RIG

No Interest Rate Hikes Soon, As Expected

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It wasn’t surprising to read in the FOMC minutes that the Federal Reserve is in no hurry to increase the federal funds rate. The prices of almost every commodity from crude oil and refined energy products to iron ore and copper have fallen sharply in recent months, and the strengthening of the US dollar has only accelerated the declines of dollar-denominated commodities for US-centric operators.  While we remain encouraged by the ongoing recovery in the construction and housing markets, pockets of weakness remain, and housing prices have yet to fully recover to pre-crisis levels in many parts of the country. Food prices are dropping, too – can you believe that 10 chicken nuggets at Burger King (QSR) cost a measly $1.49? There … Read more

Pain in Oil Not Likely To Subside Soon; Alibaba Disappoints

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Just how bad are we drowning in crude oil? Yesterday’s inventory report showed the largest weekly supply increase in over 30 years, since 1982. That’s how bad. Yet, knowing that crude oil prices are driven by supply and demand, pundits continue to be optimistic, perhaps overly so, about the timing of the recovery in the price of the black liquid (USO). Let’s first start with OPEC, and the Secretary-General Abdullah al-Badri, who said Tuesday that oil prices have bottomed as he “warned of a risk of a future price spike to $200 a barrel.” With inventories as they are and OPEC not ceding market share to US shale-based plays, we think the Secretary-General is drinking a bit too much Kool-aid. … Read more

$45 Oil Prices!?!? There Is Never a Sense of Urgency When One Is Prepared

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Image Source: Macrotrends The bull market in energy (XLE) has lasted for the better part of a decade. Ever since the turn of the new century, energy perma-bulls have made the case that “black gold” (USO) should continue its ever-upward price advance thanks to ongoing demand from emerging and developing economies coupled with reduced inventories and areas of supply. We’re seeing this thesis challenged right at this moment. In deciding not to cut crude oil output in the face of oversupply and falling prices, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), for the lack of a better phrase, is now essentially engaged in a price war with producers in the US that are using breakthrough technology to produce oil … Read more

Third Quarter Earnings Season Pushes Forward

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The equity markets continue to propel higher despite what we would describe to be a mixed third-quarter earnings season. Let’s walk through a number of earnings reports from popular companies reporting so far this week. Some of them we include in the newsletter portfolios. Others we don’t. But all are worth keeping tabs on. Annaly (NLY) Annaly is a mortgage REIT (mREIT) with principal business objective to generate net income for distribution to shareholders. Being critical of the mREIT business is certainly unpopular, and we understand that many retirees generate vital income streams from such investments. Bulls and bears, however, both benefit from our independent voice, and we call out risks as we see them. Annaly and American Capital Agency … Read more

Beware of Groupthink: American Capital, Annaly and now Seadrill

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“Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect.” – Mark Twain The investment research publishing business is a brutal one, and we know you know it. The very best of calls are the ones that go against the crowd and provide such a unique and fresh insight that readers have a difficult time grasping such a variant viewpoint. Once the call is published, the peanut gallery goes to work…and boy do they go to work. Biased and mostly uninformed commenters with stakes in the game do everything they can to try to discredit the author, from personal insults on the message boards to focusing on a minute part of the research … Read more

Valuentum Economic Castleâ„¢ Rating Update

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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

Seadrill’s 10%+ Annual Dividend Yield Is a Long-term Fantasy

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As many investors know, firms can often become cheap for good reasons. That is, they are not trading cheaply because of Mr. Market’s irrational behavior, but instead are trading at depressed levels due to deteriorating underlying fundamental characteristics that actually justify its current share price, even if traditional valuation techniques (such as P/E multiple analysis) suggest the firm’s shares are inexpensive. On a similar note, firms that boast high dividend yields may do so because the market has little confidence in the sustainability of its dividend and believes a cut may be just around the corner. Though we fall short of saying that offshore deep-water drilling company Seadrill (SDRL) will slash its dividend tomorrow, our dividend-cut predictive indicator—the Valuentum Dividend … Read more

Seadrill’s Cash Flow Weak, Financial Leverage Significant

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  Seadrill (SDRL), a leading offshore drilling company, posted lackluster third-quarter results Monday, and its dividend increase did little to impress investors. Consolidated revenue in the third quarter was flat on a sequential basis, while operating profit fell to $471 million from $507 million in the second quarter of this year. The company’s top-line and operating profit performance, however, was much better on a year-over-year basis, up 17.2% and 14%, respectively. Diluted earnings per share advanced to $0.60 from $0.40 in the year-ago period, slightly lower than expectations. EBITDA came in at $663 million during the quarter, flat on a sequential basis but up 15.5% on a year-over-year basis (also modestly below forecasts). Image Source: Seadrill  Seadrill’s net cash from … Read more

Nelson: The 16 Most Important Steps To Understand The Stock Market

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A previous version of this article appeared on our website July 21, 2013. Refreshed and updated throughout, as of July 2018. By Brian Nelson, CFA After earning my MBA at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and training stock and credit analysts from large organizations over the past decade or so, I have heard just about every question (though I admit I am still surprised by many things and remain a very humble student of the markets). I’ve also spent years perfecting the discounted cash flow process for large research organizations such as Morningstar and studied under one of the most famed aggressive growth investors of all time, Richard Driehaus. My knowledge runs the gamut from value through … Read more