Author: Noah Kiedrowski

Disney - A Discounted Reopening Play

Posted on by Noah Kiedrowski

As the economy is on the fast track to reopening with a robust vaccine rollout, Disney (DIS) is set to benefit across the board. Disney’s Parks are set to reopen in stages starting in April, with its Disneyland and California Adventure theme parks slated for April 30th. The theme parks reopening will be a major catalyst for Disney as the company annualizes the COIVD-19 pandemic that shuttered all its properties worldwide. The company has been posting phenomenal streaming numbers that have negated the COVID-19 impact on its theme parks. This streaming-specific narrative will change as the theme park revenue comes back online and flows into the company’s earnings. Disney is a compelling reopening play now that the stock is double digits off its highs. Disney is a buy for long-term investors as its legacy business segments get back on track in the latter part of 2021 in conjunction with its wildly successful streaming initiatives.

Theme Parks and Streaming Synergies

Disney (DIS) expects its Disney+ streaming platform will have up to 260 million subscribers by 2040. The company continues to exceed all expectations in the streaming space accelerated by the stay-at-home COVID-19 environment. Despite the COVID-19 headwinds, Disney’s streaming initiatives have been major growth catalysts for the company. Disney+’ growth in its subscriber base has shifted the conversation from COVID-19 impact on its theme parks to a durable and sustainable recurring revenue model. Continue reading "Disney - A Discounted Reopening Play" →

The Prospect Of Higher Rates Boost Big Banks

Posted on by Noah Kiedrowski

The prospect of rising interest rates has propelled bank stocks to all-high highs. Citigroup (C), JPMorgan (JPM), Bank of America (BAC), and Goldman Sachs (GS) have appreciated double digits over the past three months, breaking out to all-time highs. Rising interest rates combined with the highly disruptive COVID-19 backdrop abating has served as the foundation for this move higher. The big banks responded and evolved in the face of COVID-19 to the real possibility of widespread loan defaults, liquidity issues, ballooning credit card debt, and stressed mortgages. To exacerbate these COVID-19 impacts, interest rates, Federal Reserve actions, yield curve inversion, and liquidity heavily weighed on the sector.

Along with this turn higher, balance sheets have become even stronger now that share buybacks have been halted and dividend payouts were arrested. Large capital reserves have already been put aside for anticipated financial challenges. The big banks have demonstrated their ability to evolve in the face of COVID-19 and present compelling value. Now with the prospect of rising rates, this may serve as a long-term tailwind for banks to appreciate higher.

Bank

COVID-19 and Financial Crisis – Lessons Learned

The big banks are far stronger and more prepared than they were during the 2008 Financial Crisis. Lessons learned from the Financial Crisis yielded rigorous annual stress tests that forced banks to maintain a slew of fiscal discipline measures. With the Federal Reserve working in-hand with the banks, a financial bridge to those businesses and consumers negatively impacted by COVID-19 as a stop-gap measure has been afforded. As this pandemic subsides and economic activity rebounds the banks' present value. Add in the prospect of higher rates, and the banks are set-up for long-term appreciation. Their strong cash positions and healthy balance sheets are allowing dividends to continue as the economy transitions through the damage of the pandemic. Continue reading "The Prospect Of Higher Rates Boost Big Banks" →

Disney - 146 Million Streaming Juggernaut

Posted on by Noah Kiedrowski

The Walt Disney Company (DIS) expects its Disney+ streaming platform will have up to 260 million subscribers by 2040. The company continues to exceed all expectations in the streaming space accelerated by the stay-at-home COVID-19 environment. The company has been posting phenomenal streaming numbers that have thus far negated the COVID-19 impact on its other business segments, specifically its theme parks. Disney has had to shutter all its worldwide Parks and Resorts, and ESPN has been hit with the cancellation of virtually all sports worldwide. There have been ebbs and flows with reopening efforts across the globe with mixed results followed by rolling lockdown measures. Despite the COVID-19 headwinds, Disney’s streaming initiatives have been major growth catalysts for the company. Disney+’ growth in its subscriber base has shifted the conversation from COVID-19 impact on its theme parks to a durable and sustainable recurring revenue model. This streaming bright spot, in conjunction with the optimism of its Park and Resorts coming back online, has been a perfect combination as of late, especially with the vaccine rollout picking up steam.

