Valuentum Exclusive Analysis for the Discerning Investor

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Jul 30, 2022

Meta Platforms’ Shares Remain Cheap; Long Term Focus Required
Image Shown: Meta Platforms Inc’s family of apps continued to grow its active user base last quarter. Its social media networks are used by billions of users every single day. Image Source: Meta Platforms Inc – Second Quarter of 2022 IR Earnings Presentation. On July 27, Meta Platforms reported second quarter 2022 earnings that missed consensus top- and bottom-line estimates. We appreciate that its active user base across its family of apps (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Messenger) and its ad impressions continued to trend in the right direction last quarter, though recent softness in its pricing power is concerning. Meta Platforms is responding by scaling back its targeted operating expense growth, which we appreciate. We continue to like Meta Platforms as an idea in the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio, though we recognize that near term headwinds are weighing quite negatively on investor sentiment towards the name.

Jun 24, 2022

Best Idea Korn Ferry Enters New Fiscal Year on a High Note
Image Shown: Best idea Korn Ferry posted a stellar fourth quarter of fiscal 2022 earnings report with several of its core financial metrics reaching all-time highs. The firm also issued out favorable near term guidance in conjunction with its latest earnings update. We continue to be huge fans of the global management consulting firm. Image Source: Korn Ferry – Fourth Quarter of Fiscal 2022 IR Earnings Presentation. On June 22, global management consulting firm Korn Ferry reported fourth quarter earnings for fiscal 2022 (period ended April 30, 2022) that smashed past both consensus top- and bottom-line estimates. The firm also raised its dividend 15% sequentially to $0.15 per share or $0.60 on an annualized basis in conjunction with its earnings update, good for a forward-looking yield of ~1.1% as of this writing. Korn Ferry’s dividend growth story offers incremental upside to its substantial capital appreciation potential. We include Korn Ferry as an idea in the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio and our fair value estimate sits at $86 per share, with the lower end of our fair value estimate sitting at $69 per share. As of this writing, shares of KFY are trading well below the low end of our fair value estimate range.

Jun 22, 2022

Dividend Growth Idea Oracle Showing Serious Growth Momentum
Image Source: Oracle Corporation – September 2019 IR Presentation. On June 13, Oracle Corp reported fourth quarter earnings for fiscal 2022 (period ended May 31, 2022) that beat both consensus top- and bottom-line estimates. The tech giant also provided favorable constant currency revenue growth guidance for its cloud businesses for fiscal 2023. Shares of ORCL initially surged higher in the wake of its latest earnings report before drifting modestly lower along the decline in broader equity markets. We include Oracle as an idea in the Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio and shares of ORCL yield ~1.9% as of this writing.

Jun 14, 2022

Best Idea Korn Ferry Supported by Stellar Financials
Image Shown: Korn Ferry put up tremendous performance in the quarter ended January 2022 and provided favorable near term guidance in conjunction with its fiscal third quarter earnings update. We include Korn Ferry in our Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio. Image Source: Korn Ferry – Third Quarter of Fiscal 2022 IR Earnings Presentation. The global organizational consulting firm Korn Ferry is included in the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio and we continue to be huge fans of the name. Korn Ferry is a tremendous free cash flow generator with a stellar business model. The differentiated nature of its offerings provides Korn Ferry with ample pricing power, allowing it to preserve its margins in the face of major inflationary headwinds. Korn Ferry is supported by a nice net cash position and its underlying financial performance has been aggressively trending in the right direction.

Jun 10, 2022

Taiwan Semi Firing on All Cylinders
Image Source: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company – First Quarter of 2022 IR Earnings Presentation. We are huge fans of Taiwan Semi which offers investors a combination of capital appreciation and income growth upside. Shares of TSM yield ~2.1% as of this writing. Taiwan Semi is included as an idea in our ESG Newsletter portfoliio. The firm is incredibly shareholder friendly with good governance practices, focuses on sustainable manufacturing practices where feasible (placing a great emphasis on effective resource management, limiting pollution, and utilizing green energy), and has a management team that comes from diverse backgrounds (keeping in mind Taiwan Semi is headquartered in Hsinchu, Taiwan).

