Valuentum Exclusive Analysis for the Discerning Investor

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Jun 3, 2020

Our Thoughts on SelectQuote Going Public
Image Source: SelectQuote Inc – S-1 filing. On May 22, the digitally-oriented insurance comparison company SelectQuote went public, and shares of SLQT have performed quite well since then as of this writing, jumping meaningfully from the reference price of $20 per share. The company intends to use some of the proceeds for debt reduction, as it is obligated to allocate at least a quarter of the net proceeds (up to $150 million) of the IPO towards paying down its term loan due November 2024. What SelectQuote offers is an online way for consumers to compare prices and policies for various insurance plans including life, auto, home, and senior healthcare insurance products. SelectQuote does not underwrite the insurance policies but sells these products on behalf of its various partners and takes a commission for each sale. Thus, SelectQuote does not have any underwriting risk. SelectQuote has licensed insurance agents in all 50 states, and at the end of 2019, the firm had 1,850 “full-time equivalent employees” including 636 core agents and 392 flex agents.

May 6, 2020

Berkshire Hathaway Prepares Itself for COVID-19
Image Source: Berkshire Hathaway Inc – 2019 Annual Report. Berkshire Hathaway reported first-quarter 2020 earnings on May 2, which due to significant unrealized losses in its investment portfolio (a product of the market swoon in the early months of 2020) the firm swung to a large loss on a GAAP basis. As Berkshire Hathaway’s leadership team has often noted, the 2018 accounting rule change that forces companies to recognize unrealized gains and losses in the income statement can make GAAP net income and GAAP diluted EPS figures near meaningless without digging deeper into the firm’s financials.

Feb 25, 2020

Berkshire Reports 2019 Earnings
Berkshire Hathaway reported fourth quarter and full-year results on Saturday February 22, and we appreciate the firm’s performance across most of its business lines, keeping in mind that losses at its insurance-underwriting business during the fourth quarter weakened its company-wide performance. That being said, the insurance business can be volatile at times, which is why we appreciate Berkshire’s large railroad, utility, consumer goods, and other business segments. On the topic of Berkshire’s insurance-related exposure to the ongoing COVID-19 epidemic (which has since spread from China to the rest of the world, shutting down economies in South Korea, Italy, and elsewhere), insurance firms fundamentally altered the structure of their policies after the 2002-2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome (‘SARS’) outbreak to exclude epidemic coverage from most policies (save for insurance policies that explicitly cover those situations) according to the WSJ. Shares of Berkshire Class B stock are included in our Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio with a top-weighting, and over the past few months shares of BRK.B has begun converging towards our fair value estimate of $229 per share. Berkshire Class B shares could move towards the top end of our fair value range estimate of $275 per share, particularly if the company figures out where to invest its enormous cash pile.

Nov 5, 2019

Top Best Ideas Newsletter Portfolio Holding Berkshire Hathaway Reports Solid Third Quarter Performance
Image Shown: Shares of Berkshire Hathaway Inc moved higher on Monday November 4 after reporting a decent third quarter 2019 earnings report on Saturday November 2. Berkshire Hathaway reported solid third-quarter 2019 earnings on November 2, and we continue to like Berkshire Hathaway Class B shares as a top holding in our Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio. Our fair value estimate for BRK.B stands at $229 per share with room for upside, as the top end of our fair value estimate range sits at $275 per share.

Oct 25, 2019

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week Ending October 25
Let's take a look at companies that raised/lowered their dividend this week.

Oct 10, 2019

Covering Best Ideas Newsletter Holding Berkshire Hathaway
Image Source: Berkshire Hathaway Inc – 2018 Annual Report. As a top holding in our Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio, Berkshire Hathaway Class B shares have room to run in our view. Our fair value estimate for BRK.B stands at $229 per share, significantly higher than where shares are trading at as of this writing (~$204 per share). Please note Berkshire Hathaway does not pay out a common dividend at this time.

Aug 13, 2019

Berkshire Hathaway Gets Ready to Put Part of Its Large Cash Pile to Use
Image Source: Fortune Live Media. We continue to like BRK.B as a quality capital appreciation idea and maintain Berkshire Hathaway Class B shares as a top holding in our simulated Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio.

Jan 3, 2019

Brace for More Volatility
Image shown: The S&P 500 ETF (SPY) since August of last year. The markets have broken through key support levels, and now support has become resistance. Volatility remains heightened since the low-vol ETN blew up in February.This article is the introduction to both the Dividend Growth Newsletter and High Yield Dividend Newsletter, both of which will be released today due to the holiday January 1.

Oct 12, 2018

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week Ending October 12
Let's take a look at companies that raised/lowered their dividend this week.

Oct 15, 2017

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week Ending October 13
Let's take a look at companies raising/lowering their dividends this week.