Valuentum Exclusive Analysis for the Discerning Investor

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Mar 21, 2022

ASML Holding Is a Tremendous Enterprise, Holds Fantastic Competitive Position
Image Source: ASML Holding NV – 2021 Annual Report. The Dutch firm ASML Holding NV makes the photolithography systems used by semiconductor foundries to produce “chips” that power the modern economy. In part due to its immense technological lead over its competitors, ASML Holding effectively has a monopoly at the high end of its industry, meaning its photolithography systems are required to produce the most advanced semiconductor components. The company also offers semiconductor equipment services and stands to gain immensely from ongoing growth in its installed equipment base. We're huge fans of the company.

Feb 3, 2022

Dividend Growth Idea Qualcomm Growing Robustly
Image Shown: Dividend growth idea Qualcomm Inc posted a solid earnings update and provided promising near term guidance on February 2. Image Source: Qualcomm Inc – First Quarter of Fiscal 2022 IR Earnings Presentation. On February 2, dividend growth idea Qualcomm reported first quarter earnings for fiscal 2022 (period ended December 26, 2021) that beat both consensus top- and bottom-line estimates. The semiconductor company issued guidance for the current fiscal quarter that calls for double-digit revenue and earnings growth versus fiscal year-ago levels, though shares of QCOM still dipped modestly in after-hours trading that day. We continue to like Qualcomm as an idea in the Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio as the firm remains a free cash flow cow with a promising growth outlook.

Jan 27, 2022

Apple Blows Past Expectations in Fiscal First Quarter!
Image Source: Valuentum. On January 27, 2022, Apple put up one of the best quarters by any company in history and a record for the Cupertino-based iPhone-making giant. Revenue for the quarter ending December 25, 2021, of $123.9 billion advanced 11% on a year-over-year basis, while quarterly earnings per share came in at $2.10. The top line beat expectations by more than $5 billion, even with supply chain hurdles, and the bottom-line beat of $0.20 per share was more than 10%, a huge delta considering the size of the company. We’re viewing the report very positively, and we think the strong performance may ease some broader market concerns. Apple’s gross and operating margins looked healthy, and only performance in its iPad division came in a bit light, but this was almost entirely driven by supply chain issues. Apple generated a solid $19.5 billion in revenue from its ‘Services’ division during the period, up from $15.8 billion in the year-ago quarter, showcasing its ever-growing and “sticky” installed base. Warren Buffett is a big owner of Apple’s stock, and we continue to be in favor of buybacks at Apple, too, even at these price levels. Though Apple’s market capitalization is sizable, we value shares close to $190 each at the high end of our fair value estimate range. Apple remains one of our favorite ideas in the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio and Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio.

Jan 22, 2022

Don’t Throw the Baby Out with the Bathwater
Image: Erica Nicol. Junk tech should continue to collapse, but the stylistic area of large cap growth and big cap tech should remain resilient. Moderately elevated levels of inflation coupled with interest rates hovering at all-time lows isn’t a terrible combination. In fact, it’s not bad at all. The markets are digesting the huge gains of the past few years so far in 2022, and the excesses in ARKK funds, crypto, SPACs, and meme stocks are being rid from the system. Our best ideas are “outperforming” the very benchmarks that are outperforming everyone else. The BIN portfolio is down 6.4% and the DGN portfolio is down 3.2% year to date. The SPY is down 7.8%, while the average investor may be doing much worse. Our timing to exit some very speculative ideas in the Exclusive publication has been impeccable. Beware of “best-fitted” backtest data regarding sequence of return risks. Research is to help you navigate the future, not the past. We remain bullish on stocks for the long haul and grow more and more excited as our simulated newsletter portfolios continue to hold up very well. Don’t throw the baby out with the bath water. Stick with the largest, strongest growth names. We still like large cap growth and big cap tech, though we are tactical overweight in the largest energy stocks (e.g. XOM, CVX, XLE). The latest short idea in the Exclusive publication has collapsed aggressively since highlight January 9, and we remain encouraged by the resilience of ideas in the High Yield Dividend Newsletter portfolio and ESG Newsletter portfolio. Our options idea generation remains ongoing.

Jan 19, 2022

Microsoft Is Buying Activision On Way to Becoming Video Game Giant
Image Shown: Microsoft Corporation is buying Activision Blizzard Inc, the largest buyout for a US tech firm ever. Image Source: Microsoft Corporation – January 2022 IR Presentation covering its acquisition of Activision Blizzard Inc. On January 18, Microsoft Corp made history by making an all-cash offer to purchase Activision Blizzard Inc for $95 per share. The boards of both companies have already approved the deal. Inclusive of Activision’s net cash position, the deal is worth $68.7 billion which makes it the largest buyout ever for a US tech firm according to CNBC. This deal is expected to close in fiscal 2023 (Microsoft’s fiscal year ends in June). Once it closes, assuming the deal pasts antitrust muster, Microsoft views the acquisition as being accretive to its non-GAAP earnings per share. Our fair value estimate of Activision will be updated to reflect a modest discount to the buyout price to incorporate the small probability the deal won't be completed due to antitrust concerns.

