Valuentum Exclusive Analysis for the Discerning Investor

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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.

Nov 8, 2021

ASML Holding’s Bright Growth Outlook
Image Shown: Shares of ASML Holding NV are booming higher as demand for its photolithography systems, a crucial part of the semiconductor supply chain, continues to grow at a robust pace. ASML Holding is a tremendous way to play the ongoing boom in semiconductor demand. The firm’s medium-term growth targets are fantastic and supported by surging net bookings for its photolithography systems (clearly there is ample demand here for ASML Holding’s offerings). With a pristine balance sheet, shareholder friendly management team, stellar free cash flow generating abilities, and promising growth outlook, ASML Holding has a lot going for it. The company is a good fit for the ESG Newsletter portfolio, in our view, as ASML Holding scores well on our 1-100 (100 being the best) ESG rating system (94 out of 100).

Nov 5, 2021

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week November 5
Let's take a look at companies that raised/lowered their dividend this week.

Oct 29, 2021

Apple Remains a Free Cash Flow Generating Powerhouse
Image Shown: Apple Inc remained a free cash flow generating powerhouse in fiscal 2021. Key line-items are underlined in red and blue. Image Source: Apple Inc – Fourth Quarter of Fiscal 2021 Financial Supplement with additions from the author. Apple is not immune to the headwinds facing global supply chains, though its fortress-like balance sheet and stellar free cash flow generating abilities should enable the firm to ride out near-term hurdles with its bright growth trajectory intact. We are huge fans of the tech behemoth and continue to like shares of AAPL as an idea in both the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio and Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio.

Oct 28, 2021

Microsoft: Net Cash Rich, Free Cash Flow Generating, Dividend Growth Powerhouse
Image: Microsoft remains one of the most attractive technology companies. Its outlook for the second quarter of fiscal 2022 came in better than expected. Image Source: Microsoft. Microsoft has long been a favorite of ours. The technology giant continued its dominance into the first quarter of its fiscal 2022 (ends September) and guided the current calendar quarter revenue above consensus forecasts. Its free cash flow generation remains top notch, and its balance sheet is flush with net cash. Microsoft remains an idea in both the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio and Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio. Shares have a dividend yield of ~0.8% at the time of this writing. The high end of our fair value estimate range of Microsoft stands at $360 per share.

Oct 27, 2021

Digital Realty Boosts Guidance and Further Extends Growth Runway
Image Source: Digital Realty Trust Inc – Third Quarter of 2021 IR Earnings Presentation. On October 26, Digital Realty Trust posted third quarter 2021 earnings that beat both consensus top- and bottom-line estimates. The data center real estate investment trust (‘REIT’) saw its GAAP operating revenues come in at $1.1 billion (up 11% year-over-year) and its non-GAAP core funds from operations (‘FFO’) per share come in at $1.65 per share (up 7% year-over-year) last quarter. Digital Realty also increased its guidance in conjunction with its latest earnings report, which we appreciate, as that signals the REIT is growing confident that it will exit 2021 on a high note. When taking into consideration Digital Realty’s ability to tap capital markets at attractive rates (something we cover in this article), we give the REIT a “GOOD” Dividend Safety rating as its adjusted Dividend Cushion ratio is near parity at 0.7, which factors in expected dividend growth over the coming years. Additionally, we give Digital Realty a “GOOD” Dividend Safety rating, underpinned by its bright cash flow growth outlook. The top end of our fair value estimate range sits at $186 per share of DLR, well above where Digital Realty is trading at as of this writing.

Oct 25, 2021

Intel’s Huge Expected Capital Spending Gives Dividend Growth Investors Pause
Image: Intel has advanced nicely during the past several years, but more recently, its choppy stock behavior is reflective of the market having trouble figuring out the future direction of this tech behemoth, particularly in light of encroaching competition and huge expected capital spending growth. Shares offer investors a healthy 2.8% dividend yield, however, which gives the stock a sturdy foundation for the time being. In October 2020, we decided to remove Intel from the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio and Dividend Growth Newsletter portfolio as competition was heating up and the firm’s balance sheet started to lose its luster. Weakening free cash flow due to a huge expected capital-spending build now makes Intel incrementally less attractive of an idea, though we note shares continue to trade within our fair value estimate range ($45-$67), which may be revised slightly lower on the next update. A dividend yield of ~2.8% is supported by future free cash flow in the near term, but there may be more clouds on the horizon (and investors should expect a lower Dividend Cushion ratio upon the next update, too). We’re comfortable being on the sidelines as there are so many other investment considerations that fit the financial bill better, in our view--namely those capital-appreciation and dividend-growth considerations with strong net cash positions and strong future expected free cash flow growth.

Oct 13, 2021

High-Yield Idea CyrusOne Considers Selling Itself
Image Shown: Shares of CyrusOne, an idea included in our High Yield Dividend Newsletter portfolio, are on a modest upward climb of late. The data center real estate investment trust (‘REIT’) is reportedly considering putting itself up for sale, though we like the REIT’s income generation upside regardless of whether a sale does materialize as its outlook continues to improve after posting stellar performance during the first half of 2021. Reportedly, CyrusOne is actively exploring a potential sale according to Reuters. We include shares of CONE as an idea in the High Yield Dividend Newsletter portfolio. The data center real estate investment trust (‘REIT’) has experienced significant turnover in its top ranks over the past couple of years which we will cover briefly, as that likely set the stage for the potential sale. Should CyrusOne decide not to sell itself, we would still be fans of its business model, growth runway, improving outlook, and income generation potential. Let's dig into latest developments in this article.

Oct 7, 2021

IBM Provides Investors with a Major Update
Image Source: International Business Machines Corporation – October 2021 IR Presentation. While still a major enterprise, International Business Machines Corp is no longer the tech juggernaut it used to be and hasn’t been a leading tech company for over a decade. The company recognizes this and back in October 2020, IBM announced that it planned to “separate its Managed Infrastructure Services unit of its Global Technology Services division into a new public company” that will be called Kyndryl. By the end of 2021, this tax-free spinoff is expected to be complete (shares of Kyndryl will be spun off to IBM shareholders). In October 2021, IBM provided a major update to its shareholders covering its medium-term financial outlook, key operational updates, and what to expect going forward as it concerns its dividend policy, areas that we are going to cover in this article.

Oct 1, 2021

Best Idea Visa on the Rebound, Generating Gobs of Free Cash Flow
Image Shown: Visa Inc is a stellar free cash flow generator and is included as an idea in our Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio. Image Source: Visa Inc – Third Quarter of Fiscal 2021 IR Earnings Presentation. We are huge fans of the payment processing and payment solutions space. This industry is supported by secular growth tailwinds due to the global shift away from cash-to-card and card-not-present (e.g. online purchases) purchase options, and the ongoing proliferation of e-commerce. Furthermore, companies in this space benefit immensely from the network effect, which creates an economic moat for their business. These companies are incredibly lucrative with relatively high operating margins and impressive free cash flow generating abilities, aided by their relatively modest capital expenditure requirements to maintain a certain level of revenues. We include payment networks giant Visa as a “top-weighted” idea in the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio and view its capital appreciation upside quite favorably, with the top end of our fair value estimate range sitting at $304 per share of Visa.