ICYMI: Valuentum’s Improved Stock and ETF Web Pages

Valuentum has rolled out improved stock and ETF web pages on its website valuentum.com/. Now, subscribers can access key proprietary information on the stock and ETF web pages in addition to the customary stock and ETF reports. Dear reader, We have some exciting news that we can’t wait to share with you! At valuentum.com/, we have rolled out new stock and ETF pages that conveniently include a variety of our proprietary metrics from the Dividend Cushion ratio to the Economic Castle rating and beyond! There’s even mouseover functionality so you can learn about how we define the key metrics across our stock-selection and dividend growth methodologies. You’ll still have access to the stock and dividend reports on the landing pages, … Read more

The “Luck” and “Randomness” of Index Funds

Please select the image below to download the document. Image shown, page 1 of 14. Tickerized for Valuentum’s coverage universe.

Video: Quants! You’re NOT Measuring VALUE and Nelson’s Theory of Universal Value

President of Investment Research Brian Nelson defines the concept of universal value and shows how quantitative statistical methods are inextricably linked to those of fundamental, financial, business-model related analysis. Value does not exist in respective process vacuums! Value is universal. Find out why. Running time: ~10 minutes.  Tickerized for Valuentum’s stock and ETF coverage universe. Transcript Hi this is Brian Nelson from Valuentum Securities, and this is the tenth edition of a series that I call “Off the Cuff,” where I get in front of the camera and I talk for ten minutes. This is what we have to talk about today. We have to talk about this concept: The Theory of Universal Value. Value does not exist in vacuums … Read more

Valuentum’s 3 Breakthroughs in the Field of Finance and More

Valuentum’s President Brian Nelson pauses for a picture before speaking at the CFA Society of Houston in March 2017. By Valuentum Editorial Staff Let’s cover Valuentum’s 3 major breakthroughs in the field of finance. The first one is big and may challenge you to rethink everything you think you know about investing. 1. On a logical framework, Valuentum has debunked John C. Bogle’s landmark syllogism that has paved the way for the concept of index investing. Index investing has been built on a logical shortcoming, whether supported by evidence or not. We think it is important that the investment community know of this. Read (pdf): The “Luck” and “Randomness” of Index Funds (2018), Brian Nelson, CFA See video documentation: /FALLACY_of_Index_Funds To … Read more

Stocks Catapult Back To Near All-Time Highs

It appears that we may get a Santa Claus rally after all. Call it window dressing. Call it drinking at the Fed’s punch bowl. Call it what you will. But the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DIA) polished off its biggest two-day gain in six years to propel itself back to near all-time highs again. The S&P 500 (SPY), shown above, is now within throwing distance of setting new record ground, and spirits remain high as we approach the Christmas holiday and New Year. Collapsing prices at the gas pump, though highlighting risks to global economic growth, may be helping to spread the holiday cheer. For clarification, we continue to be optimistic about the future returns in the newsletter portfolios, but … Read more

Valuentum Economic Castleâ„¢ Rating Update

Read: Keeping the Horse Before the Cart: Valuentum’s Economic Castle™ Rating The Economic Castle Focuses on the Magnitude of Economic Value Creation The Valuentum Economic Castle™ rating is an enhancement of the competitive advantage framework (commonly known as economic moat analysis) that has become widespread and ubiquitous within the investing world. Whereas an economic moat framework evaluates a firm on the basis of the sustainability and durability of its competitive advantages, Valuentum’s Economic Castle™ rating evaluates a firm on the basis of the firm’s future economic profit spread (return on invested capital less its weighted average cost of capital). The companies with the strongest Valuentum Economic Castle™ ratings are poised to generate the most economic value for shareholders in the … Read more

Software: Adobe Keeps Rolling; Oracle Hit by Venezuela Forex Issues

On Thursday, Adobe (ADBE) put up better-than-expected fiscal first-quarter performance and issued a strong outlook, while Oracle’s (ORCL) fiscal third-quarter results faced currency challenges and its forward guidance came in about as expected. Adobe achieved revenue of $1 billion, at the high end of the targeted range (and above consensus), and exited the fiscal first quarter with an impressive 1.84 million paid Creative Cloud subscriptions, an increase of 405,000 on a sequential basis. Adobe Marketing Cloud quarterly revenue jumped 24% during the period, to $267 million, a nice showing. Diluted earnings per share on a non-GAAP basis came in at $0.30, beating the consensus figure by $0.05. The fiscal first-quarter results were solid, but the company’s outlook was even better. … Read more

Tweeting on Thursday

Thursday was jam-packed with news. Let’s jump to an abbreviated ‘Valuentum Take’ on each major news item in the spirit of Twitter’s (TWTR) 140 character limit. We don’t intend to do this too frequently, but we wanted to get our take out there in a timely fashion. We’re available for any questions. Tweeting on Thursday AK Steel $AKS issues strong outlook, but #steel industry far from attractive, among the worst in our coverage. Tibco $TIBX issues poor outlook, while Red Hat $RHT exceeds expectations, puts up strong billings growth; both firms fairly valued. Linn Energy $LINE back on track as SEC endorsement improves sentiment; we prefer $KMP and $ETP in DG portfolio. Darden $DRI to part with Red Lobster; core … Read more

Red Hat Continues to Generate Strong Cash Flow

Open-source software provider Red Hat (click ticker for report: ) reported solid third-quarter results last week. The firm that is synonymous with Linux posted revenue growth of 18% (21% excluding currency) year-over-year to $344 million, a touch better than consensus estimates. Non-GAAP earnings per share ticked up a penny to $0.29, also in-line with consensus expectations. We plan to update our report soon. On the revenue side, subscription sales increased 19% year-over-year to $294 million, while training and services revenue increased 14% to $49 million. We were even more impressed by the company’s growth in deferred revenue, which totaled $988 million—21% higher than at the same time a year ago. The firm has done an excellent job of retaining its … Read more

Red Hat’s Second Quarter Outlook Misses the Mark

Open-source enterprise software-maker Red Hat (RHT) reported results for its first quarter of fiscal year 2013. The firm’s performance exceeded expectations, with earnings coming in at $0.30 per share compared to the Street consensus of $0.27 per share. Revenue came in at $314.7 million, up 19% compared to the first quarter of 2012, and slightly ahead of the Street’s expectations. However, Red Hat reported an outlook below both its previously-issued guidance and the Street’s expectations. The firm guided to second-quarter earnings of $0.28-$0.29 per share, which is roughly in-line with the Street consensus of $0.29. Second-quarter revenue is expected to come in the range of $320-$322 million, well below the consensus of $330.8 million. For the full-year, Red Hat lowered its … Read more