PSA

3 High Dividend Yielders for Consideration

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Image: Energy Transfer, Philip Morris, and Altria have outperformed the SPDR S&P 500 Dividend ETF (SDY) since the beginning of 2024. By Brian Nelson, CFA The market remains laser-focused on inflation readings and employment trends – two of the main dynamics that influence policy at the Federal Reserve. Since the beginning of 2024, the market has ratcheted down expectations of rate cuts from as many as 5 or 6 to just 1 or 2 in 2024. With yields on risk-free instruments poised to go lower soon, a focus on high yielding equities may be appropriate for the income investor. Here are three high dividend yielders that we like for consideration. Energy Transfer (ET) Midstream pipeline operator Energy Transfer has come … Read more

High Yield Dividend Income Investing Is Not as Easy as Chasing the Highest Yield

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Dear members: — The skills to successfully invest for long-term capital gains or long-term dividend growth are much different than those required for generating high yield dividend income. Income investing is a much different proposition. However, the skills do center on a similar equity evaluation process, but one that requires an acknowledgement and heightened awareness of considerably greater downside risks. Income investing, or high yield dividend income investing, should at times be considered among the riskiest forms of investing, as many high dividend-yielding securities tend to trade closer to the characteristics of junk-rated bonds than they do most net cash rich and free cash flow generating powerhouses that we like so much in the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio (1) and Dividend Growth … Read more

Public Storage Puts Up Mixed First Quarter Results

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Image: Public Storage is working hard to return to levels reached in early 2022. By Brian Nelson, CFA On April 30, Public Storage (PSA) reported mixed first-quarter results that showed a modest beat on the top line and a slight miss when it came to funds from operations [FFO]. For the three months ended March 31, net income came in at $2.60 per diluted share, which compares to $2.65 per share in the year-ago period. Higher depreciation and amortization expense as well as higher interest expense more than offset strength in self-storage net operating income. Management was upbeat in the press release: With first quarter performance in-line with our expectations, the Public Storage team is encouraged as we approach the … Read more

We Remain Bullish; Is This 1995 – The Beginning of a Huge Stock Market Run?

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Image: Large cap growth stocks have trounced the performance of the S&P 500, REITs, and bonds since the beginning of 2023. We expect continued outperformance in this area of the market. By Brian Nelson, CFA We’re now roughly four years past the depths of the COVID-19 meltdown, where equities collapsed in February and March of 2020. As the markets began to recover through 2020, our long-term conviction in equities only grew stronger. We think the biggest risk for long-term investors remains staying out of the market on the basis of what could be considered stretched valuation multiples. As we outlined heavily in the book Value Trap, valuation multiples hardly tell the complete story about a company and often omit key … Read more

Public Storage Puts Up Record Revenue and Net Operating Income in Fourth Quarter

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By Brian Nelson, CFA Self-storage giant Public Storage (PSA) reported solid fourth quarter results February 20, with revenue and funds from operations [FFO] coming in better than expectations. The company is one of our favorite income-oriented ideas. It has now been in business for more than 50 years, and it boasts an enviable A2/A credit rating, allowing it easy access to the capital markets to fund future deals and projects. Public Storage’s same-store operating margin also runs higher than many of its peers, showcasing its more efficient operating model. We like Public Storage quite a bit, and the company yields ~4.2% at the time of this writing. For the three months ended December 31, Public Storage’s revenue increased 6.6%, while … Read more

12 Reasons to Stay Aggressive in 2024

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By Brian Nelson, CFA 1. The Fed has signaled that rate cuts could start with inflation at a 2 handle (2 point something) and not at exactly 2.0%. That means that the Fed may become anticipatory to prevent overshooting to the downside with inflation. We see this as positive for long-duration equities, particularly those whose free cash flow generation is robust in the out-years, inclusive of big cap tech and the stylistic area of large cap growth. 2. Unemployment is at structural lows of 3.7%. Employers are working hard to keep talent on board, and with each paycheck, employees are pumping more and more money into the stock market via retirement accounts. This tailwind remains a stiff one and will … Read more

ICYMI — Video: Our Top Stocks for 2024

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Video: Valuentum’s President of Investment Research Brian Nelson walks through the success of Valuentum’s newsletter suite, the state of the economy and markets, and offers his favorite idea for each sector. Tune into this must-watch video. ———- It’s Here!  The Second Edition of Value Trap! Order today!   —– Brian Nelson owns shares in SPY, SCHG, QQQ, DIA, VOT, BITO, RSP, and IWM. Valuentum owns SPY, SCHG, QQQ, VOO, and DIA. Brian Nelson’s household owns shares in HON, DIS, HAS, NKE, DIA, RSP, SCHG, QQQ, and VOO. Some of the other securities written about in this article may be included in Valuentum’s simulated newsletter portfolios. Contact Valuentum for more information about its editorial policies.  Valuentum members have access to our 16-page stock … Read more

REITs Will Likely Continue To Underperform

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By Brian Nelson, CFA Stock prices and returns are in part a function of the cash-based sources of intrinsic value: net cash on the balance sheet and future expectations of free cash flow. Though there are many ways to slice and dice a company with respect to equity analysis, to arrive at an intrinsic value estimate of a firm, it generally comes down to these two important cash-based dynamics. Due to the nature of their business models, most REITs have lofty net debt positions, and many are investing in real estate at a pace that is faster than that which they are generating operating cash flow. One good example of the trouble brewing on many a REIT’s cash flow statement … Read more

We Will Be Removing CubeSmart and Adding Altria to the High Yield Dividend Newsletter Portfolio

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By Brian Nelson, CFA Stock prices and returns are in part a function of a company’s net cash on the balance sheet and changes in future expectations of free cash flow. Stock prices and returns are not driven by the dividend payment, and as such, a myopic focus on the dividend, by itself, could be costing investors considerably, at least with respect to the average market return–as measured by the market-cap weighted S&P 500 (SPY). The free dividends fallacy hypothesized that a myopic focus on chasing dividends could be costing investors anywhere between 2%-4% in returns per annum. During the past 10 years, for example, high-yielding Dividend Aristocrats have trailed the return of the market-cap weighted S&P 500 by about … Read more

There Will Be Volatility

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By Brian Nelson, CFA Last year, 2022, was a big test for equity investors, and the downside volatility that we witnessed during the year wasn’t comfortable, to say the least. Following the COVID-19 crash and rebound during 2020, and then the market surge in 2021, it wouldn’t be a stretch to say many investors’ heads are probably still spinning from all the volatility witnessed to start this decade. That said, part of what we’ve been warning about the past few years with respect to the equity market, especially in Value Trap, is that the proliferation of price-agnostic trading (e.g. quant, machine/algorithmic trading, etc.) will only lead to more and more market volatility, so while we were somewhat surprised by last … Read more