ALERT: Going to “Fully Invested” in the Best Ideas Newsletter Portfolio

Image: Since the publishing of the first edition of the book Value Trap, the stylistic area of large cap growth (SCHG) has meaningfully outperformed both the equal-weight S&P 500 (SPY) and small cap value (IWN). Summary of Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio changes UnitedHealth Group (UNH): 0% –> 4%-6% Booking Holding (BKNG): 0% –> 4%-6% Chipotle (CMG): 1%-2% –> 6%-8% Technology Select Sector SPDR (XLK): 0% –> 4%-6% By Brian Nelson, CFA With the debt-ceiling debate behind the markets, the regional banking crisis largely in the rear-view mirror, and the Fed winning the fight against inflation, a continuation of the strength in the markets as witnessed from the October 2022 lows can probably be expected. We “rode” the latest upswing with … Read more

ALERT: We’re ‘Raising Cash’ in the Newsletter Portfolios

Image: American Union Bank, New York City. April 26, 1932. Public Domain “We firmly believe that an investment in a bank must come with the acknowledgement of the distinct possibility that another financial crisis may occur at an unknown time in the future. Why? Banks do not keep a 100% reserve against deposits. Our good friend George Bailey knew this very well when he tried to discourage Bedford Falls residents from making a “run” on the famous and beloved Building and Loan.” – Brian Nelson, CFA, September 4, 2013   SUMMARY OF CHANGES Best Ideas Newsletter Portfolio Johnson & Johnson (JNJ): 4%-6% à 0% Exxon Mobil (XOM): 4%-6% à 0% Chevron (CVX) 3%-5% à 0% Dollar General (DG): 3%-5% à 0% Korn/Ferry (KFY): 1%-2% à 0% … Read more

Earnings Not So Hot, High Yield Dividend Newsletter Archives

No change to newsletter portfolios. By Brian Nelson, CFA Against a backdrop of US-China trade tensions, a Fed that continues to balance the need to hike rates with caution against purposefully and meaningfully inverting the yield curve, US GDP growth humming along at 2%-3%, and news from Tesla (TSLA) CEO Elon Musk, who says something big is in store for tonight. Incidentally, he changed his Twitter name to Elon Tusk. Was it to match our typo yesterday? Elon – if you’re listening, give us a shout out! We love Tesla’s future expected free cash flow! Just some housekeeping items before we get started. For our High Yield Dividend Newsletter members and our Exclusive members, we do not house the archived … Read more

Tweaking the Newsletter Portfolios for a Rising Interest-Rate Environment


Image Source: CreditCafe.com

Many market observers are anticipating the Fed to accelerate the pace of interest-rate hikes in 2018. We’re making a number of changes to the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio and Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio as we consider what a higher interest-rate environment might look like. We’re also cognizant of the impact that higher interest rates may have on the High Yield Dividend Newsletter and its simulated portfolio, the first edition to be released January 1, 2018.

The Best Ideas for 2014 and Beyond: Part II

A portion of this article is excerpted from the January 2014 edition of the Dividend Growth Newsletter. Valuentum has two actively-managed portfolios: a Best Ideas portfolio and a Dividend Growth portfolio. Each portfolio has different goals and strategies. The Best Ideas portfolio seeks to find firms that have good value and good momentum characteristics and typically holds them from a Valuentum Buying Index rating of a 9 or 10 to a rating of a 1 or 2. The goal of the portfolio is to generate a positive return each year and to exceed the performance of a broad market benchmark. The Dividend Growth portfolio seeks to find underpriced dividend growth gems that generate phenomenal levels of cash flow and have … Read more

7 Hidden Dividend Aristocrats in Industrials

Image notes: The price-to-fair value ratio shows the relationship between the company’s stock price and our discounted cash-flow derived fair value estimate. Price is what you pay for the stock, while value is what you get. Price and fair value seldom equal. The savvy investor seeks to find stocks whose price is far below an informed forward-looking cash-flow-based fair value estimate of their intrinsic value. The Dividend Cushion ratio is a proprietary Valuentum measure that drives our assessment of the company’s Dividend Safety rating. The forward-looking measure assesses dividend coverage via the cash characteristics of the business. The Dividend Cushion is a ratio that sums the existing net cash (total cash less total long-term debt) a company has on hand … Read more