Study: Valuentum’s Best Ideas Newsletter Portfolio

To read the study, please click on the image to download the pdf document (pdf).

ICYMI: Valuentum’s Improved Stock and ETF Web Pages

Valuentum has rolled out improved stock and ETF web pages on its website valuentum.com/. Now, subscribers can access key proprietary information on the stock and ETF web pages in addition to the customary stock and ETF reports. Dear reader, We have some exciting news that we can’t wait to share with you! At valuentum.com/, we have rolled out new stock and ETF pages that conveniently include a variety of our proprietary metrics from the Dividend Cushion ratio to the Economic Castle rating and beyond! There’s even mouseover functionality so you can learn about how we define the key metrics across our stock-selection and dividend growth methodologies. You’ll still have access to the stock and dividend reports on the landing pages, … Read more

The “Luck” and “Randomness” of Index Funds

Please select the image below to download the document. Image shown, page 1 of 14. Tickerized for Valuentum’s coverage universe.

Video: Quants! You’re NOT Measuring VALUE and Nelson’s Theory of Universal Value

President of Investment Research Brian Nelson defines the concept of universal value and shows how quantitative statistical methods are inextricably linked to those of fundamental, financial, business-model related analysis. Value does not exist in respective process vacuums! Value is universal. Find out why. Running time: ~10 minutes.  Tickerized for Valuentum’s stock and ETF coverage universe. Transcript Hi this is Brian Nelson from Valuentum Securities, and this is the tenth edition of a series that I call “Off the Cuff,” where I get in front of the camera and I talk for ten minutes. This is what we have to talk about today. We have to talk about this concept: The Theory of Universal Value. Value does not exist in vacuums … Read more

Discovery-Scripps Joining Forces to Take on the Changing Digital Media Landscape

Image Source: Lwp Kommunikáció Discovery Communications has agreed to acquire Scripps Networks, but will it be enough for the two to remain competitive in the rapidly evolving–and consolidating–media landscape? By Kris Rosemann The cable TV industry is not what it was only a few short years ago, and Discovery Communications (DISCA) finally getting its hands on the assets of Scripps Networks (SNI) is only further evidence of this. Both companies have had a relative amount of success in delivering compelling programming to targeted audiences in years past via traditional pay-TV channels, but the days of tuning in to Shark Week on The Discovery Channel through your local cable provider are fading fast. The cord-cutting revolution is one that has been well-covered … Read more

Labor and the Economic Cycle

As we arguably near the “peak” in the business cycle, labor is starting to demand more, a dynamic that we believe is emblematic of the period of aging economic expansion. Let’s have a look at what’s happening in the fight for higher wages. By Brian Nelson, CFA Each business cycle is different in both magnitude and duration, but there are some common qualities that define where an economy might be within the cycle. First, it has been more than 8 years since the March 2009 stock-market panic bottom, a period that witnessed firms such as Lehman Brothers, Bear Stearns, and AIG (AIG) flounder. The unemployment rate peaked at 10% during that difficult time. Since then, the US economy has emerged … Read more

Valuentum’s 3 Breakthroughs in the Field of Finance and More

Valuentum’s President Brian Nelson pauses for a picture before speaking at the CFA Society of Houston in March 2017. By Valuentum Editorial Staff Let’s cover Valuentum’s 3 major breakthroughs in the field of finance. The first one is big and may challenge you to rethink everything you think you know about investing. 1. On a logical framework, Valuentum has debunked John C. Bogle’s landmark syllogism that has paved the way for the concept of index investing. Index investing has been built on a logical shortcoming, whether supported by evidence or not. We think it is important that the investment community know of this. Read (pdf): The “Luck” and “Randomness” of Index Funds (2018), Brian Nelson, CFA See video documentation: /FALLACY_of_Index_Funds To … Read more

Dividend Cushion Ratio Efficacy Undeniable

By Kris Rosemann We weren’t surprised by Costamare’s (CMRE) ~66% cut in its dividend, and readers should have been on the same page. Prior to the cut, the firm registered a -1.5 Dividend Cushion ratio, well below the cutoff for consideration as a safe payout. We have long been concerned with the safety of the dividend, as the above chart depicts. Not only was the quantitative portion of our research spot on with respect to the risk in Costamare’s dividend, but the qualitative side of our research adequately reiterated our concerns. The headline of Costamare’s dividend report: Costamare should not be paying a dividend, in our opinion. Costamare is but one of many dividend cuts the Dividend Cushion ratio has … Read more

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week Ending September 23

Below we provide a list of firms that raised/lowered their dividends during the week ending September 23. 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 8point3 Energy Partners (CAFD): now $0.2406 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.2325. ALPS Cohen & Steers Global Realty Majors ETF (GRI): now $0.382421 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.312204. Ameris Bancorp (ABCB): now $0.10 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.05. ATN International (ATNI): now $0.34 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.32. Bank of South Carolina (BKSC): now $0.14 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.13. BIOQUAL (BIOQ): … Read more

5 US-Centric Undervalued Stocks with Fantastic Economics

“In business, I look for economic castles protected by unbreachable moats.” – Warren Buffett << Read more about Economic Castles Image Source: Rob Faulkner The see-sawing action in the US markets has not let up, with the latest wave of the upward variety. The S&P 500 (SPY), however, remains nearly 8% off its all-time highs, as global markets continue to ebb and flow with news of negative economic data followed by the prospects of an ever-easing monetary environment and so on. Several major economies across continents are in technical recession (Brazil, Canada, etc), while others continue to face a slowing pace of economic expansion, not the least of which are Australia (EWA) and China (FXI). The global economic outlook is … Read more