Valuentum Exclusive Analysis for the Discerning Investor

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Dec 29, 2023

Kinder Morgan’s ~6.4% Dividend Yield Is Much Stronger These Days
Image: Kinder Morgan is back on track. Image Source: Kinder Morgan. Early in December, Kinder Morgan released financial expectations for 2024 that showed the midstream energy giant is back on track. Excluding its recent purchase of NextEra Energy Partners’ STX Midstream assets, Kinder Morgan expects 5% expansion in adjusted EBITDA and distributable cash flow [DCF] in 2024 thanks to growth in its Natural Gas Pipelines and Energy Transition Ventures segments coupled with rate escalations across its operations. For 2024, management is targeting its 7th consecutive year of dividend increases with a projected annualized dividend of $1.15 in 2024. Net debt-to-Adjusted EBITDA is targeted at 3.8x at the end of 2024, a level that is materially lower than its long-term target of 4.5x. We're liking the continued improvements at Kinder Morgan in recent years.

Dec 27, 2023

Dividend Aristocrat Enterprise Products Partners Boasts 7%+ Yield, Investment-Grade Marks
Image: Enterprise Products Partners continues to raise its distribution year after year. Source: Enterprise Products Partners. Though, in general, we’re not too excited by the midstream pipeline space given their capital-intensive nature and hefty net debt positions, Enterprise Products Partners has a lot of things going for it. The company boasts investment-grade credit ratings (A-/A-/A3), has strong and consistent returns on invested capital, and has put up 25 years of consecutive distribution increases. In addition to growing its payout in each year for more than two decades, management has done a great job reducing its leverage ratio (net debt adjusted for equity credit in its junior subordinated notes divided by adjusted EBITDA). For the trailing twelve months ended in the third quarter, its leverage ratio has fallen to 3.0x from 4.1x in 2017. All told, we think Enterprise Products Partners’ growth initiatives will help to solve revenue pressures, and we expect the company to continue to drive distribution growth in the coming years as it keeps its leverage in check.

Dec 26, 2023

5 Questions Advisors Should Ask When Interviewing Fund Managers
Image Source: Investment Zen. These are not your typical questions. These are the questions advisors should ask to find the most analytical fund managers. The questions don’t cover strategy or market outlook, but instead hit upon the analytical foundation of the fund manager, which could be more important than anything else.

Dec 22, 2023

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week of December 22
Let's take a look at firms raising/lowering their dividends this week.

Dec 19, 2023

In the News: Google, McDonald’s, Costco, Apple
Image: McDonald’s has released a new beverage concept, and it looks to be a hit. Image Source: CosMcs. The market continues to ebb and flow with the latest Federal Reserve commentary, but we continue to be fans of the strong foundation that is the U.S. employment market and the great promise of artificial intelligence [AI] as key themes for 2024. We're huge fans of the net-cash-rich, free cash flow generating, secular growth powerhouses found in big cap tech and the stylistic area of large cap growth. We expect these two areas to continue to lead the markets higher, if not in 2024, through the better part of this decade. Let's take a look at some of the latest news at Alphabet, McDonald's, Costco, and Apple.

Dec 16, 2023

ICYMI -- Video: Our Top Stocks for 2024
Valuentum's President of Investment Research Brian Nelson walks through the success of Valuentum's newsletter suite, the state of the economy and markets, and offers his favorite idea for each sector. Tune into this must-watch video.

Dec 15, 2023

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week of December 15
Let's take a look at firms raising/lowering their dividends this week.

Dec 14, 2023

Brief Note: Just How Good Has Our Stock Selection Been?
Has anyone really done better than this? We hope you have benefited greatly!

Dec 13, 2023

Keeping the Horse Before the Cart: Valuentum’s Economic Castle™ Rating
Image shown: An examination of the problem that might arise by focusing exclusively on companies that have economic moats, or sustainable and durable competitive advantages.Without an economic castle, an economic moat doesn’t matter. Let's examine Valuentum's Economic Castle™ rating.

Dec 11, 2023

Oracle’s “Business Is Good and Getting Better”
Image Source: Peter Kaminski. On December 11, Oracle reported mixed second-quarter results for its fiscal 2024 that showed total revenue advancing 5% on a year-over-year basis (4% in constant currency), slightly lower than expectations, and non-GAAP earnings per share of $1.34 that came in slightly ahead of what the market was looking for. The company’s non-GAAP operating margin of 43% in the quarter helped to drive non-GAAP net income 14% higher than the same period a year ago (11% in constant currency). We’re not letting the slight miss on the top line sway us from our constructive stance on shares. Our fair value estimate stands at $108 per share, about in-line with where shares are currently trading.