Valuentum Exclusive Analysis for the Discerning Investor

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Jul 22, 2020

Second Quarter Earnings Roundup
The figure above shows the performance of the simulated Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio from inception May 17, 2011, through December 15, 2017, relative to its declared benchmark, the S&P 500 (SPY), on an apples-to-apples basis, with dividends collected but not reinvested for both the newsletter portfolio and the SPY, as reported in the monthly newsletter. The simulated Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio outperformed the S&P 500, including reinvested dividends in the benchmark, since inception (May 17, 2011) and since the inaugural release of the newsletter (July 13, 2011) through the end of the measurement period (December 15, 2017). The results are hypothetical and do not represent returns that an investor actually earned. Past results are not indicative of future performance.

Jul 20, 2020

Walgreens Targets Cost Cuts and In-Store Doctors’ Offices
Image Source: Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc – Third Quarter Fiscal 2020 IR Earnings Presentation. On July 9, Walgreens Boots Alliance reported its third-quarter fiscal 2020 earnings (period ended May 31, 2020) and raised its dividend by ~2% on a sequential basis. Walgreens has increased its annual dividend over the past 45 consecutive years, earning it Dividend Aristocrat status, though we caution its net debt load weighs negatively on its forward-looking dividend coverage. Shares of WBA yield ~4.6% as of this writing.

Jul 14, 2020

Levi Strauss Skips Dividend Payment
Image Shown: An overview of Levi Strauss & Co.’s historical financials and operational footprint. As you can see, most of Levi Strauss’ sales are conducted through its wholesale segment. The company’s own e-commerce sales channel has historically represented just a small part of Levi Strauss’ total net revenues. Image Source: Levi Strauss & Co. – December 2019 Investor Presentation. On June 7, Levi Strauss & Co. reported second-quarter fiscal 2020 earnings (period ended May 24, 2020) that missed consensus estimates on both the top- and bottom-line. The apparel retailer noted it would reduce its “non-retail, non-manufacturing workforce” headcount by 700 employees to save an annualized $0.1 billion on corporate overhead as the ongoing coronavirus (‘COVID-19’) pandemic has devasted its financial performance. Levi Strauss touted its recent successes in the e-commerce arena but investors still sold off the name in the following days as the firm opted to skip an upcoming dividend payment (and likely due to growing fears over how a second wave of COVID-19 infections in the US and elsewhere would impact the company’s future financial performance).

Jul 8, 2020

Realty Income Updates Investors
Image Source: Realty Income Corporation – July 2020 Institutional Investor Presentation. The real estate investment trust Realty Income recently provided investors with some key financial and operational updates. Realty Income primarily invests in single-tenant commercial properties in the US, Puerto Rico, and the UK, and we include shares of O as a holding with a modest weighting in the Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio. Most of Realty Income’s tenants have continued to pay rent during the ongoing coronavirus (‘COVID-19’) pandemic, though tenants in select categories have been unwilling or unable to pay during these challenging times. In particular, Realty Income’s movie theater tenants did not pay rent in June or the second quarter of 2020, according to the REIT. Realty Income’s ongoing access to debt markets combined with its ample borrowing capacity under its revolving credit facility has enabled the company to keep making good on its monthly dividends during the pandemic. Shares of O yield ~4.7% on a forward-looking basis as of this writing (at an annualized payout just south of $2.80 per share) after the firm pushed through its 107th monthly dividend increase in June 2020.

Jul 2, 2020

Macy’s Builds Liquidity and Cuts Costs to Stay Afloat
Image Shown: Our fair value estimate range for shares of Macy’s Inc is quite wide at $1-$9 per share, relatively speaking, as the retailer’s outlook remains troubled due to its large net debt load and the ongoing pandemic. In the event Macy’s can reopen its physical stores in the near-term while maintaining recent gains seen at its digital operations, its revenues might rebound convincingly. Should Macy’s be forced to close its physical stores again for a prolonged period of time to contain the ongoing pandemic, that would likely drain its recently enhanced liquidity position and put a tremendous amount of stress of its financials going forward. Thus Macy’s has a relatively wide range of fair value outcomes, and represents the type of firm we generally prefer to stay away from. On July 1, Macy’s reported first quarter fiscal 2020 earnings (period ended May 2, 2020) that missed consensus top-line estimates but beat consensus bottom-line estimates. The retailer’s GAAP net sales plummeted by 45% year-over-year last fiscal quarter due to various US state and local government mandates that forced non-essential businesses to close. Quarantine efforts to contain the coronavirus (‘COVID-19’) pandemic in the US, rising unemployment rates, and a large net debt load represent three big hurdles Macy’s will need to find a way to deal with. Please note that most of the retailer’s physical stores are in the US and that Macy’s suspended its common dividend payouts earlier this calendar year. A large impairment charge combined with sharply lower revenues saw Macy’s post a large GAAP net loss of $3.6 billion in the fiscal first quarter.

