Lockheed Martin On the Road to Recovery, Improved Free Cash Flow Visibility

  Image: Heath Cajandig By Brian Nelson, CFA It was late October 2021 when Lockheed Martin (LMT) took a “big bath” of a third quarter. Back then, Lockheed Martin said it expected 2022 net sales to fall from 2021 levels, to ~$66 billion. At the time, we had been expecting revenue to advance to north of $70 billion during 2022, so the change in trajectory was quite pronounced. Its backlog fell to $134.8 billion from $147.1 billion on a year-over-year basis in the quarter, too. To say that the market was surprised in October would be an understatement because LMT’s stock fell double-digits following the news. Fast forward a few months, and Lockheed Martin is working to get things back … Read more

Nike Beats Estimates in the Face of Supply Chain Constraints

Image Shown: Shares of Nike Inc shifted higher in the wake of its latest earnings report. By Callum Turcan On December 20, Nike Inc (NKE) reported second quarter earnings for fiscal 2022 (period ended November 30, 2021) that beat both consensus top- and bottom-line estimates. The company did its best to navigate serious supply chain hurdles as efforts by public health officials and governments to contain the spread of the coronavirus (‘COVID-19’) pandemic in Southeast Asia (a major production hub for apparel and footwear) weighed quite negatively on its ability to meet demand. Earnings Update Nike’s GAAP revenues grew 1% year-over-year in the fiscal second quarter, hitting $11.4 billion, as the company, and the apparel and footwear industry at large, … Read more

Dividend Growth Idea Dick’s Sporting Goods Is Firing on All-Cylinders; Raises Guidance (Again) While Generating Gobs of Free Cash Flow

Image Source: Valuentum By Callum Turcan On November 23, Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc (DKS) reported third quarter earnings for fiscal 2021 (period ended October 30, 2021) that beat both consensus top- and bottom-line estimates. The sporting goods retailer once again raised its full-year guidance for fiscal 2021 in conjunction with its latest earnings report. Dick’s Sporting Goods also raised its guidance when reporting its fiscal second quarter earnings back in August 2021 and its fiscal first quarter earnings back in May 2021, highlighting management’s growing confidence in the company’s near term performance. Though shares of DKS sold off following its latest earnings update, likely due to concerns over inflationary pressures and supply chain hurdles, Dick’s Sporting Goods’ outlook remains rock-solid. … Read more

Lockheed Martin Shocks the Market

Image: After years of backlog growth at Lockheed Martin, the third quarter of 2021 revealed a sharp year-over-year decline to the tune of ~8.3%. The company’s outlook also left a lot to be desired. By Brian Nelson, CFA Lockheed Martin (LMT) reported mixed third-quarter 2021 results Tuesday, October 26, but “mixed” might be too gracious of a word. Though it did beat the consensus number for third-quarter non-GAAP earnings per share, revenue didn’t just miss marginally, but by more than a $1 billion, with the top line falling 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. Clearly, Lockheed had promised more than it could deliver, and we had been taken in by the optimism. We expect to lower our fair value estimate. There’s … Read more

Dividend Growth Idea Dick’s Sporting Goods Announces Great News

Image Shown: Dividend Growth Idea Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc has put up tremendous performance of late. By Callum Turcan On August 25, Dick’s Sporting Goods Inc (DKS) reported second quarter earnings for fiscal 2021 (period ended July 31, 2021) that soared past consensus top- and bottom-line estimates. Furthermore, Dick’s Sporting Goods raised its full-year guidance for fiscal 2021, doubled its minimum share buyback program to $0.4 billion for fiscal 2021, increased its regular quarterly dividend by 21% on a sequential basis to $0.4375 per share (bringing its annualized payout up to $1.75 per share), and announced a special dividend of $5.50 per share during its latest earnings update. We are incredibly pleased with the company’s performance of late. Dick’s Sporting … Read more

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week July 2

Below we provide a list of firms that raised their dividends during the week ending July 2. The dividend reports of covered firms on this list will be updated shortly with the new information. To access our dividend reports use the ‘Symbol’ search box in our website header. Firms Raising Their Dividends This Week AGF Management (AGFMF): now CAD 0.09 per share quarterly dividend, was CAD 0.08. Alta Equipment Group Inc. 10% DP SHS PFD A (ALTG.PA): now $0.625 per share quarterly dividend. Arbor Realty Trust Series D Pfd. (ABR.PD): now $0.25677 per share dividend. Armanino Foods of Distinction (AMNF): now $0.0275 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.0225. Banco Bradesco (BBD): now $0.737 per share monthly dividend, was $0.03. Boise … 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

Lockheed Martin Boosts Guidance

Image Source: Lockheed Martin Corporation – First Quarter of Fiscal 2021 IR Earnings Presentation By Callum Turcan Geopolitical tensions are on the rise worldwide. In recent weeks, Russian forces started massing on the border with Ukraine (though reportedly, those forces are beginning to pull back) as acrimony between Western governments and Russia continues to grow while the situation in Ukraine (i.e., Russia’s annexation of Crimea and involvement in eastern regions of Ukraine) remains in paralysis. Tensions between the US and China are building as well with an eye towards trading relations, espionage of all kinds, and cyber-attacks. The geopolitical backdrop indicates that the trajectory of defense spending is likely to continue growing in key developed and developing nations worldwide going … 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