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US Auto Market Shows Resolve in August; Ford Remains Our Best Idea; C-Max Outselling Tesla’s Model S

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During the past two years, we’ve never wavered on our bullish take on the domestic automotive sector—pent-up demand, inexpensive credit, and a rapidly age fleet have all combined to propel a robust automotive comeback. August was no different, with the SAAR topping 16.1 million units during the month. Let’s take a look at how some of the auto makers performed. Ford Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio holding Ford (click ticker for report: ) posted fabulous August sales results as unit sales surged 12.2% year-over-year to 221,270 units. Retail sales were up 20% year-over-year, and Ford could hardly produce enough vehicles to meet demand, adding 1,400 workers at its Flat Rock Assembly. F-Series sales continued to lead the way, with unit sales … Read more

Firms Raising Their Dividends in the Week Ending August 30

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Below we provide a list of firms that upped their dividends for the week ending August 30. The dividend reports of covered firms on this list will be updated shortly with the new information. To access our dividend reports, please click here (or use our ‘Symbol’ search box in our website header). Firms Raising Their Dividends This Week BancorpSouth (BXS): now $0.05 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.01. Eastgroup Properties (EGP): now $0.54 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.53. Escalade (ESCA): now $0.09 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.08. FBL Financial (FFG): now $0.15 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.11. Harris Corp (HRS): now $0.42 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.37. MB Financial (MBFI): now $0.12 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.10. … Read more

Cooper Tire & Rubber Receives a Generous Takeover Bid

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Early Wednesday morning, American tire company Cooper Tire & Rubber (CTB) announced that it agreed to be acquired by India-based Apollo Tyres for $35 per share ($2.5 billion) in cash. Not only did we peg Cooper’s fair value at $35 per share, the firm also appeared on our list of  The 25 Cheapest Stocks on the Market over $10, perhaps marking one of our best stock calls thus far this year. Apollo paid a 43% premium over the previous day’s closing price, right in line with our above-market fair value estimate. We think Apollo’s offer was fair, and we think the newly-combined entity will be a stronger company. Fears of Cooper’s heavy pension obligations and concerns about intense competition from … Read more

The Valuentum Dividend100 Publication; A Must-Have For Any Income Investor

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Dividend investors literally have thousands of income stocks to choose from. So what are they to do, and where can they go for the most trusted forward-looking opinions on dividend growth and safety? That’s the question we seek to answer with our ValuentumDividend100 publication. In this document, we showcase the top 100 high-quality, dividend growth gems within our coverage universe. Whether you’re looking to build a portfolio consisting of high-yielding, dividend-growers or simply seeking to augment it with a few income gems, the Valuentum Dividend100 is an essential resource for any income investor. We outline some of the key components of our Dividend100 publication below, and explain how you can get the most from each of one Sign Up for … Read more

The New Car Effect Hits CarMax

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Used-car dealer CarMax (click ticker for report: ) reported stellar third-quarter results Thursday morning. Revenue surged 15% year-over-year to a better-than-anticipated $2.6 billion. Earnings also grew 15% year-over-year to $0.41 per share, easily exceeding the consensus estimate. Our fair value estimate is unchanged. Given how the new-car recovery continues, it may seem surprising that CarMax would see such strong sales gains. Used-car revenues jumped 17% year to $2.06 billion, with total units jumping 16% and comparable store units jumping 12% compared to the same period last year. However, this shouldn’t be too surprising, in our view, given the aging fleet of cars in the US coupled with the better used-car inventory stimulated by the new car recovery. As consumers purchase … Read more

November Auto Sales Roundup

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November auto sales were strong across the board, with the SAAR expected to be around 15.2 million units. Let’s take a look at performance on an individual company basis. Ford Best Ideas Newsletter holding Ford (click ticker for report: ) healthily exceeded its consensus sales growth forecast of 3.5% unit growth, with sales expanding 6.5% during November and retail sales growing 12%. Total small car units surged 76% year-over-year, making it Ford’s best November small car performance in 12 years. Utilities and trucks units lagged cars, growing 2% and 3.7%, respectively, compared to 15.2% growth in total car sales. Although performance was boosted due to sales being pulled into November as a result of Sandy, we thought the results were good, … Read more

A Dual Focus on Valuation and Yield Is the Best Way to Combat Changes in Future Dividend Tax Rates

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With a potential hike in the dividend tax rate just around the corner, there is no more important time than now for income investors to evaluate their existing portfolio holdings to determine whether they are well-positioned for a higher-tax environment. Assuming there are no changes to the current trajectory, the top dividend tax rate is expected to rise to 39.6% next year (up from 15% currently), and the highest-income earners will see a Medicare surtax on top of that. Evaluate All Aspects of a Dividend Investment First of all, we think those investing in high-yielders (firms) at any price (HYAAP) may be most affected by this change in tax rates. These high-yielders at any price (HYAAP) tend to be favorites of those at or near retirement, particularly given the paltry payouts on fixed … Read more

Search Dividend Reports by Company Name: Q to Z

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Going forward, please use the ‘Symbol’ search box to download stock and dividend reports of companies you are interested in. The ‘Symbol’ search box can be found in our website header. Image shown from above. Use the active search box in the website header above. Learn more about your membership >>  Note: We have now discontinued this list. Please use the ‘Symbol’ search box in the website header for stock and dividend reports. Please read about our Valuentum Dividend Cushion score (ratio) here. Just having access to this valuable metric alone could save your income portfolio thousands of dollars! The past meets the future as we showcase the Valuentum Dividend Cushion scores of Dividend Aristocrats in this article (click here). The dividend reports below … Read more