Jun 23, 2020

Kroger Fighting for Market Share in the Online US Grocery Business
Image Source: The Kroger Company – Fiscal 2019 Annual Report. On June 18, The Kroger released its first quarter fiscal 2020 earnings (period ended May 23, 2020) that beat both top- and bottom-line estimates. Comparable store sales (excluding fuel) grew by 19% year-over-year as consumers flocked to its various grocery stores and supermarkets (under brands such as Fred Meyer, Fry’s Marketplace, Pick ‘n Save, and others) to stock up on consumer staples products as the coronavirus (‘COVID-19’) spread across North America. Kroger’s digital sales surged 92% year-over-year last fiscal quarter as curbside and home delivery options have become increasingly popular during the pandemic. Shares of KR yield ~2.0% and are trading in the upper bound of our fair value estimate range as of this writing.

Jun 21, 2020

Gap Buys Itself Some Time
Image Shown: An overview of Gap Inc’s net sales by brand. Image Source: Gap Inc – First Quarter Fiscal 2020 IR Earnings Presentation. On June 4, Gap reported first quarter fiscal 2020 earnings (period ended May 2, 2020) that missed both consensus top- and bottom-line estimates. Shares of GPS have gotten crushed due to the ongoing coronavirus (‘COVID-19’) pandemic as consumers (particularly those in the US) have spent far less on discretionary goods (like apparel) over the past several months. Combined with the negative impact of physical store closures and the lack of a meaningful online presence, Gap shares sank as its outlook turned dire. Though Gap operates stores in over 40 countries, please note about ~80-82% of its GAAP net sales came from the US from fiscal 2017 to fiscal 2019, highlighting its dependence on the US consumer.

Jun 11, 2020

Data from Visa Indicates the Economic Outlook is Improving
Image Shown: Visa Inc reports that US processed transactions volumes across its payment processing network improved materially on a year-over-year basis in May, relatively speaking, versus the downturn seen in the second half of March and the first half of April. Image Source: Visa Inc – 8-K SEC Filing. One of our favorite secular growth industry tailwinds is happening the payment processing, payment solutions, and financial technology space. The world is shifting toward a “cashless” society and that has accelerated due to the ongoing coronavirus (‘COVID-19’) pandemic, in part due to the rise of e-commerce and in part due to the preference of many consumers to use contactless payment options when in physical stores. Visa has been a top-weighted holding in the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio for some time, and shares of V are up 5% year-to-date while the S&P 500 is down 1% year-to-date as of this writing. The top end of our fair value estimate range for Visa sits at $214 per share indicating there is plenty of room for shares of V to climb higher; please note we like to let our winners run. Additionally, shares of V yield a modest ~0.6% as of this writing, offering incremental upside to its capital appreciation potential.

Jun 9, 2020

Macy’s Secures Additional Financing
Image Shown: Shares of Macy’s Inc have started to recover some of their lost ground after the company secured additional financing to ride out the storm created by the ongoing coronavirus (‘COVID-19’) pandemic. Store closures have decimated the company’s bottom-line, but the reopening of the US economy and many of the retailer’s stores has improved Macy’s outlook. Back on April 21, 2020, we published a note on Valuentum (link here) highlighting why it would be hard for Macy’s to unlock the (fair) value of its real estate assets. We are following up on that piece given recent events that we will cover in this article, and we strongly encourage our members to check out that first article.

Jun 5, 2020

Campbell Soup Sees Its Sales Surge
Image Source: Campbell Soup Company – Third Quarter of Fiscal 2020 Earnings IR Presentation. On June 3, Campbell Soup reported third-quarter earnings for fiscal 2020 (period ended April 26, 2020) and raised guidance for the full fiscal year to reflect the surge in demand for consumer staples goods due to the ongoing coronavirus (‘COVID-19’) pandemic. The firm beat consensus bottom-line estimates but missed consensus top-line estimates. Campbell’s net organic sales (a non-GAAP figure) jumped up by 17% year-over-year (GAAP revenues were up by 15%) and its adjusted diluted EPS (a non-GAAP figure) climbed higher by 57% year-over-year (GAAP diluted EPS was up 34%).