We’re Reiterating Our $200 Fair Value Estimate for PayPal

We continue to be big fans of PayPal. The company has a pristine balance sheet, high quality cash flow profile, impressive growth outlook, and is trading well below its fair value estimate as of this writing. Though investors initially sold off shares of PYPL following its third-quarter report November 2 due to its expected growth trajectory slowing down in the near term, we’re reiterating our fair value estimate of $200 per share as PayPal continues to deliver impressive fundamental performance. PayPal’s medium- and long-term growth outlooks remain stellar. Venmo could be a source of significant upside in the medium-term, and we are monitoring events closely. By Callum Turcan On November 2, PayPal Holdings Inc (PYPL) reported third quarter 2020 earnings … Read more

June Dividend Growth Newsletter & Intrinsic Value Investing

“But how, you will ask, does one decide what [stocks are] “attractive”? Most analysts feel they must choose between two approaches customarily thought to be in opposition: “value” and “growth,”…We view that as fuzzy thinking…Growth is always a component of value [and] the very term “value investing” is redundant.“  —                — Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway annual report, 1992 — By Brian Nelson, CFA — To add our new options commentary to your membership, please register here ($500/year). — Hi everyone!  — We remain unequivocally bullish on the markets and intrinsic value investing. We believe value today rests within companies that have strong net cash positions (all cash less short- and long-term debt) and solid expected future free cash flows … Read more

Best Ideas Newsletter Portfolio Holding PayPal Can Thrive in a Post-eBay World

Image Source: PayPal Holdings Inc – IR Presentation By Callum Turcan We continue to like Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio holding PayPal Holdings (PYPL) as a way to gain exposure to the very attractive payment processing and financial technology industry, complementing our top-weighted Visa Inc (V) holding. Our fair value estimate stands at $125 per share of PYPL, and we love its ability to generate shareholder value (indicated by PayPal’s Very Attractive Economic Castle rating). The company does not pay out a common dividend at this time, however; if PayPal did, it could be a significant one given its strong free cash flows. From 2016-2018, PayPal’s annual free cash flows averaged $3.0 billion as the firm is very capex-lite (relatively speaking, … Read more

In the News: Sears Nears Bankruptcy, Luxury Apparel Weakens, Fastenal Reports, and Financial Tech Stocks Take Hit

In what was a long-time coming, Sears looks to finally be succumbing to the pressures of the brick-and-mortar retailing business. It won’t be the last big-name retailer to fail, and it certainly wasn’t the first. Luxury stocks are reeling as a result of worries in China. Financial tech stocks gave back a fraction of their huge gains more recently, as investors size up credit risk at this stage of the economic cycle. We continue to believe financial tech is the place to be, however, with PayPal and Visa as two of our top considerations. By Brian Nelson, CFA Sears Holdings (SHLD) is now nothing more than a penny stock, trading at about $0.40 per share, as CNBC reported that the … Read more

PayPal on the Move to $125?

PayPal gets the backing of a new investor, and expectations are for the equity to trade to $125 within the next 18 months. We’re not as bullish on its valuation as others might be, but we’d be really excited to see this simulated Best Ideas Newsletter idea surge! By Brian Nelson, CFA We have been mighty pleased with PayPal’s (PYPL) performance since its split from eBay (EBAY), and while we do have some concerns regarding the impending and expected non-renewal of its agreement with eBay in coming years, we fully expect PayPal to replace lost business as eBay represents just a few months of expansion at its current growth run rate. Rivalries are heating up in the online payments space, … Read more

PayPal Hits New Highs!

We continue to watch PayPal as it has been a fantastic idea in the simulated Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio since it split from eBay. Rivalries are intensifying in the digital payments space and the company will have to replace lost business with eBay in coming years, but we still like the idea. We also view Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies as more an opportunity than a threat for many digital payment providers. By Brian Nelson, CFA On June 19, PayPal (PYPL) announced it would acquire Hyperwallet for $400 million in cash. We think the PayPal executive team was impressed with the technology at Hyperwallet, which faciliates the ability to “pay almost anyone almost anywhere in the world.” As PayPal fuses this … Read more

Nelson: Is Visa the Best Company Ever?


Image Source: Visa’s fiscal fourth-quarter 2017 earnings slide deck

Visa’s business model is phenomenal and its competitive advantages among the best in the world. The company’s free cash flow generation is remarkable, and it alone covers its cash dividend payment by more than 5 times. There are few companies with higher levels of profitability than Visa’s, and even fewer that also have as strong of growth potential. The company’s valuation is starting to get a little stretched, but it has the free-cash-flow generation to grow into it.

PayPal and Visa Remain Attractive Long-Term Ideas

Image Source: Visa Inc – Second Quarter of Fiscal 2022 IR Earnings Presentation By Callum Turcan The payment processing and payment solutions space is attractive. Companies operating in this industry have asset-light business models with relatively modest capital expenditure requirements to maintain a given level of revenues, making free cash flows easier to come by. Additionally, the industry’s growth outlook is incredibly bright and supported by secular tailwinds as the world continues to shift away from cash and towards other payment options (card, mobile apps, QR codes, online payment platforms). Our two favorite companies in this space are PayPal Holdings Inc (PYPL) and Visa Inc (V), and we include both as ideas in the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio. Online spending … Read more

ICYMI — Podcast: 2nd Annual Nelson Exclusive Yearly Round Up Call

Tune in to President of Investment Research Brian Nelson’s Exclusive Yearly Roundup Call. Ladies and gentlemen, Thank you for joining us on our second annual Nelson Exclusive roundup call. I appreciate your interest very much, and I appreciate your attention even more. Just an important reminder, Valuentum is an information provider, not a broker or financial advisor, and we do not issue recommendations of any kind. With that said, let’s get started. These are the best of times. We have now surpassed the 9-year mark since the March 2009 panic bottom that sent shudders through the global financial system, and the US economy is as strong as it has ever been. US gross domestic product is now approaching $20 trillion … Read more

Valuentum Exclusive Yearly Round Up

Select the following link to access the Annual Exclusive Call. Select HERE to Access the Exclusive Call Recording ———- Transcript Provided Below. President of Investment Research Brian Nelson: Ladies and Gentlemen, Thank you for your attendance. Today marks three years since we first launched the Exclusive publication. The Exclusive is our premiere offering for sophisticated investors and builds upon our successes of the past, not only in establishing one of the first methodologies that successfully blends enterprise valuation with behavioral valuation and technical and momentum indicators, but also in making such a process available to individuals, financial advisors and institutional investors in full transparency. The Exclusive publication is in many ways an extension of the strong performance of both the … Read more