Jan 7, 2022

The Metaverse: Qualcomm Expands Partnership with Microsoft
Image Source: Qualcomm Inc – November 2021 Investor Day Presentation. A lot of attention has been directed towards the idea of a metaverse, which in short is an expansive digital universe where users can interact with one another via digital avatars of themselves (or whatever avatar the user prefers). This universe could, in theory, combine the functionality of computers and smartphones with almost every digital platform and application in existence. Users could perform both productivity-related activities (collaborating on work projects, holding team meetings, working with clients) and leisure-related activities (playing games with friends and family, meeting up with distant relatives, watching concerts, other live events, TV shows, and movies) in a seamless fashion. The user would not need to jump from digital platform to platform to access different applications. What the metaverse actually ends up looking like, assuming this concept materializes into something more tangible, remains to be seen. However, what is abundantly clear today is that tech companies are investing heavily to make this vision a reality. Meta Platforms, Qualcomm and Microsoft remain key players.

Dec 27, 2021

Net Cash Rich Micron Technology Beats Estimates and Issues Favorable Near Term Guidance
Image Shown: An overview of Micron Technology’s outlook for the industry and its own operations for 2022 and beyond. Image Source: Micron Technology – First Quarter of Fiscal 2022 IR Earnings Presentation. On December 20, Micron Technology reported first quarter earnings for fiscal 2022 (period ended December 2, 2021) that beat both consensus top- and bottom-line estimates. Underlying demand for Micron Technology’s DRAM, NAND, and NOR offerings (used as memory solutions in personal computers, automobiles, data centers, smartphones, and various electronics devices) remained robust last fiscal quarter. The company has done a great job navigating supply chain hurdles and semiconductor component and equipment shortages in the wake of the coronavirus (‘COVID-19’) pandemic to continue meeting booming customer demand. Shares of Micron Technology surged higher after it published its latest earnings report December 20 (and they are now trading in the mid-$90s at the time of this writing). In our view, the big share price increase was largely due to the memory solutions provider issuing favorable near term guidance covering the current fiscal quarter, indicating that its strong performance of late is expected to continue in the near term. Though shares may appear cheap on a forward earnings basis, we caution members that the industry Micron Technology operates within is ultra-competitive and exposed to tremendous pricing competition and cyclical swings. Though technically (its chart) looks attractive at this time, long-term investors should be careful.

Dec 26, 2021

VIDEO/TRANSCRIPT: 2021 Valuentum Exclusive Call: Inflation Is Good
Valuentum's President Brian Michael Nelson, CFA, explains why investors should not fear inflation, why government agencies such as the Fed and Treasury are prioritizing something other than price discovery, why the 10-year Treasury rate is a must-watch metric, and why Valuentum prefers the moaty constituents in large cap growth due to their net cash rich balance sheets, tremendous free cash flow generating potential, and secular growth tailwinds.

Nov 23, 2021

Nvidia Continues to Deliver in the Face of Global Supply Chain Crunch
Image Source: Nvidia Corporation – September 2021 IR Presentation. On November 17, Nvidia Corp reported third quarter earnings for fiscal 2022 (period ended October 31, 2021) that beat both consensus top- and bottom-line estimates, and the firm provided favorable guidance covering the current fiscal quarter. The company has done a solid job navigating the ongoing shortage of semiconductor components along with other hurdles such as logistical bottlenecks and inflationary pressures. Nvidia’s growth runway is enormous as it intends to expand into a new market within the semiconductor space, which we will cover in this note. Shares of NVDA have leapt higher during the past month as the “chip” company’s (Nvidia designs chips that are produced by third parties) fundamental performance has been nothing short of stellar while its outlook continues to get brighter and brighter.

Nov 15, 2021

Hut 8 Mining Is an Interesting Play on Cryptocurrencies
Image Source: Hut 8 Mining Corporation – November 2021 IR Presentation. Executive Summary: We are intrigued by Hut 8 Mining’s business model. By growing its bitcoin balance over time and covering its operating expenses by lending out its bitcoin hoard, generating so-called fiat yield, Hut 8 Mining is effectively a bet that a combination of growth in the price of bitcoin and growth in its bitcoin hoard will provide a major boost to its net asset value (‘NAV’) over time. Should the price of bitcoin tank, however, that would weigh negatively on its business, though things would likely not be as bad as it first appears given that Hut 8 Mining is set up to make money in almost every bitcoin pricing environment. As long as there is investor demand out there to borrow its bitcoins, and that broad interest in cryptocurrencies holds up well going forward, Hut 8 Mining should be able to continue growing its revenue as it grows the amount of bitcoin it can lend out on average per quarter. Obviously, of course, the firm would do better if the price of bitcoin stays the same (currently at roughly USD$64,700 for one bitcoin as of this writing) or increases. From our perspective, Hut 8 Mining is better positioned to capitalize on the cryptocurrency craze, in our view, than many of the other firms out there that are mining and continuously selling off their bitcoin holdings or actively buying bitcoin on the open market seeking to flip those alternative digital assets for a profit down the road (the “greater fool theory” in action). We are keeping an eye on Hut 8 Mining, though in this particular case, we must caution that the intrinsic value of alternative digital currencies like bitcoin is zero. The value is entirely in the eyes of the beholder.