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Recent Articles
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Vertex Pharma Hits All-Time Highs!
Nov 7, 2023
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Image: Vertex Pharma is one of our favorite biotech ideas, and the company continues to power to new highs.
Vertex Pharma is one of the best biopharma ideas on the market today. The company’s CF franchise throws off a lot of free cash flow, and it holds a pristine balance sheet with a huge net cash position. Not only this, but the firm’s pipeline has impressive potential. Vertex’s next line-up up therapies could go a long way toward solving the opioid epidemic, while its ventures with CRISPR Therapeutics offer further long-term upside potential in gene-editing technology, one of the most exciting areas of biotech these days. The high end of our fair value estimate range stands north of $460, and we continue to like Vertex as a core idea in the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio.
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Business as Usual at Berkshire
Nov 5, 2023
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Image: Berkshire Hathaway continues to be a strong free cash flow generator.
Berkshire Hathaway reported third-quarter results on November 4 that were about in-line with what we were expecting. A huge cash balance and strong free cash flow are par for the course at Berkshire, and the company’s stake in Apple continues to power its equity securities portfolio. Year-to-date shares of Berkshire are up more than 13%, but we do admit that some of the luster has come off shares in light of the performance of asset-heavy names across the utilities and energy sectors. Given Berkshire’s strong run the past few years, we’re not as enamored with shares as we once were, but we still think they are worthy of inclusion to the Best Ideas Newsletter portfolio.
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Booking Holdings Is a Net-Cash-Rich, Free-Cash-Flow Generating Powerhouse!
Nov 4, 2023
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Image: Booking Holdings remains an asset-light, free-cash-flow generating powerhouse.
Booking Holdings ended the September quarter with a modest net cash position. Cash and cash equivalents totaled ~$13.3 billion and short-term investments came in at $624 million, a sum that was greater than its short-term debt load of ~$1.9 billion and long-term debt of ~$11.9 billion. The company hauled in ~$6 billion in cash flow from operations during the first nine months of 2023 and only spent $251 million on property and equipment, good for significant free cash flow generation. Its free cash flow margin so far in 2023, as measured by free cash flow divided by sales, was an impressive ~35%, showcasing just how efficient Booking Holdings is in converting its top line to cold hard cash. Our $3,164 per share fair value estimate remains unchanged at this time.
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People Love Their Starbucks
Nov 3, 2023
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Image: Starbucks remains a strong free cash flow generator.
Operational efficiencies, sales leverage and pricing strength helped drive Starbucks' GAAP operating income growth of 42.7% and non-GAAP earnings per share to $1.06 in the quarter, up 31% on a year-over-year basis. Starbucks ended its fourth quarter of fiscal 2023 with ~$3.95 billion in cash and short-term investments and short- and long-term debt of ~$15.4 billion, resulting in a net debt position on the books. Free cash flow generation remains robust at Starbucks, however, with the measure coming in at ~$3.7 billion for the fiscal year ending October 1, 2023. We’re reiterating the high end of our fair value estimate range of $120 for Starbucks’ shares.
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