Union Pacific Outperforming North American Rail Traffic Trends But Facing Inefficiencies and Inflation Hurdles

Image Source: Chuckcars By Brian Nelson, CFA On November 30, the Association of American Railroads reported that North American rail traffic is down 1.9% on a year-to-date basis through November 26. Carloads of chemicals, coal, motor vehicles and parts, nonmetallic minerals, and petroleum products were strong, but weakness in farm products, forest products, grain, and metallic ores and metals weighed on overall strength. Rail remains among the most economical way to ship goods over long distances. The railroads were front and center in the news recently about a potential work stoppage over the issue of paid sick leave. President Joe Biden, however, was able to put an end to the potential for a strike by signing “into law a joint … Read more

Video: How Many Stocks Should You Own?

Video: Valuentum’s President of Investment Research, Brian Nelson, CFA, explains the importance of diversification, how to think about firm-specific and systematic risk, how many stocks one should own to achieve 90% of the diversification benefits, how to think about active asset allocation versus active equity management, and why diversification is a means to achieve goals, not the goal itself. A content-packed 14-minute video. Don’t miss it! –——— Tickerized for holdings in the ARKK. Also tickerized for META, PYPL. Brian Nelson owns shares in SPY, SCHG, QQQ, DIA, VOT, BITO, and IWM. Valuentum owns SPY, SCHG, QQQ, VOO, and DIA. Brian Nelson’s household owns shares in HON, DIS, HAS, NKE. Some of the other securities written about in this article may … Read more

Net Cash Rich Tesla Reports Solid Free Cash Flow, Closes Out 2021 on a High Note

Image Shown: A look at Tesla Inc’s new ‘Gigafactory’ manufacturing facility in Austin, Texas, that is currently under development. Image Source: Tesla Inc – Fourth Quarter of 2021 IR Shareholder Deck By Callum Turcan On January 26, Tesla Inc (TSLA) reported that it had produced ~306,000 vehicles and delivered ~309,000 vehicles during the final quarter of 2021. The electric vehicle (‘EV’) and battery maker beat both consensus top- and bottom-line estimates in the fourth quarter as it continued to successfully ramp its production capabilities. We plan to fine-tune our cash flow valuation model covering Tesla to take its latest earnings report into account, but we still expect the point fair value estimate to be below where shares are trading at … Read more

Some Questions Answered: The Fair Value Estimate Range and ROIC

Q: In the 16-page stock reports, why doesn’t the ‘percentage undervalued / overvalued’ match up to the actual discount/premium to Valuentum’s fair value estimate of the company? A: We view the intrinsic value of a company as a Fair Value Range, not necessarily a single point estimate, so the undervalued and overvalued calculations match up to either the low fair value estimate or high fair value estimate, respectively. Within the context of a margin of safety, we wouldn’t necessarily view a company to be worth precisely $55 per share, for example; instead we’d view the company as worth between $50 (low end fair value estimate) and $60 per share (high end fair value estimate), with the low and high fair … Read more

FedEx Beats Estimates, Raises Guidance

Image Source: FedEx Corporation – Second Quarter of Fiscal 2022 Earnings Infographic By Callum Turcan On December 16, the logistics giant FedEx Corporation (FDX) reported second quarter earnings for fiscal 2022 (period ended November 30, 2021) that beat both consensus top- and bottom-line estimates. The firm also moderately raised its earnings guidance for fiscal 2022 in conjunction with its earnings update after previously reducing its full fiscal year guidance when reporting its fiscal first quarter earnings update. FedEx noted in its fiscal second quarter earnings press release that “higher revenue per shipment at all transportation segments” positively benefited its operating income performance and helped offset headwinds from labor shortages and related supply chain constraints. The company also recently announced a … Read more