May 27, 2022

Broadcom Buying VMware as “Empire Building” Streak Continues
Image Shown: Broadcom Inc is acquiring VMware Inc and the deal will significantly increase its enterprise software business. Image Source: Broadcom Inc and VMware Inc - May 2022 IR Presentation. Continuing with its acquisitive streak, the semiconductor and enterprise software giant Broadcom Inc announced on May 26 that it would acquire hybrid cloud services provider VMware Inc through a cash-and-stock deal that values VMware at ~$61 billion. Additionally, Broadcom will assume ~$8 billion in net debt from VMware. This follows in the footsteps of Broadcom’s $18.9 billion deal to acquire CA Technologies in 2018 and its $10.7 billion deal to acquire the enterprise security business of then-Symantec, now NortonLifeLock Inc, in 2019. Under the leadership of Hock Tan, Broadcom’s CEO since 2006, the company has built itself into a tech powerhouse through a series of acquisitions. In 2018, Broadcom formally ended its attempt to acquire Qualcomm Inc in the face of antitrust concerns and adjusted its strategy accordingly. By growing its enterprise software business, namely through acquisitions, Broadcom was largely able to avoid antitrust concerns. However, it remains to be seen if regulators will give their blessing to this pending acquisition.

May 19, 2022

Cisco Systems Reduces Guidance After Noisy Quarter, Remains Free Cash Flow Giant Backed By Pristine Balance Sheet
Image Source: Cisco Systems Inc – Third Quarter of Fiscal 2022 IR Earnings Presentation. On May 18, Cisco Systems reported third quarter earnings for fiscal 2022 (period ended April 30, 2022) that missed consensus top-line estimates but beat consensus bottom-line estimates (specifically for its non-GAAP performance). One of the biggest updates from this earnings report was that Cisco Systems reduced its full year guidance for fiscal 2022. The news initially sent shares of CSCO sharply lower, though Cisco Systems remains a free cash flow cow with a pristine balance sheet. It was an incredibly noisy earnings report for the firm for reasons we will cover in this article. We include Cisco Systems as an idea in both the Best Ideas Newsletter and Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolios and continue to like the name.

May 12, 2022

PayPal and Visa Remain Attractive Long-Term Ideas
Image Source: Visa Inc – Second Quarter of Fiscal 2022 IR Earnings Presentation. The payment processing and payment solutions space is attractive. Companies operating in this industry have asset-light business models with relatively modest capital expenditure requirements to maintain a given level of revenues, making free cash flows easier to come by. Additionally, the industry’s growth outlook is incredibly bright and supported by secular tailwinds as the world continues to shift away from cash and towards other payment options (card, mobile apps, QR codes, online payment platforms). Our two favorite companies in this space are PayPal Holdings and Visa, and we include both as ideas in the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio. Online spending levels remain robust even as the worst of the coronavirus (‘COVID-19’) pandemic fades and households resume outdoor activities, while global travel activities are resuming in earnest as the economy opens back up. PayPal and Visa both recently updated investors on their financial standing and outlook, and overall, we liked what we saw.

May 12, 2022

Dividend Growth Idea Qualcomm Beats Estimates; Near Term Guidance Incredibly Bright
Image Shown: Dividend growth idea Qualcomm Inc has a stellar cash flow profile. Image Source: Qualcomm Inc – 10-Q SEC filing covering the Second Quarter of Fiscal 2022. Qualcomm recently reported second quarter earnings for fiscal 2022 (period ended March 27, 2022) that beat both consensus top- and bottom-line estimates. The company is a leader in the technologies relating to 5G wireless, Internet of Things (‘IoT’) trend, semi-autonomous and autonomous driving, and handset operations. We include Qualcomm as an idea in the Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio as we view its dividend strength and payout growth outlook quite favorably. Shares of QCOM yield ~2.3% as of this writing. The firm’s latest earnings update and near term guidance reinforces our bullish view towards the name.

Apr 29, 2022

Apple Reports Record Services Revenue in Calendar First Quarter 2022, We Still Love Shares!
Image Shown: Apple Inc put up another strong earnings report for the quarter ended March 2022. We continue to like Apple as an idea in our newsletter portfolios. On April 28, Apple reported earnings for its second quarter of fiscal 2022 (period ended March 26, 2022) that beat both consensus top- and bottom-line estimates by a wide margin. Apple also increased its dividend by 5% on a sequential basis and authorized an additional $90.0 billion in share repurchases in conjunction with its latest earnings update. We are big fans of Apple and include shares of AAPL as an idea in both our Best Ideas Newsletter and Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolios. Shares of AAPL yield ~0.5% as of this writing and we see room for Apple to push through substantial payout increases going forward. Additionally, the top end of our fair value estimate range sits at $204 per share of AAPL, well above where Apple’s stock price is trading at as of this writing indicating it has ample capital appreciation upside potential as well.