TSO

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week Ending September 2

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Below we provide a list of firms that raised/lowered their dividends during the week ending September 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 Bank of America (BAC): now $0.075 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.05. Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS): now C$0.74 per share quarterly dividend, was C$0.72. Broadcom (AVGO): now $0.51 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.50. Brookfield Infrastructure Partners (BIP): now $0.59 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.57. Campbell Soup (CPB): now $0.35 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.31. Capital Southwest (CSWC): now $0.11 per share quarterly … Read more

Transaction Alerts: Moving Closer to Market Neutral on Energy

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The Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio has generated significant outperformance in part from avoiding many of the landmines across the energy sector during the past many months. We’ve done equally well in our calls in the Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio, and we’re very proud of raising the issue of the importance of looking at non-GAAP free cash flow across pipeline entities. We believe that such a measure is the best one to assess the timing of free cash flows as they are generated, an important consideration for investors of all types, and not properly addressed in measures of distributable cash flow or a company’s dividend or distribution. Why are we now inching ever so slightly back into energy? 1. The market … Read more

$45 Oil Prices!?!? There Is Never a Sense of Urgency When One Is Prepared

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Image Source: Macrotrends The bull market in energy (XLE) has lasted for the better part of a decade. Ever since the turn of the new century, energy perma-bulls have made the case that “black gold” (USO) should continue its ever-upward price advance thanks to ongoing demand from emerging and developing economies coupled with reduced inventories and areas of supply. We’re seeing this thesis challenged right at this moment. In deciding not to cut crude oil output in the face of oversupply and falling prices, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), for the lack of a better phrase, is now essentially engaged in a price war with producers in the US that are using breakthrough technology to produce oil … Read more

Valuentum Economic Castleâ„¢ Rating Update

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Read: Keeping the Horse Before the Cart: Valuentum’s Economic Castle™ Rating The Economic Castle Focuses on the Magnitude of Economic Value Creation The Valuentum Economic Castle™ rating is an enhancement of the competitive advantage framework (commonly known as economic moat analysis) that has become widespread and ubiquitous within the investing world. Whereas an economic moat framework evaluates a firm on the basis of the sustainability and durability of its competitive advantages, Valuentum’s Economic Castle™ rating evaluates a firm on the basis of the firm’s future economic profit spread (return on invested capital less its weighted average cost of capital). The companies with the strongest Valuentum Economic Castle™ ratings are poised to generate the most economic value for shareholders in the … Read more

Phillips 66’s 3Q Reveals Difficult Refining Environment

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Phillips 66’s third-quarter results, issued last Wednesday, revealed significantly weaker worldwide refining margins, as expected. The company’s third quarter earnings fell to $535 million, down from adjusted earnings of $1.9 billion in the third-quarter of 2012. Results in the company’s ‘Refining’ segment remain highly volatile. Phillips 66’s ‘Midstream’ segment generated earnings of $148 million compared with adjusted earnings of $88 million in last year’s period. Third-quarter earnings in Phillips 66’s ‘Chemicals’ segment came in at $262 million, down modestly from adjusted earnings of $275 million in the year-ago period. The company’s quarterly earnings for its ‘Marketing and Specialties’ segment totaled $240 million, up from $98 million in the same quarter last year. Corporate and other expenses were roughly flat during the … Read more

Phillips 66 Hikes Dividend 25%!

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Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio holding Phillips 66 (click ticker for report: ) announced on Tuesday that it would raise its quarterly dividend 25% to $0.39 per share. This equates to an annual dividend of $1.56 per share, and an annual yield of 2.6% at current levels. We applaud the move, though we aren’t surprised, as we have long believed that the firm has excellent dividend safety and growth potential. In our view, the longer-term fundamental story for Phillips 66 and the broader industry continues to look positive as refining capacity remains constrained and more advantaged crude flows through North American pipelines. At this time, Philips 66 remains our favorite idea in the refinery space and a holding in the portfolio … Read more

Digging into Phillips 66’s Results: Earnings Decline Not Tragic

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Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio holding Phillips 66 (click ticker for report: ) announced slightly weaker than anticipated second quarter earnings Wednesday morning, which isn’t too surprising after the insight we received from peer Valero (click ticker for report: ). Revenue declined 8% year-over-year to $43.9 billion, which was actually above estimates but not materially important for Phillips 66. Earnings per share declined 33% to $1.50 per share, falling well short of consensus expectations. Free cash flow remained relatively strong at $597 million during the quarter, and year-to-date, it stands at $2.4 billion. Image Source: PSX 2Q 2013 Investor Presentation Where did Phillips 66 earnings weakness come from? Without question, it was the firm’s refining margin. Advantaged crude remained flat as … Read more

Valero Will Miss Big in the Second Quarter

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Refiner Valero (click ticker for report: ) preannounced weak second-quarter results Thursday afternoon. Including a $0.05 per share charge for spinoff-related expenses and other charges related to environmental and legal matters, the company plans to earn between $0.80 and $0.90 per share during the second quarter of 2013, nowhere near the consensus estimate calling for earnings of $1.27 per share and well short of last year’s $1.50 per share. The firm’s interim-update release was very brief, but Valero blamed “lower discounts for heavy sour crude oil, higher natural gas costs, higher costs to comply with the Renewable Fuels Standard, and turnaround and maintenance activity at the Quebec City, McKee, Meraux, and Port Arthur refineries.” Discounts for heavy sour crude oil … Read more

Nelson: The 16 Most Important Steps To Understand The Stock Market

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A previous version of this article appeared on our website July 21, 2013. Refreshed and updated throughout, as of July 2018. By Brian Nelson, CFA After earning my MBA at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business and training stock and credit analysts from large organizations over the past decade or so, I have heard just about every question (though I admit I am still surprised by many things and remain a very humble student of the markets). I’ve also spent years perfecting the discounted cash flow process for large research organizations such as Morningstar and studied under one of the most famed aggressive growth investors of all time, Richard Driehaus. My knowledge runs the gamut from value through … Read more

How to Think About Corporate Tax Reform

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