Valuentum Exclusive Analysis for the Discerning Investor

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Feb 4, 2020

Our Reports on Stocks in the Dollar Store and Department Store Industries
The retail discount store industry provides consumable basic needs to customers primarily in the low- and middle-income brackets. More than one third of the industry’s customers live in households that earn less than $20,000 per year, making the group’s results counter-cyclical--as more households generate lower income due to poor economic conditions, store growth and same-store-sales opportunities increase. Still, competition is fierce among constituents and with many other retailers, including grocery stores. But given the niche low-price strategy of participants and their counter-cyclical nature, we like the group. The department store industry faces intense pressure from online retail and fierce competition from smaller retailers and discounters. Firms in the industry tend to have large real estate holdings and carry a diverse range of apparel, accessories, and household goods. With retail sales moving to the Internet, a company’s web presence is as important as its brick-and-mortar locations. The industry is undergoing a massive transformation and not all firms will survive. Brands and proper fashion assortment drive results in the short term, while execution remains key over the long haul.

Jan 23, 2020

Resetting Your Mental Model
Image Source: affen ajlfe. Having the right mental model and using the right information can be the reason why you win or lose in investing.

Jan 4, 2020

Valuentum Exclusive Success Rates Trump Even the Best Quant Hedge Funds
Image: President of Investment Research 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.

Dec 19, 2019

2019: Another Market Beating Year for the Best Ideas Newsletter Portfolio!
We estimate thus far the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio return has beat the S&P 500 by 2.8 percentage points during 2019 (34.4% versus 31.6% for the S&P 500, as measured by the SPY). Our move to overweight Apple, Facebook, and Visa worked out wonderfully for members during 2019. We continue to overweight big winners, and we credit this to our team's conviction in our very best ideas. We also made quite the savvy move in rolling over a solid gain in Chipotle (60%+) into even more shares of Apple stock during the year. We're putting some of the best ideas right in front of our membership in full transparency. Berkshire Hathaway's overweighting added some stability to the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio, but it was a large drag on returns during the year. This is okay - we like the diversification benefits. 2019 was a very, very difficult year to beat the market, but by our estimates, the Best Ideas Newsletter did so, and by a fair margin, particularly for a large cap orientation. Note this kind of outperformance is unique as many money managers continue to trail their benchmarks during 2019. We credit the outperformance to our team's work ethic and the Valuentum methodology. We are disappointed with the current state of active management, and we are working to develop solutions for our membership. We expect to roll out an important survey in the coming months. We continue to encourage members to add the Exclusive to their membership, if they haven't considered this fantastic publication just yet. More on the Exclusive >> The Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio is part of a regular premium membership to Valuentum. More here >>

Dec 6, 2019

Dollar General Remains in Command
Image Source: Mike Mozart. Dollar General is a holding in the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio. The company reported strong third-quarter results December 5 that showed better performance than rival Dollar Tree. Discount retail continues to feel the ill-effects of tariffs that are raising cost of goods sold, but Dollar General is taking the headwinds in stride.

Oct 12, 2019

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.

Sep 13, 2019

Kroger Posts Solid Quarter, Issues Weak Guidance
Image Shown: Kroger Company – IR Presentation. Kroger’s same-store sales growth was a welcome sight as it relates to the current strength of the US consumer, but we are staying away from the retailer for a reason. Its large net debt load puts the company’s payout at risk during adverse economic conditions, and we think management should be battering down the hatches considering how late we are in the business cycle. Management ending Kroger’s incremental operating profit forecast is a troubling sign.

Sep 5, 2019

The Valuentum Strategy in Action: Why We Are Letting BIN Holding Dollar General Run Higher
Image Shown: Best Ideas Newsletter holding Dollar General Corporation jumped up after posting great performance during the second quarter of its fiscal 2019 on August 29. The company has trounced the market return since it was added to the Best Ideas Newsletter in April 2017. We are letting this winner run higher.We are letting Dollar General run higher because we think the market is just as optimistic, or maybe even more so, on the company’s prospects than we are, indicating there’s room for further capital appreciation. If Dollar General ever wanted to augment its dividend growth story, the firm could pare back its annual share repurchases to make room for significant per share dividend increases.

Aug 21, 2019

Target Stuns, Shares Jump Higher
Image Shown: Shares of Target Corporation (TGT) leapt higher on August 21 on the back of its strong performance during the second quarter of FY2019. In particular, the retailer’s comparable same store sales growth was quite impressive given the hard comparison period, with e-commerce and same-day fulfillment leading the way.Strong performance out of Target and other major US retailers like Walmart indicate that while headwinds are forming, the US economy remains strong for now. We've raised our fair value estimate of Target.

Aug 19, 2019

No Recession At Walmart; Estee Lauder Not Cheap
Image Source: Mike Mozart. Walmart’s results were quite reassuring regarding the health of the economy. There are also pockets of significant strength, with prestige beauty being catapulted by a “selfie generation.”