLX): now $0.84 per share quarterly dividend, was … Read more