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Diageo – Does Johnnie keep on stumblin’?

Though initially not planned as a trilogy in that sense, today I am taking a closer look at Diageo, the world’s biggest spirits company. Like its competitors Pernod Ricard and Brown-Foreman, Diageo stock has nosedived, and caused strong headaches for its investors. After the stock got cut in half, while the broader market ran from high to high, the question arises, whether this could be a good contrarian pick right now. Especially with the dividend now being on a historically high level.

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Bearish Bias or just picky? Why I may come across as negative in public

When I go through the comments below YouTube videos where I appeared, the feedback is overall positive or neutral if the commenter has a different opinion. Of course that’s perfectly fine, everyone shall express their views. Occasionally, I find comments where I am described as having a negative attitude, being bearish or overly pessimistic. While I don’t care on a personal level in the sense that I do not feel offended or take such comments personally, one such comment has led me to think about it a bit deeper – and write a Weekly about it! While it sounds contradictory at first sight, it simply fits into my investment and analysis approach.

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Artificial Intelligence meets natural stupidity – and a potential winner no one is counting on

Is AI the biggest bubble we have ever witnessed? There are many voices claiming so, while others are of the view mankind has reached a new plateau in its evolution. As this is not a new topic per se, and my skepticism is well-known among my readers, I am not going to drill deeper on this front. However, there is a subtopic that deserves much more attention than it actually gets. Maybe because it is so boring and likely ahead of its time, the majority currently does not care. I do, though. And you probably should either.

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Are we seeing (again) the Erosion of Brand Values? + new research report

Many investors seek “moats”, or key differentiators that keep competitors at a distance. These “high-quality stocks” not seldom trade at premium valuations. At least for as long as this superior status is perceived. One such edge can be a brand. Well-known names create a barrier which in the best case even keeps new entrants out of the game entirely. However, it is no secret that brands come and go. Are we seeing another washout where once thought-to-be indispensable names are struggling for a reason? All my paid members receive my latest stock idea. It is a company with a strong market position where the brand name is irrelevant, for most even unknown.

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(Un)Safety first: The Drama of Sarepta Therapeutics

Biotech stocks are known for two things: either being graveyards for shareholders’ money or generating outsized returns – especially if they become multi-baggers (assuming one is positioned before the retail crowd discovers such ideas). While not every biotech stock turns out to be a do-or-die binary bet, it is safe to say that those stocks with big moves catch much attention – no matter the direction. Sarepta Therapeutics is such a case. It has even offered its shareholders both, an astronomical rise and a fall from grace despite generating billion-USD sales. A case study worth to have heard of.

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Not Safe: My next picks for a dividend cut

Summer holidays have begun. This is a good time to have a look into the stock portfolio, challenging the personal picks and always asking “why” they have a place in the portfolio. Occasionally, a summer clean-up may be appropriate. Especially, if the core strategy consists of banking on dividend payers that generate a supposedly low-maintenance passive income stream. Be on guard, here come my next four names where I think the dividends will have a tough time to be sustained.

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B&O: Back with a Bang?

Danish high-end consumer electronics maker Bang & Olufsen has been struggling ever since the Great Recession. It is not surprising that the stock is down from its highs in 2006–2007. However, I was indeed a bit surprised that it’s down by a staggering 98%! Even since a temporary recovery attempt that culminated in 2018, the stock has fallen by more than 90%! Over the last twelve months, though, shares are up by 46%. Management has ambitious plans to bring the struggling brand back on track. Could this be now a good entry point?

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When do buybacks create shareholder value?

Buying back own stock on the open market is a frequently used tool to let shareholders participate in the success of a company. At least in theory. Ideally, free cash flow is used to repurchase equities to lower share count, thus making every single piece a bit more valuable. There are examples where buybacks indeed created shareholder value. On the other hand, plenty of money has been wasted with the goal to appease shareholders, but without a positive outcome. Are buybacks good or bad, respectively when so?

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PVH Corp.: Trading at 6x earnings – still not a buy

While it likely makes sense to be cautious when a stock trades at a high valuation multiple, the case of PVH Corp. might raise some eyebrows – at least at first sight. The company owns two well-known apparel brands, has been constantly profitable, is generating healthy free cash flow and even buying back its own shares aggressively at a low valuation, seemingly generating strong shareholder value. Shares, however, only trade at a 6x price to earnings ratio. I’ll tell you while this likely is still not a bargain.

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Is Insmed a Promising Biotech Blockbuster? + new research report

Insmed, a biotech company with one approved drug and a very promising pipeline, in the last 13 months saw its stock going up by a factor of no less than 4x – plus 300%! There were two key events each propelling the stock decisively higher. Both were updates on ongoing clinical trials only. I am saying deliberately “only”, because it is not even a given that biotechs surge so much after drugs get approved by the FDA, yet, here it happened twice following just updates to clinical trials. The reason: Insmed’s assets are very promising with each potentially achieving blockbuster status (> 1 bn. USD is sales, both potentially multi-billions). Is it now time to jump onto this precious opportunity? My Premium PLUS members will soon receive my latest stock idea with a much more attractive setup.

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