Valuentum Exclusive Analysis for the Discerning Investor

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Feb 24, 2020

ALERT: Adding Market Crash 'Protection,' Removing MSFT, BKNG
Image source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  We're adding out-of-the-money put options to both the Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio and Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio. We're removing Microsoft from the Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio, and we're removing Booking Holdings from the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio. We reiterate that, had the Dow Jones Industrial Average already swooned a couple thousand points on news of the COVID-19 outbreak, we might have considered some undervalued stocks with strong momentum potential "buying opportunities." However, to this point in time, the markets have largely ignored COVID-19, with major US indices still sitting near all-time highs. We could be in for a wild ride in the coming weeks and months, and an outright market crash is not out of question. For those looking for short-idea considerations, please consider the Exclusive publication here. We remain fully-invested in the High Yield Dividend Newsletter portfolio given its yield and income focus.

Feb 22, 2020

Is a Stock Market Crash Coming? -- Coronavirus Update and P/E Ratios
Image Source: World Health Organization, Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), Situation Report -- 32. We don’t think this is the environment to put new capital to work, and we remain highly cautious of what COVID-19 means for global economic growth not just in the first quarter of 2020 but for the rest of this year (maybe longer). Right now, the US markets are not really factoring in anything related to COVID-19, and perhaps may be adjusting to China’s stimulus in artificially propping up the markets as if the outbreak is somehow a “positive thing.” With the S&P 500 trading at 19.0 forward earnings estimates--estimates that are likely too high given the evidence we are seeing with respect to a slowdown due to COVID-19--and corporate debt levels more elevated than ever before (note, a high net debt level should depress the P/E in enterprise valuation--US corporate debt has advanced 50% over the past decade, to $10 trillion), it is our contention that the current market reflects a “situation-equivalent” forward P/E (i.e. rightsizing for new net debt relative to the dot-com peak and adjusting for lower forward earnings expectations compared with current forecasts) perhaps greater than 24.4, which was recorded at the peak of the dot-com bubble. Though interest rates are lower than they were at the time of the dot-com crash, suggesting a modest reasonable bump to normalized forward P/E ratios of ~15 times to reflect “fair valuations,” we could seriously be in for fundamental-driven crash soon, as both the earnings multiple and earnings estimates contract aggressively. Hypothetically, a contraction to a 16x forward multiple on earnings estimates just 10% lower than currently forecast implies an S&P 500 of 2,566, or a swoon of about 20%-30% from current levels--and that would just get us down to 16x still-respectable forward numbers. How quantitative-driven price-agnostic trading may impact this scenario is not known either, and all of this could be setting up for a wild ride in the coming weeks and months. Fasten your seatbelts. We’ll have a few newsletter portfolio alerts coming Monday.

Feb 19, 2020

Walmart Reports Fourth Quarter Results, Raises Dividend
Image Source: Valuentum. On February 18, global brick-and-mortar retail bellwether Walmart reported mixed fourth-quarter fiscal 2020 results (ends January 31, 2020) that showed revenue advancing 2.1% and non-GAAP earnings per share of $1.38 missing the consensus forecast. We await the filing of the firm’s 10-K to roll our valuation model forward, but we do not expect to make any material changes to our fair value estimate at this time, which stands at $109 per share. The stock is trading hands at ~$118 per share at the moment.

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.

Dec 31, 2019

Our Reports on Stocks in the Food Retailing Industry
Image Source: Mike Mozart. We've reallocated our resources to cover more recession-resistant stocks.

Dec 5, 2019

Best Buy’s Rebound Continues
Image Shown: Best Buy Co Inc has staged an impressive rebound over the past few years. This rebound was aided by significant investments in its digital presence, recognizing the core markets Best Buy wanted to target, and ultimately comparable store sales growth. On November 26, Best Buy reported third quarter earnings for its fiscal 2020 (three month period ended November 2, 2019) that beat both top- and bottom-line consensus estimates. Even better, Best Buy raised its guidance for fiscal 2020, largely on the back of stronger than expected same-store sales growth. Best Buy’s update helped send shares of BBY over our fair value estimate of $76 per share, and if this outperformance is sustained, the retailer may march towards the upper end of our fair value range estimate (which currently sits at $95 per share). Shares of BBY yield 2.5% as of this writing, and we like the firm’s dividend growth prospects. However, we caution that Best Buy remains very exposed to the US-China trade war, and we don’t include shares of BBY in our newsletter portfolios in large part due to the downside risks exogenous forces impose.

Nov 16, 2019

Walmart Earnings Report Indicates US Consumer Still Strong
Image Shown: Shares of Walmart Inc have performed quite well so far in 2019. That’s arguably due to the ongoing strength of the US consumer and the significant investments Walmart has made into expanding its domestic grocery e-commerce offerings.  There’s a lot of talk of recession right now, but as Walmart’s latest quarterly results show, the US consumer remains resilient. A combination of historically low unemployment rates and modest wage growth in the US has created a bulwark against exogenous shocks, with an eye towards the economic slowdown currently going on in the Eurozone and East Asia. We’ll see how long this paradigm can last. We aren’t interested in adding Walmart to any of our newsletter portfolios at this time, as shares of WMT already trade near the top end of our fair value estimate range (which sits at $119 per share). Shares of WMT yield 1.8% as of this writing. We continue to like the current holdings in both our Best Ideas Newsletter and Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolios.

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.

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 15, 2019

Macy’s Cuts Guidance, Dividend Cut Could Be on the Horizon
Image Shown: Macy’s cut adjusted EPS guidance for FY2019, which implies a material drop from its FY2018 performance. Flat revenue guidance, gross margin pressure, and rising SG&A expenses all signal there’s likely more pain yet to come. Image Source: Macy’s – IR Presentation. We are staying far away from Macy’s and most retailers in general, but continue to like Dollar General Corporation as the nimble retailer has posted stellar performance since joining the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio in April 2017.