Valuentum Exclusive Analysis for the Discerning Investor

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Aug 3, 2023

Not Expecting Much From Consumer Staples Stocks
Image: Kellogg is representative of many consumer staples stocks that have considerable net debt positions. Image Source: Kellogg’s second-quarter press release. Though consumer staples equities have shown tremendous resilience in the face of adversity and their dividend yields can make sense in certain portfolios, the group is overflowing with net debt positions, meager long-term growth prospects, and free cash flow generation that is largely absorbed by growing per-share dividend liabilities. On the other hand, big cap tech and large cap growth have tremendous net cash positions and substantial future expected free cash flow generation, paving the way for what could be considerable long-term return potential. As with the last decade, we expect cash-based sources of intrinsic value to prevail, and for that, we continue to point to big cap tech and large cap growth as areas for consideration.

Jul 12, 2023

Pet Insurer Trupanion’s Business Facing Numerous Challenges; Short Interest at 35%+
Image: Trupanion may be growing its top line like a weed, but its operating losses have been growing, too. Image Source: Trupanion 10-K. The insurance business is a tough one, and medical pet insurance may be even more difficult. A number of dynamics from adverse selection to conflicts of interest to lack of bargaining power within the industry’s structure have plagued Trupanion’s financial performance for years, with the company accumulating significant net losses since inception. We’re huge fans of Trupanion’s moaty network of clients and veterinarians as well as its tremendous top-line growth potential, but veterinarians continue to capture the industry’s economic rents, in our view, to the detriment of Trupanion’s shareholders. Unit economics have not been adding up at Trupanion either, and free cash flow has been meager at best for a very long time. As veterinarian costs continue to rise and the firm receives push back on proposed rate increases, Trupanion’s net losses may continue to mount, and even under optimistic assumptions, Trupanion’s shares could be considered rich.

Mar 24, 2023

How the Payment of a Dividend Impacts Intrinsic Value Estimation
"Dividends are a transfer of cash to the shareholders that the shareholders already owned."In this purely educational article, using historical data from 3M, let’s walk through the mechanics of how the payment of a dividend impacts the intrinsic value of a company. The takeaways may be somewhat counterintuitive but are nonetheless very important for members to understand.

Mar 10, 2023

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week of March 10
Let's take a look at firms raising/lowering their dividends this week.

Feb 22, 2023

Walmart Warns: “Prices Are Still High and There Is Considerable Pressure on the Consumer”
Image Source: Mike Mozart. Walmart’s outlook may very well be conservative, but its commentary certainly doesn’t bode well for many discretionary retailers and the broader economy. With the labor markets still strong and the producer price index still coming in hot, the Federal Reserve is not yet done raising rates. We expect the markets to test their uptrends and 200-day moving averages in the coming days to weeks, and if we break through these support levels to the downside, we won’t hesitate to “raise some cash” across the newsletter portfolios. When Walmart warns about the health of the consumer, we pay attention.

Feb 19, 2023

Our Reports on Stocks in the Recession Resistant Industry
Image Source: Mike Mozart. Our reports on stocks in the Food Retailing industry can be found in this article. Reports include BUD, CL, CLX, CPB, COST, FDP, GIS, HRL, K, KDP, KHC, KMB, KO, KR, MDLZ, MKC, MO, PEP, PG, PM, SJM, TAP, TGT, TSN, WMT, CHD, SYY, ADM, LANC, CASY.

Jan 19, 2023

Consumers Feeling the Pinch; S&P 500 Bounces Off Technical Resistance; Elasticities Breaking Down for Staples Stocks
Image: The S&P 500 has bounced right off its technical resistance and will likely test 3,400, in our view. Image Source: TradingView. Things continue to deteriorate across the broader U.S. economy, but it's worth reiterating that the economy is not the stock market. The labor markets remain strong, but we continue to hear of layoffs across Silicon Valley, consumers are working through their excess savings built up during the pandemic, while net charge offs are expected to double in 2023 as credit quality deteriorates. Consumer staples names may be struggling to make elasticities work of late in light of the weakness in operating income in P&G’s calendar fourth-quarter 2022 results. Consumers are finding ways to trade down to private-label products. The S&P 500 has bounced right off its technical resistance, and we could test 3,400 during the year on the index. We remain bullish on stocks in the long run, however.

Dec 27, 2022

Exclusive Call: What To Expect From Valuentum in 2023
Video: 2022 was a successful year by almost every measure from the simulated Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio and simulated Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio to the simulated High Yield Dividend Newsletter portfolio and Exclusive publication and beyond. There were some disappointments in 2022, of course, but the year showed the value of a Valuentum membership. Join President of Investment Research Brian Nelson on this year's Exclusive conference call to learn what to expect from Valuentum in 2023. Cheers!

Nov 28, 2022

2022 Showcased the Value of a Valuentum Membership
In bull markets, almost everyone is a winner. But 2022 was different. This year was a big test for Valuentum, and we passed with flying colors. We delivered across the board during the year from ideas in the Exclusive publication and the efficacy of the dividend growth methodology to the resilience of high yield ideas and simulated Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio relative performance--despite setbacks from Meta Platforms, PayPal, and beyond. Tune in to the latest video installment from Valuentum. Thanks for listening!

Nov 21, 2022

Procter & Gamble’s Bright Investor Day Buoys Our Views on Stock
Image: Procter & Gamble has delivered pre-, during, and post-pandemic, and its long-term growth targets remain reasonable, in our view. Image Source: P&G. Procter & Gamble has raised its dividend in each of the past 66 years and has paid a dividend in each of the past 132 years. Though the maker of Pampers, Bounty, Tide, Crest, and a number of other household brands is facing the market realities of inflationary pressures on consumers, input cost headwinds and retailers tightening their inventories, we think it will be able to achieve its core targets for fiscal 2023, while rewarding dividend investors along the way. With shares yielding ~2.6% at the time of this writing, P&G remains a solid income and dividend growth consideration for conservative investors. The high end of our fair value estimate range stands at $158 per share.