Valuentum Exclusive Analysis for the Discerning Investor

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Jan 15, 2024

Your Role as a Choice Architect
Image: Impact Hub Global Network. Richard Thaler in his groundbreaking book Nudge, co-written with Cass Sunstein, talked about the role of the choice architect. A choice architect is basically someone or some organization that has the responsibility for organizing the context and content in which people make decisions. At Valuentum, we can never provide personalized buy/sell advice, but in providing publishing services, we've opted for the healthy option for members, and that sometimes means you won't find a large selection of dessert options. This isn't a shortcoming of our service (i.e. we know desserts are tempting), but rather a key positive attribute. As we've shown time and time again, you don't need to look far to beat the market return (or, by comparison, to have a healthy diet). If something is not on the menu at Valuentum, it means the chef has something better cooking in the kitchen. Here's to your long-term financial health!

Jan 13, 2024

FedEx’s ESG Initiatives Are Refreshing Reminder of Great Companies Doing Things Right
Image Source: FedEx 2023 ESG Report. FedEx’s revenue outlook for the remainder of fiscal 2024 wasn’t great, and while the company is a key input to assessing the health of the U.S. economy, we’re not reading too much into the weakness. We find that FedEx is doing a great job with respect to its ESG initiatives across the board, and while we won’t be adding it to any newsletter portfolio at this time, the company’s efforts with respect to ESG are a refreshing reminder of the companies in our coverage universe that are doing things right.

Jan 12, 2024

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week of January 12
Let's take a look at firms raising/lowering their dividends this week.

Jan 4, 2024

4 Very Good Reasons Why We Don’t Like Dividends of Banking Stocks
Image: Bank Run in Michigan, USA, February 1933. Source: Public Domain. It’s sometimes easy to lose sight of the fragility of a banking firm’s business model. Let’s examine the reasons why we don’t like banking firms’ dividends. Reason #1: A Bank Run Is Always Possible. Reason #2: Others Have Tried to Invest in Bank Dividends and Have Failed. Reason #3: Cash Flow Is Not Meaningful at Banks. Reason #4: There Are Plenty of Other Options. Let's dig in.

Dec 31, 2023

2023 Was a Fantastic Year! Are You Ready for 2024?
Image: The percentage of ideas highlighted in the Exclusive that have moved in the direction of our thesis (i.e. up for capital appreciation ideas and down for short idea considerations) through the current price or closed price, with consideration of cash and stock dividends. Success rates do not consider trading costs or tax implications. Data through December 8, 2023. Past results are not a guarantee of future performance.From fantastic success rates in the Exclusive publication and strong capital preservation tendencies in the simulated High Yield Dividend Newsletter portfolio to relative outperformance in both the Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio and Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio the past two years, the Valuentum newsletter suite continues to deliver in a big way for what members are looking for. We thank you for another excellent year in 2023, and we hope that you have a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2024!

Dec 13, 2023

Latest Report Updates
Check out the latest report refreshes on the website.

Dec 11, 2023

Oracle’s “Business Is Good and Getting Better”
Image Source: Peter Kaminski. On December 11, Oracle reported mixed second-quarter results for its fiscal 2024 that showed total revenue advancing 5% on a year-over-year basis (4% in constant currency), slightly lower than expectations, and non-GAAP earnings per share of $1.34 that came in slightly ahead of what the market was looking for. The company’s non-GAAP operating margin of 43% in the quarter helped to drive non-GAAP net income 14% higher than the same period a year ago (11% in constant currency). We’re not letting the slight miss on the top line sway us from our constructive stance on shares. Our fair value estimate stands at $108 per share, about in-line with where shares are currently trading.

Dec 10, 2023

First Gene-Editing Therapy Coming to Market; Reiterating Our Positive Stance on Vertex Pharma
Credit: Darryl Leja, NHGRI. On December 8, 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced that it had approved Vertex Pharma’s and CRISPR Therapeutics’ novel gene-editing therapy (“Casgevy” – exa-cel) for sickle cell disease [SCD] in patients that are 12 years of age or older. This is the first such approval of its kind in U.S. history and will likely open the door for more gene-editing therapies for other rare diseases in the future. Estimates indicate that roughly 16,000 people will be eligible for the treatment at an estimated cost of around $2.2 million each, according to Reuters. The one-time market size of roughly $35.2 billion is a needle-mover, but the pace and timing of adoption of the therapy among the eligible population is difficult to estimate at this time. Note also that the therapy is of one-time application, meaning the therapy is a functional cure and will not be a source of recurring revenue from each patient. Nevertheless, it is an exciting development for medical science.

Dec 8, 2023

Reinstating Coverage of Lululemon
Image Source: Mike Mozart. On December 7, Lululemon reported strong third-quarter results for its fiscal 2023, with revenue increasing 19% and comparable sales increasing 14% on a constant-dollar basis. Adjusted earnings per share of $2.53 came in roughly 10% higher than the consensus forecast. We are reinstating coverage of Lululemon with a $470 per share fair value estimate and an Attractive Economic Castle rating. We like Lululemon but we won’t be adding it to any newsletter portfolio at this time.

Dec 8, 2023

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week of December 8
Let's take a look at firms raising/lowering their dividends this week.