Disney+ has racked up 94.9 million paid subscribers, Hulu has 39.4 million paid subscribers, and ESPN+ has 12.1 million paid subscribers. Collectively, Disney now has over 146 million paid streaming subscribers across its platforms (Figure 1). Disney+ has been wildly successful via unleashing all of its Marvel, Star Wars, Disney, and Pixar libraries in what has become a formidable competitor in the ever-expanding streaming wars domestically and internationally. Hence the tug-of-war on Wall Street between COVID-19 impacts versus the success of its streaming initiatives, with the latter winning out. Thus far, its streaming success has changed the narrative as its stock has broken through all-time highs and nearly breaking through $200 per share. Disney is a compelling buy for long-term investors as its legacy business segments get back on track in the latter part of 2021 in conjunction with these successful streaming initiatives.

Disney
Figure 1 – Streaming initiatives across its platforms with over 146 million paid subscribers in total

Post Pandemic

Disney’s business segments will inevitably recover as the pandemic Continue reading "Disney - 146 Million Streaming Juggernaut" →

Post Inauguration And Extended Markets

Posted on by Noah Kiedrowski

Best Post Election and Inauguration Lift

The drumbeat of markets becoming more and more over-extended is becoming louder and louder. From the election to the inauguration, the S&P 500 is up 13%, which is the best for any president since 1952. Post-inauguration, all major indices as measured via the Russell 2000 (IWM), Dow Jones (DIA), S&P 500 (SPY), and the Nasdaq (QQQ) hit all-time highs. The broader markets have been propelled higher in an already frothy market as 2021 unfolds. All major markets have been in a raging, nearly uninterrupted bull market with the Nasdaq and S&P 500 up 100% and 75%, respectively, since the pandemic low.

These moves are a function of the vaccine rollout, continued stimulus coming out of Washington, massive fiscal and monetary accommodation from the Federal Reserve, the election cycle being capped off with the presidential inauguration, and new policies aimed at spurring economic growth. Despite these tailwinds, the markets are looking overextended, as assessed by a broad range of historical benchmarks and current indicators investors should heed in the near term.

Historical Measures and Current Indicators

A recent E-Trade survey showed that the majority of investors (91%) with $1 million or more in a brokerage account believe the stock market is in a bubble or close to being in one. From a historical standpoint, markets have exceeded levels reminiscent of the Roaring Twenties and are now approaching the dot-com bubble territory. These historical comparators of options put/call ratios, the broad participation of stocks exceeding their 200-day moving average, and P/E ratios may be potential warning signs of near-term pressures. Current indicators are also suggestive of frothy markets as measured by Bollinger bands and the Relative Strength Index (RSI). Continue reading "Post Inauguration And Extended Markets" →

Tech Stocks - A "Win-Win-Win"?

Posted on by Noah Kiedrowski

Tech stocks seem to be eerily appropriate for the famous “win-win-win” term coined by Michael Scott on the sitcom The Office. Tech stocks are in the sweet spot and continue to appreciate regardless of the COVID-19 backdrop and feed into every industry in today’s economy. Whether COVID-19 is on the rise or on the decline, technology underpins the stay-at-home economy and the so-called back to a normal economy. And now more than ever, technology serves an integral part of every slice of the economy that these stocks have remained strong despite the massive rotation into value stocks. Whether the COVID-19 backdrop is good, bad, or the market is pricing-in putting the pandemic behind us, the technology sector is in a “win-win-win” situation. Considering many of these names have traded sideways since their September highs and significantly off their 52-week highs, these large-cap tech companies may be worth a look in this frothy market. Stocks such as Apple (AAPL), Amazon (AMZN), Alibaba (BABA), Facebook (FB), and Google (GOOGL) fit his profile.

The Value Rotation and Stagnant Technology

The market has witnessed a massive sea change as the prospects of a large-scale vaccination program in the US coming to fruition. The Dow Jones and S&P 500 have rallied to all-time highs while recovery and value names have recaptured much of their lost market capitalization due to COVID-19. Meanwhile, many technology stocks that powered the market higher in the initial stages of this post-COVID-19 rally have stalled out. Once the value rotation began, many high-quality technology names fell from their highs and have traded sideways since their highs back in September (Figure 1). Continue reading "Tech Stocks - A "Win-Win-Win"?" →