VZ

Thinking Slow: 3 Research Blind Spots That Changed the Investment World

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Dear members: — Daniel Kahneman in his text Thinking, Fast and Slow (1) divided the human psyche into two systems. The first system is instinctive and emotional, often set on autopilot, while the second system is slower and more logical, requiring a calculating conscious. Many of the maxims the investment world takes for granted today suffer from conclusions that are made rapidly, almost without thinking, driven by our first system, creating what I call research blind spots. — In World War II, Allied bombing raids were suffering from very high casualty rates. It was estimated that for those pilots that were flying at the beginning of the war, only about 10% survived, a terrible loss rate. Bombing was crucial to the Allied … Read more

Verizon’s Debt Load is Too High for Our Income-Oriented Preference

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Image Source: TradingView By Brian Nelson, CFA Verizon Communications (VZ) recently reported second quarter results that came in better than expectations. Wireless service revenue in the second quarter was $20.9 billion, up 2.2% year-over-year, while total operating revenue of $34.5 billion was up 5.2% year-over-year. Consolidated adjusted EBITDA was $12.8 billion in the second quarter versus $12.3 billion in the second quarter of 2024. Adjusted earnings per share, excluding special items, came in at $1.22 versus $1.15 in the prior-year quarter. Management had the following to say about the results: Verizon’s strong second-quarter financial performance reflects our high-quality, industry-leading customer base, our multiple growth paths, the success of our disciplined, segmented approach, and the inherent strength of our company. Our … Read more

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week of September 5

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Below we provide a list of firms that raised their dividends during the week ending September 5. 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                          Brady (BRC): now $0.245 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.240. BrilliA Inc (BRIA): now $0.133 per share quarterly dividend. Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited PFD SHS SER G (FFH.PR.G:CA): now CAD 0.1852 per share quarterly dividend, was CAD 0.1851. FFW (FFWC): now $0.31 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.30. MFA Financial Cum Red PFD Shares Series C (MFA.PR.C): now $0.6395 per share quarterly dividend, was … Read more

3 Undervalued Stocks to Consider Buying Now

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Dear readers:   With the markets retracing most of their recent drawdown, we’re taking a victory lap as we didn’t panic, nor should have you. We highlighted our wait-and-see approach amidst the worst of the pullback, and we expect the Magnificent 7 (large cap growth and big cap tech) to continue to propel the markets higher, as they have done.   We’ve been busy rolling valuation models as we finetune our assumptions for a great number of companies under coverage. While doing so, we came across three undervalued stocks that are also included in the simulated newsletter portfolios. We think they’re prime for highlight.   The three stocks are UnitedHealth Group (UNH), Nvidia (NVDA) and Alphabet (GOOG). We spend a lot of time on discounted cash-flow valuation, … Read more

Magnificent 7 Earnings Reports Not Bad Thus Far

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By Brian Nelson, CFA   Shortly after Trump’s Liberation Day, where the President unveiled lofty tariffs on numerous countries, we released our wait-and-see outlook for the equity markets, which thus far has proven to be the right move, with the markets largely recovering from the depths reached in April. The S&P 500 (SPY), for example, is down just 3.3% year-to-date, excluding dividends.   A lot has happened since Liberation Day, including easing of tariffs to a 10% baseline for most, if not all, countries, with the key exception of China, where tariffs remain extremely elevated and prohibitive. Many countries are now reportedly negotiating trade agreements with the White House, and we expect China to be added to that list soon, even if … Read more

Verizon’s Dividend Is Nice But Its Debt Keeps Us on the Sidelines

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Image Source: TradingView By Brian Nelson, CFA On April 22, Verizon (VZ) reported mixed first quarter results that showed revenue and non-GAAP earnings per share exceeding the consensus forecast, but total postpaid phone net losses coming in at 289,000 in the period. Total operating revenue increased 1.5% in the quarter year-over-year, while adjusted earnings per share excluding special items advanced to $1.19 compared to $1.15 in the first quarter of 2024. Cash flow from operations totaled $7.8 billion, up from $7.1 billion in last year’s quarter, while free cash flow came in at $3.6 billion, up from $2.7 billion in the first-quarter 2024. Management had the following to say about the quarter: Verizon plays an essential role in our customers’ … Read more

Trump Tariffs Higher than Expected; What We’re Doing

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By Brian Nelson, CFA The Trump tariff increases came in larger than what we were expecting, and it remains to be seen how they will flow through the global economy, as we monitor potential retaliatory tariffs from other countries. As it relates to the equity markets, we’re taking a wait and see approach at the moment as we monitor new policy changes related to trade, immigration, fiscal (tax), and regulations. In short, we’re not overreacting to the sell off as we won’t have a great handle on the tariff impact to companies for a few quarters when they report results post-tariff increases. That said, we’re expecting continued market volatility, with meaningful risk to the downside, before trade uncertainty alleviates in … Read more

Verizon Covering Dividends with Free Cash Flow

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Image Source: Verizon By Brian Nelson, CFA Verizon (VZ) recently reported mixed third quarter results, with revenue missing the consensus forecast and non-GAAP earnings per share edging out the market’s expectations by a penny per share. On a consolidated basis, total third-quarter operating revenue was essentially flat compared to the same period a year ago, while the company’s net income of $3.4 billion was weighed down by severance charges. Consolidated adjusted EBITDA for the third quarter came in at $12.5 billion, up from $12.2 billion in last year’s quarter. Adjusted earnings per share, excluding special items, was $1.19 in the quarter, down from $1.22 in the year-ago period. Management had the following to say about the quarter: This has been … Read more

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week of September 6

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Below we provide a list of firms that raised their dividends during the week ending September 6. 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                          AGL Energy Limited (AGLXY): now $0.1421 per share semi-annual dividend, was $0.0987. 6Phillips Edison (PECO): now $0.1025 per share monthly dividend, was $0.0975. AEGON (AEG): now $0.178 per share semi-annual dividend, was $0.172. Brady (BRC): now $0.24 per share quarterly dividend, was $0.23. Clinuvel Pharmaceuticals (CLVLY): now $0.0299 per share annual dividend, was $0.0234. Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited RESET CV PFD I (FFH.PR.I:CA): now … Read more

Paper: Value and Momentum Within Stocks, Too

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Please select the image below to download, “Value and Momentum Within Stocks, Too:” Abstract: This paper strives to advance the field of finance in four ways: 1) it extends the theory of the “The Arithmetic of Active Management” to the investor level; 2) it addresses certain data problems of factor-based methods, namely with respect to value and book-to-market ratios, while introducing price-to-fair-value ratios in a factor-based approach; 3) it may lay the foundation for academic literature regarding the Valuentum, the value-timing, and ultra-momentum factors; and 4) it walks through the potential relative outperformance that may be harvested at the intersection of relevant, unique and compensated factors within individual stocks. To download the full report, please click here (pdf). ———- Actual results … Read more