Paper: Value and Momentum Within Stocks, Too

Please select the image below to download, “Value and Momentum Within Stocks, Too:” Abstract: This paper strives to advance the field of finance in four ways: 1) it extends the theory of the “The Arithmetic of Active Management” to the investor level; 2) it addresses certain data problems of factor-based methods, namely with respect to value and book-to-market ratios, while introducing price-to-fair-value ratios in a factor-based approach; 3) it may lay the foundation for academic literature regarding the Valuentum, the value-timing, and ultra-momentum factors; and 4) it walks through the potential relative outperformance that may be harvested at the intersection of relevant, unique and compensated factors within individual stocks. To download the full report, please click here (pdf). ———- Actual results … Read more

RTX Ends Year with Record Backlog, Shares Yield ~2.4%

By Brian Nelson, CFA Back in late January, RTX (RTX), formerly Raytheon Technologies, reported solid fourth-quarter results, beating on both the top and bottom lines. Adjusted sales advanced 10% from the prior year, while adjusted earnings per share edged 2% higher, to $1.29. For the fourth quarter, the company hauled in $4.7 billion in operating cash flow and generated $3.9 billion in free cash flow. RTX ended the year with record company backlog of $196 billion, with $118 billion attributable to commercial and the balance to defense. Image Source: RTX Management noted the firm is off to a good start in 2024 in the press release: RTX reported solid full-year results, delivering 11 percent organic sales growth and $5.5 billion in … Read more

Boeing Shakes Up Executive Team

  Image Source: Kanesue  By Brian Nelson, CFA On March 25, Boeing (BA) announced that CEO Dave Calhoun will step down as CEO at the end of 2024. The move comes weeks after an incident on an Alaska Airlines (ALK) flight where part of the fuselage blew out. The company’s Independent Board Chair Larry Kellner also announced that he would not stand for reelection at the next annual meeting. New Independent Board Chair Steve Mollenkopf will succeed Kellner and lead efforts to select Boeing’s next CEO. Mollenkopf has been on the board since 2020 and previously served as CEO of Qualcomm (QCOM). Further, Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Stan Deal will retire from Boeing effective immediately and be replaced … Read more

Market-Cap Weighted S&P 500 Breaks Out; Have We Already Seen the Bottom?

Image: The market-cap weighted S&P 500 (SPY) has broken through its downtrend. The markets could be headed meaningfully higher. Image Source: TradingView By Brian Nelson CFA Excess savings in consumer bank accounts from the pandemic stimulus and government intervention that was issued during the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic will start to deplete almost entirely by the middle of this year. Talk of the debt ceiling on the U.S.’s national debt of $31.5 trillion is emerging, and interest on the debt will start to crowd out other spending with respect to the national budget. The markets, however, are forward looking, and many of these concerns are largely “baked in.” Within the discounted cash-flow model, for example, we take into consideration … Read more

Dividend Growth Giant Lockheed Martin’s Share Price Surges 35%+ in 2022

Image: Lockheed Martin’s shares have been bolstered by a robust share buyback program during the fourth quarter of 2022. Though we still expect shares to be resilient, some technical consolidation may be necessary. Image Source: TradingView By Brian Nelson, CFA We added Lockheed Martin (LMT) to the Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio all the way back in January 2020 before the COVID-19 meltdown. Shares had lagged the S&P 500 for some time after surfacing the portfolio idea, but certainly not during 2022. Lockheed Martin’s shares have surged more than 35% during 2022, beating the market by a huge margin. We continue to like shares, but we would expect some share-price consolidation during 2023 after the huge gains. When Lockheed Martin reported … Read more

Lockheed Martin On the Road to Recovery, Improved Free Cash Flow Visibility

  Image: Heath Cajandig By Brian Nelson, CFA It was late October 2021 when Lockheed Martin (LMT) took a “big bath” of a third quarter. Back then, Lockheed Martin said it expected 2022 net sales to fall from 2021 levels, to ~$66 billion. At the time, we had been expecting revenue to advance to north of $70 billion during 2022, so the change in trajectory was quite pronounced. Its backlog fell to $134.8 billion from $147.1 billion on a year-over-year basis in the quarter, too. To say that the market was surprised in October would be an understatement because LMT’s stock fell double-digits following the news. Fast forward a few months, and Lockheed Martin is working to get things back … Read more

ICYMI — Video: Exclusive 2020 — Furthering the Financial Discipline

ICYMI — Video: Exclusive 2020 — Furthering the Financial Discipline — — In this 40+ minute video jam-packed with must-watch content, Valuentum’s President Brian Nelson talks about the Theory of Universal Valuation and how his work is furthering the financial discipline. Learn the pitfalls of factor investing and modern portfolio theory and how the efficient markets hypothesis holds little substance in the wake of COVID-19. He’ll talk about which companies Valuentum likes and why, and which areas he’s avoiding. This and more in Valuentum’s 2020 Exclusive conference call.   Note: This video was originally published August 2, 2020.    To watch the video >>   The Theory of Universal Valuation —– Valuentum members have access to our 16-page stock reports, … Read more

Boeing’s Financials Are Absolutely Frightening

By Brian Nelson, CFA On November 18, 2020, Boeing (BA) announced that the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) withdrew its order that had grounded its 737-8s and 737-9s (737 MAX) that had been involved in two terrible accidents during the past few years, a Lion Air flight that killed 189 people and an Ethiopian Airlines jet crash that claimed the lives of 157 more. We’ll never forget these tragedies and the impact on the families and the aviation industry, more generally.   In January 2017, we had added Boeing to the Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio, but we had removed it March 16, 2018, prior to the unfortunate and high-profile accidents that occurred several months after. During the short time it … Read more

Valuentum Website Overview

Overview of the key features of valuentum.com/ (03:55). Valuentum (val∙u∙n∙tum) [val-yoo-en-tuh-m] Securities Inc. is an independent investment research publisher, offering premium equity reports, dividend reports, and ETF reports, as well as commentary across all sectors/companies, a Best Ideas Newsletter (spanning market caps, asset classes), a Dividend Growth Newsletter, modeling tools/products, and more. Independence and integrity remain our core, and we strive to be a champion of the investor. Valuentum is based in the Chicagoland area. Valuentum is not a money manager, broker, or financial advisor. Valuentum is a publisher of financial information. The Benefits of Premium Membership >> Subscribe Now!

Reiterating Our Bullish Long-Term View on Stocks

Reiterating Our Bullish Long-Term View on Stocks Image: The NASDAQ 100 Index remains resilient, bouncing off support, after breaking out to new highs recently. Some of our best ideas are included in the NASDAQ 100, and our favorite concentrations include exposure to big cap tech and large cap growth. We continue to be bullish on equities for the long run. — By Brian Nelson, CFA — Hi everyone, — Hope you are doing great! First, I wanted to let you know that we’re still working to get the second release of the survey out to you. Your participation in the survey will determine whether we launch a new business, so please do fill it out and keep a watchful eye out for … Read more