Valuentum Exclusive Success Rates Trump Even the Best Quant Hedge Funds

Image: President of Investment Research Brian Nelson, CFA By Brian Nelson, CFA A new book, “The Man Who Solved the Market,” hit bookshelves last year, and thus far it has been a hit. The text goes into the story of quant hedge fund Renaissance Technologies and its hedge fund, the Medallion Fund, which has put up mammoth returns since inception. Though the book focuses more on the life and times of founder Jim Simons and dedicated only a page or two to the fall of Long-Term Capital Management (LTCM), another quant fund that went belly-up during the late 1990s, it was nonetheless a thoroughly interesting and enjoyable read. But why I am bringing up one of the most successful quant … Read more

Health Care Sector Remains Hot

Image Shown: The Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF, a holding in both our Best Ideas Newsletter and Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolios, has been on an upward tear over the past several years. Strong macro tailwinds combined with the ability for industries within the health care sector to generate meaningful shareholder value have been key to supporting strong capital appreciation of equities operating in the area of late. By Callum Turcan The Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV) is a top holding in both our Best Ideas Newsletter and Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolios. We like the exposure and diversification to health care equities that XLV provides. XLV yields ~1.5% as of this writing. State Street Corp (STT) acts as … Read more

ICYMI: Interview with Valuentum’s President Brian M. Nelson, CFA

Catch up with Valuentum’s President Brian M. Nelson, CFA in a recent interview with dividend growth investor Arne Magnus Lorentzen Ulland of the blog stockles. By Brian Nelson, CFA Recently, I was interviewed by Arne Magnus Lorentzen Ulland of the blog stockles. Arne is a dividend growth investor like many of you, and I sincerely hope you enjoy the interview he put together. I’m very grateful for his interest. His questions were fantastic. We discuss why and how I incorporate independence and integrity into the service at Valuentum. We go into detail regarding why Valuentum views stocks the way it does, and how Valuentum combines enterprise valuation and the information contained in prices in its stock-selection process. I discuss the pitfalls … Read more

Zimmer Biomet’s Near-Term Outlook Is Less Rosy Than Management Would Have You Believe

Shares of Zimmer Biomet are trading on lofty expectations and investors may be in for a shock should Zimmer Biomet continue to underperform during the second half of 2019. Foreign currency headwinds continue to grow as seen through the strength of the US Dollar Index during the third quarter of 2019. We like Zimmer Biomet’s deleveraging activities but think its share price has gotten ahead of itself given these rising headwinds, lack of top line growth, and deteriorating net operating cash flows. We are staying away from Zimmer Biomet. By Callum Turcan Zimmer Biomet (ZBH) makes medical devices and shares of ZBH yield 0.7% as of this writing. The company as it stands today was created through Zimmer Holdings acquiring … Read more

Our Reports on Stocks in the Medical Devices Industry

Image Source: U.S. Embassy Kyiv Ukraine Structure of the Medical Devices Industry The medical devices industry is heavily regulated and characterized by rapid technological change. Firms have been forced to compete on price due to economically-motivated buyers, consolidation among healthcare providers, and declining reimbursement rates. Healthcare reform measures have put additional pressure on procedure rates and market sizes. Still, firms can gain advantages by developing products with differentiated clinical outcomes or by creating patent-protected technology. Since most constituents hold important patents or trade secrets, we tend to like the group. We’ve optimized our health care coverage, the reports of which can be found here.

Markets Swooning, Expect Extreme Volatility, Finger on Put-Option Trigger

Image shown: We notified members December 26 that we had  moved  the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio and Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio to a “fully invested” position, from a 30% and 20% cash “weighting” at the high end of the range, respectively.  — No change to simulated newsletter portfolios…at this time.  — Hi everyone, — Hope you’re navigating these tumultuous markets well.   — If you recall, during the holiday season last year, we had moved the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio and Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio to “fully invested.” See image above (point of the arrow). Because many members were traveling and out of the office, not all were able to read the notification until a week or two after. They were … Read more

ATTN: Advisors and Planners — Disruption Is Looming

“With the commoditization of investment advice and intense competition from robos and other more cost-efficient solutions, growth-minded advisors want to create bespoke experiences for clients.” — WealthManagement.com By Brian Nelson, CFA Hi Valuentum members, colleagues and friends, Valuentum has a large subscriber base and is one of the most successful paid subscription financial information websites launched this decade. Over the past eight years or so, individuals, financial advisors and money managers from all over the world have subscribed to our services. We pride ourselves on independence and transparency, and we’re a champion of the investor. Today, I’d like to talk directly to our financial advisor, financial planner, and professional money-manager members. You probably already heard the news yesterday: Charles Schwab, which handles … Read more

DG Newsletter Alert, Markets on a Roll! New Highs Coming?

Image shown: We notified members December 26 that we had moved the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio and Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio to a “fully invested” position, from a 30% and 20% cash “weighting” at the high end of the range, respectively. It doesn’t look like the timing could have been much better.  Changes to Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio Removing Novartis (NVS) -3.5%-5.5% Adding Health Care Select Sector SPDR Fund (XLV) +3.5%-5.5% By Brian Nelson, CFA The back half of 2018 was among the most exciting in Valuentum’s history. For one, we might have made one of our best “market-direction” calls since inception in practically calling the near-term bottom December 26. In hindsight, it’s clear the market had overreacted, but at the time, going to “fully … Read more

Valuentum’s Stock and Data Screens and Screeners

Let’s go over where to find Valuentum’s stock and data screens and screeners. We believe our stock screeners are among the most robust when it comes to providing forward-looking data, and our data comes straight from our enterprise discounted cash flow models that we use to derive a company’s fair value estimate. By The Valuentum Team In late 2017, we made the decision to transition to providing an updated Excel download each week to members in order to allow them to facilitate any combination of screening criteria they want with respect to our vast amounts of data, whether it be the Valuentum Buying Index, the Dividend Cushion ratio or other. What we’ve found out the past 15 months or so … Read more

Tandem Diabetes Care: An Emerging Leader in Diabetes Technology

Image Source: Tandem Investor Presentation Over the past year or so, Tandem Diabetes Care has gone from jockeying for position in the domestic insulin pump market to a global leader in diabetes care technology. Significant growth catalysts remain in place, and the company expects to soon begin realizing meaningful efficiencies of scale as robust top-line growth continues. By Kris Rosemann Overview Tandem Diabetes Care (TNDM) is an innovative medical device company specializing in products for people with insulin-dependent diabetes. It incorporates modern and innovative technology into its offerings, and its competitive advantage is based on its unique consumer-focused approach. The company has commercially launched six insulin pumps, all of which are based in its proprietary technology platform, in the US, … Read more