Dick’s Sporting Goods Soars, Raises Dividend 10%

Image: Dick’s Sporting Goods’ shares have soared since the doldrums of the COVID-19 meltdown. By Brian Nelson, CFA On March 14, Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio holding Dick’s Sporting Goods (DKS) reported better-than-expected top and bottom-line performance for the fourth quarter and issued a solid outlook for fiscal 2024. Shares of Dick’s Sporting Goods have done fantastic since the worst of the COVID-19 meltdown years ago, and the momentum behind its business remains strong, as evidenced by a nice 10% increase in its quarterly dividend. We expect to raise our fair value estimate of Dick’s Sporting Goods upon our next valuation model update, and the company remains a key idea in the Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio. Management’s commentary in the quarterly … Read more

Dick’s Sporting Goods Still Looks Really Cheap

Image Source: Dick’s Sporting Goods By Brian Nelson, CFA On November 21, Dick’s Sporting Goods (DKS) reported solid third-quarter results with sales up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis thanks to comparable store sales growth of 1.7% that lapped an impressive 6.5% increase in the same period a year ago. Non-GAAP earnings per share came in at $2.85 in the quarter, up from $2.60 in last year’s period. The company also raised its 2023 comparable store sales growth guidance range to 0.5%-2% from flat to 2% previously, and it raised its 2023 non-GAAP earnings per share outlook to $12.00-$12.60 from its previous range of $11.50-$12.30. We liked the news and continue to believe that shares of Dick’s Sporting Goods are mispriced. … Read more

Dick’s Sporting Goods Trades at Less Than 10x Expected Fiscal 2023 Earnings; We Like Shares

Image Source: Dick’s Sporting Goods By Brian Nelson, CFA When it comes to retail exposure, Dick’s Sporting Goods (DKS) is one of our top considerations. The company reported strong first-quarter fiscal 2023 results for the period ending April 29, 2023, that showed 3.4% same-store-sales growth and a 19% advance in non-GAAP earnings per diluted share. For fiscal 2023, management is targeting positive same-store sales expansion and earnings per diluted share in the range of $12.90-$13.80, implying that shares are trading at less than 10x expected fiscal 2023 earnings. The company has considerable long-term operating lease liabilities, but it has a net cash position. Dick’s Sporting Goods raised its dividend considerably recently, and we continue to like shares in the Dividend … Read more

Nike’s Gross Margin Falls, Inventory Leaps in Fourth Quarter Fiscal 2022

Image Source: Valuentum By Valuentum Analysts Very few other companies, if any other, have built such deep, personal connections with the consumer as Nike, Inc. (NKE) has, let alone the tremendous brand strength, and its endorsement deal with LeBron James gives it yet another top-notch globally marketable superstar. Nike’s annual free cash flows averaged ~$4.0 billion from fiscal 2019-2021, versus its ~$1.6 billion in dividend obligations in fiscal 2021, and it had a solid net cash position on the books at the end of fiscal 2022. The sustained strength seen at its digital and direct-to-consumer operations supports Nike’s outlook. Nike’s Dividend Cushion ratio is impressive; however, its ~1.1% dividend yield is relatively modest. From its namesake to Jordan Brand to … Read more

Lululemon Firing on All Cylinders; Shares Recovering

Image Shown: Shares of Lululemon Athletica Inc are recovering in the wake of the company’s recent earnings report. By Callum Turcan On March 29, Lululemon Athletica Inc (LULU) reported fourth quarter earnings for fiscal 2021 (period ended January 30, 2022) that matched consensus top-line estimates and beat consensus bottom-line estimates. Lululemon also announced it had initiated a new $1.0 billion stock buyback program after completing its previous program in the first quarter of fiscal 2022. The company issued favorable guidance for fiscal 2022 during its latest earnings update, which helped drive shares of LULU sharply higher during normal trading hours on March 30. Shares of LULU are up more than 20% during the past 52 weeks through the time of … Read more

Nike Holding Its Own Against Major Exogenous Shocks

Image Shown: Shares of Nike Inc are on an upward climb again after dropping significantly from November 2021 to March 2022. By Callum Turcan On March 21, Nike Inc (NKE) reported its third quarter earnings for fiscal 2022 (period ended February 28, 2022) that beat both top- and bottom-line estimates. Shares of Nike are trading around ~$135 as of this writing, near our fair value estimate of $139 per share, after dropping significantly from November 2021 to March 2022. The company’s stock shot up initially after its latest earnings report was made public as Nike indicated it was getting a better handle on its supply chain issues, which have made keeping up with robust consumer demand quite difficult of late. … Read more

Dick’s Sporting Goods Soars, Reports Record First-Quarter Sales, Highest-Ever Quarterly Earnings!

Image Shown: Dick’s Sporting Goods’ stock price soared following the release of its first-quarter fiscal 2021 earnings report and robust guidance for the remainder of the year. We added the sporting goods retailer to the Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio last November, and we continue to like shares. By Brian Nelson, CFA On Wednesday, May 26, Dick’s Sporting Goods (DKS) released a stellar fiscal first-quarter earnings report for the period ending May 1, 2021, that showed its omni-channel sales strategy is paying off as the U.S. economy continues its robust recovery. We added Dick’s Sporting Goods to the Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio in November of last year, and its dividend growth prospects remain as strong as ever. In March of this year, … Read more

Dividend Growth Portfolio Idea Dick’s Sporting Goods Raises Dividend 16%!

  Image Source: Mike Mozart. Dick’s Sporting Goods put up its best same-store-sales growth rate in history during 2020. We continue to like shares of the sporting goods retailer in the Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio. By Brian Nelson, CFA Kudos to one of the latest additions to the Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio, Dick’s Sporting Goods (DKS). The company announced March 9 concurrent with its fourth-quarter 2020 press release that it increased its quarterly payout 16%, to $0.3625 per share, or $1.45 per share on an annualized basis, good enough for a nice ~2% forward expected dividend yield. The latest iteration of the Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio can be found here. With a Dividend Cushion ratio of 3.2 at its last … Read more

ICYMI: Valuentum’s Brian Nelson on the Latest Howard Marks’ Memo: “Something of Value”

Valuentum’s President of Investment Research Brian Michael Nelson, CFA, explains why there are not really value and growth stocks, why most of the research in quantitative finance is spurious and needs to be redefined on a forward-looking basis, and why enterprise valuation (not the efficient markets hypothesis) should be the organizing principle of finance. Nelson explains his views about valuation, what it means to be a value investor, and investing in the context of Oaktree Capital Howard Marks’ latest memo, “Something of Value,” January 11, 2021. Please don’t forget to give the second edition of the book “Value Trap” a 5-star rating on Amazon here. Thank you for your membership! —– Tickerized for holdings in the IWM. Valuentum members have … Read more

Recent Data Indicates US Consumer Spending Holding Up Well, Online Sales Surging

Image Shown: As of this writing, the S&P 500 (SPY) appears ready to end 2020 on a high note, supported by the resilience of the US consumer. By Callum Turcan The ongoing coronavirus (‘COVID-19’) pandemic accelerated the shift towards e-commerce, and that change has long legs. Retailers that previously invested in their digital operations and omni-channel sales capabilities were able to capitalize on this shift while those that relied heavily on foot traffic were hurt badly. Numerous retailers went under in 2020 including J.C. Penney Company Inc (JCPNQ) and Neiman Marcus. Holiday season shopping data indicates that US consumer spending was frontloaded and grew modestly in 2020, aided by surging e-commerce sales, which advanced nearly 50% on a year-over-year basis. … Read more