Valuentum Exclusive Analysis for the Discerning Investor

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Nov 22, 2022

Dick’s Sporting Goods Defies Skeptics, Puts Up Strong Comp Performance in Fiscal Third Quarter
Image: Dick’s Sporting Goods is the premiere sporting goods retailer, and the firm’s performance during its recently reported fiscal third quarter showed a key inflection point in same-store-sales growth. Image Source: Dick’s Sporting Goods. On November 22, Dick’s Sporting Goods reported fiscal third quarter results for the period ending October 29 that beat expectations on both the top and bottom line, but the real story was the sporting good retailer’s same-store sales performance, which far exceeded the consensus expectation for the period. With a forward estimated dividend yield of ~1.8% and a solid Dividend Cushion ratio of 3.3, Dick’s Sporting Goods remains one of our favorite ideas within the Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio.

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.

Nov 21, 2022

Target’s Holiday Outlook Sends Mixed Messages; Big Sales Data Week Ahead
Image Source: Valuentum. Both Walmart and Target indicated that discretionary spending may face some pressure heading into the holiday season. Strength in beauty, skin care, and cosmetics may not be enough to cushion the blow that home electronics, sporting goods retailers, and toy makers may face. Though incrementally more positive than we were a few months ago, we remain cautious/defensive on the markets. In light of the tremendous weakness share prices have faced so far this year, we think the market had been anticipating the current slowdown, as retailers continue to adjust to a more difficult economic environment. We continue to wait to see how Black Friday and Cyber Monday numbers shake out to get an incrementally better read on how holiday numbers may pan out, which will have far-reaching implications across the retail and logistics landscapes.

Nov 19, 2022

The Case for the Valuentum Style of Investing
We provide the white paper supporting our innovative, forward-looking stock-selection methodology.

Nov 18, 2022

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week of November 18
Let's take a look at firms raising/lowering their dividends this week.

Nov 17, 2022

Cisco Raises Fiscal 2023 Guidance But Orders Face Difficult Comps
Image: Cisco’s annualized recurring revenue (ARR) continues to advance nicely. Image Source: Cisco. Cisco’s first-quarter results for fiscal 2023, released November 16, were solid, and the firm’s pace of annualized recurring revenue continues to advance nicely, giving it nice visibility into future performance. The networking giant raised its guidance for fiscal 2023 for both the top- and bottom-lines, though we note that product orders did fall meaningfully in the quarter on a year-over-year basis (but this was largely due to a tough comparison from last year's period). Its free cash flow generation was solid in the quarter, and we continue to like the company’s net cash position. Cisco continues to buy back its own undervalued stock and yields an attractive ~3.4% at this time.

Nov 16, 2022

Efficacy of the Dividend Cushion Ratio
The Dividend Cushion ratio is one of the most powerful financial tools an income or dividend growth investor can use in conjunction with qualitative dividend analysis. The ratio is one-of-a-kind in that it is both free-cash-flow based and forward looking. Since its creation in 2012, the Dividend Cushion ratio has forewarned readers of approximately 50 dividend cuts. We estimate its efficacy at ~90%.

Nov 16, 2022

Home Depot Says Customers Remain “Resilient and Engaged”
Image: Home Depot's third-quarter performance wasn't bad. Inventories expanded, but management reiterated that its core customer remains resilient and engaged. Image Source: Home Depot. Home Depot’s third-quarter report was solid, all things considered. The firm offset weaker transactions with a higher average ticket to driven solid comp performance. Management noted that its core customer remains resilient, and while inventories have ballooned on a year-over-year basis, we’re less concerned about the inventory build as most of Home Depot’s inventory is of the non-perishable variety. We like the firm as an idea in the simulated Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio, though we continue to pay attention to the health of its balance sheet, which includes a considerable net debt position.

Nov 15, 2022

Walmart Is Back on Track; Markets Looking Healthier
Image: Walmart’s operating income performance, while still under pressure, improved considerably during the third quarter. Image Source: Walmart. Walmart Inc. was the canary in the coal mine earlier this year when the company reported its first-quarter 2022 results in May that showed spending on food staples and energy (gas) was cutting into discretionary general merchandise (hardline) spending. However, market sentiment seems to be improving these days, and the firm’s third-quarter results released November 15 showed the huge big box retailer is getting back on track. Though we’re not going to be adding Walmart to any newsletter portfolio, we like what we saw in the quarterly report.

Nov 13, 2022

ASML Launches Big Buyback; Lithography Systems Well Positioned for Demand Growth
Image: ASML has been one of the most successful semiconductor companies thanks in part to the firm’s advanced lithography systems that continue to meet customer demands for size and cost efficiencies. Image Source: ASML. We think ASML Holding is in a sweet spot in the semiconductor space as its lithography systems position the industry well along the path of Moore’s Law. Strong past investments have given it a leadership position, and we expect ASML to capture a significant amount of its addressable market from smartphones to personal computing and beyond, all the while it pays a dividend and buys back stock along the way. A continued focus on research & development and capital spending, while maintaining a strong and flexible balance sheet should be expected. The firm’s recent Investor Day was a positive catalyst for shares and eased the worst of the concerns regarding the intermediate-term impact of Sino-American tensions on the semiconductor space. We continue to like shares of ASML Holding.