Valuentum Exclusive Analysis for the Discerning Investor

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Oct 30, 2023

The Dividend Growth Newsletter Portfolio’s Outperformance
Image: The Dividend Cushion ratio is one of the most powerful financial tools an income or dividend growth investor can use in conjunction with qualitative dividend analysis. The ratio is one-of-a-kind in that it is both free-cash-flow based and forward looking. Since its creation in 2012, the Dividend Cushion ratio has forewarned readers of approximately 50 dividend cuts. We estimate its efficacy at ~90%. Large cap growth names in the likes of Apple, Microsoft, Oracle, and Cisco form a solid foundation for continued dividend growth across the portfolio thanks in part to their fantastic Dividend Cushion ratios. Not only this, but we like the defensive characteristics of garbage hauler Republic Services and McDonald’s, and the tried-and-true dynamics of Home Depot, Honeywell and UnitedHealth, which can handle just about any economic environment that is thrown at them. Today, the 10-year Treasury rate stands at close to 5%, so while many dividend growth stocks don’t yield as much, we still like their cash-based sources of intrinsic value, as such dynamics offer substantial support to their equity prices, despite competing sources of income.

Oct 30, 2023

Staying Far Away from Intel; McDonald’s a Better Play
Image: Intel’s cash flow from operations is under pressure, as it continues to shell out capital expenditures, resulting in materially negative free cash flow generation. Intel's cash-based sources of intrinsic value are in a world of hurt, meaning that we won't be adding the company to any newsletter portfolio anytime soon. Instead, we prefer McDonald's, which is well-positioned for inflationary pressures as it continues to raise its payout.

Oct 30, 2023

3 Net-Cash-Rich, Free-Cash-Flow Generating, Secular Growth Powerhouses
Image: Shares of Microsoft, Alphabet, and Meta Platforms have trounced the market return so far in 2023. We think a holistic view to a company's fundamentals provides an upper hand when it comes to outperforming the market, but we also feel that the discounted cash-flow model is an indispensable tool to help investors collect all of their thoughts and quantitatively put them together within valuation to arrive at what a company is worth. After all, the stock market is an expectations game, where expectations of free cash flow form the baseline for value, and changes in them heavily influence the direction of share prices. We like stocks that have strong net cash positions on the books and have a high probability of achieving better-than-expected free-cash-flow generation in coming years. In this article, we'll talk about the cash-based sources of intrinsic value at three large cap growth names.

Oct 27, 2023

Getting Down to Brass Tacks on Amazon’s Cash-Based Sources of Intrinsic Value
Image: Amazon had a very strong and better-than-expected third-quarter report, and the firm is now on pace to generate positive free cash flow during 2023. As reported in Amazon’s third-quarter 2023 press release, the retail giant’s “free cash flow improved to an inflow of $21.4 billion for the trailing twelve months, compared with an outflow of $19.7 billion for the trailing twelve months ended September 30, 2022.” Cash and marketable securities were ~$64.2 billion at the end of its third quarter compared to ~$61.1 billion in long-term debt, meaning that Amazon has a modest net cash position, but nothing near the likes of other big cap tech and large cap growth peers. All eyes will continue to be on Amazon Web Services [AWS] and its growth trajectory, but when it comes to the cash-based sources of intrinsic value, Amazon is back on the right track.

Oct 27, 2023

Dividend Increases/Decreases for the Week of October 27
Let's take a look at firms raising/lowering their dividends this week.

Oct 26, 2023

Chipotle’s Long-Term Growth Outlook Intact
On October 26, Chipotle Mexican Grill reported better-than-expected third-quarter results with the top line increasing 11.3% on a year-over-year basis and non-GAAP earnings per share beating the consensus estimate. Comparable store sales advanced 5% in the period, while the company drove meaningful improvement in its operating margin, despite nagging inflationary pressures in beef and cheese prices. We’re huge fans of Chipotle’s long-term unit growth story, and we expect the rollout of Chipotlane drivethru’s to pave the way for an expanded menu, maybe in the breakfast daypart in the years ahead.

Oct 26, 2023

Brief Take: Altria’s 10% Dividend Yield Is Too Hard to Pass Up
Altria Group’s forward estimated 10% dividend yield is too hard to pass up as it is comfortably covered by traditional free cash flow. The tobacco giant reported third-quarter 2023 results on October 26 that showcased how its asset-light business model continues to throw off tons of cash. Traditional free cash flow generation came in at ~$5.9 billion during the first nine months of 2023, while cash dividends paid came in at ~$5 billion, resulting in a very nice free cash flow cushion on a ~10%-yielding stock. Though revenue growth at Altria remains under pressure, gross profit continues to move in the right direction. Altria has raised its dividend 58 times during the past 54 years, and the firm continues to target mid-single-digit dividend growth annually. For income investors that aren’t worried about ESG-related criteria, Altria could make for a great diversifier in a high-yield dividend income portfolio. Our fair value estimate stands north of $60 per share (shares are trading under $40 at the time of this writing).

Oct 26, 2023

Albemarle and ASML Holding Remain Key ESG-Focused Ideas
Two of the companies included in the simulated ESG Newsletter portfolio are Albemarle and ASML Holding. Recently, concerns over the supply/demand dynamics for lithium have hurt Albemarle’s stock, but we’re being patient with this ESG-focused idea. On October 18, ASML Holding reported decent third-quarter results. We think ASML is one of the most competitively advantaged players in the semiconductor space, and we won’t be removing it from the ESG Newsletter portfolio anytime soon.

Oct 25, 2023

Alphabet and Meta Are Net-Cash-Rich, Free-Cash-Flow Generating, Secular-Growth Powerhouses
Image: Free cash flow growth at Alphabet has been phenomenal during the first nine months of 2023. Both Alphabet and Meta are net-cash-rich, free-cash-flow generating, secular-growth powerhouses. Though cloud revenue growth and the pace of expense expansion at Alphabet are concerns, and while Meta may experience some softness in advertising revenue during the current quarter, both entities’ quarterly performances during the calendar third quarter showcased why they have been market darlings during 2023. Note: We’ve corrected our updated report on Alphabet. We had previously uploaded an incorrect version, but this version (pdf) has now been corrected. There is no change to the updated fair value estimate of $133 per share.

Oct 25, 2023

We Will Be Removing CubeSmart and Adding Altria to the High Yield Dividend Newsletter Portfolio
Image: Entities with large net cash positions and substantial free cash flow generation have outperformed not only the broader stock market, but also key high yield areas, including REITs, mortgage REITs and master limited partnerships during the past 10 years. We’re going to continue to lessen our exposure to the equity REIT space, removing CubeSmart from the High Yield Dividend Newsletter portfolio on November 1 and replacing it with Altria. We’re going to keep CUBE-rival Public Storage in the High Yield Dividend Newsletter portfolio for now, but the self-storage space has come under some pressure as consumers may be balking at storage prices as they reassess their spending habits amid higher inflation. Altria doesn’t have a great balance sheet, but the firm does comfortably cover cash dividends paid with free cash flow generation, and the firm does have sizable stakes in Anheuser-Busch-Inbev and Cronos that offer it considerable financial flexibility. Shares of Altria look cheap, too. The swap out of CubeSmart and swap in of Altria within the High Yield Dividend Newsletter portfolio will be effective upon the release of the November edition of the High Yield Dividend Newsletter on November 1.