Etikett: Moat Investing

May Acquisitions Help US Moats

MOAT May Acquisitions Help US MoatsMay Acquisitions Help US Moats

For the Month Ending May 31, 2016 May Acquisitions Help US Moats

Performance Overview

U.S. moat-rated companies continued to impress in 2016 with another strong relative performance month in May. The U.S.-oriented Morningstar® Wide Moat Focus IndexSM (MWMFTR) topped the S&P 500® Index (2.69% vs. 1.80%) for the month and maintained its relative performance year-to-date (15.07% vs. 3.57%). By contrast international moats fared less well in May with the Morningstar® Global ex-US Moat Focus IndexSM (MGEUMFUN) lagging the MSCI All Country World Index ex USA (-2.09% vs. -1.69%).

US Domestic Moats: May M&A

News of Bayer’s (BAYN GR) bid to buy wide moat agrichemical giant Monsanto Company (MON US) boosted shares of MON US late in the month. This came on the heels of Abbott Laboratories’ (ABT US) announcement of its intent to buy wide moat St. Jude Medical (STJ US) which propelled the stock performance of STJ US in April. Healthcare companies continued their strong performance for MWMFTR in May led by McKesson Corp (MCK US) and Allergan (AGN US). The industrials sector was the leading detractor for the month with notable poor performance from rail companies CSX Corp (CSX US) and Norfolk Southern Corp (NSC US).

International Moats: Financials in Flux

As with U.S. moats in May, internationally focused MGEUMFUN’s exposure to healthcare companies helped boost performance. However, the Index was unable to overcome the negative performance contributions from industrials and financials companies, ending the month down 2.09%. Canadian banks struggled in May as many have been forced to deal with credit losses related to the oil & gas industry. Overall, construction firm China State Construction International Holdings Limited was the poorest Index performer in May.

Special Update: Morningstar Index Enhancements

As previously announced, Morningstar will implement enhancements to the index methodology for MWMFTR and MGEUMFUN effective June 20, 2016. The indices will continue to be built on Morningstar’s equity research which identifies sustainable competitive advantages at attractive valuations, but will aim to reduce turnover, broaden diversification, and mitigate unintended sector concentration.

Moat Investing

Moat Investing  provides key insights and performance trends impacting global moat investing based on Morningstar equity research. U.S.-focused MOAT and internationally focused MOTI offer investors global exposure to Morningstar’s moat methodology and valuation principals.

Important Disclosure

This commentary is not intended as a recommendation to buy or to sell any of the named securities. Holding will vary for the MOAT and MOTI ETFs and their corresponding Indices. Index performance is not representative of fund performance. To view fund performance current to the most recent month end, call 800.826.2333 or visit vaneck.com. An investor cannot invest directly in an index. Returns reflect past performance and do not guarantee future results. Results reflect the reinvestment of dividends and capital gains, if any. Index returns do not represent Fund returns. The Index does not charge management fees or brokerage expenses, nor does the Index lend securities, and no revenues from securities lending were added to the performance shown. Fair value estimate: the Morningstar analyst’s estimate of what a stock is worth. Price/Fair Value: ratio of a stock’s trading price to its fair value estimate. The Morningstar® Wide Moat Focus IndexSM and Morningstar® Global ex-US Moat Focus IndexSM were created and are maintained by Morningstar, Inc. Morningstar, Inc. does not sponsor, endorse, issue, sell, or promote the VanEck Vectors Morningstar Wide Moat ETF or VanEck Vectors Morningstar International Moat ETF and bears no liability with respect to the ETFs or any security. Morningstar® is a registered trademark of Morningstar, Inc. Morningstar Wide Moat Focus Index and Morningstar Global ex-US Moat Focus Index are service marks of Morningstar, Inc. The Morningstar Wide Moat Focus Index consists of 20 U.S. companies identified as having sustainable, competitive advantages and whose stocks are the most attractively priced, according to Morningstar. The Morningstar Global ex-US Moat Focus Index consists of 50 companies outside of the U.S. identified as having sustainable, competitive advantages and whose stocks are the most attractively priced, according to Morningstar. The S&P 500 Index consists of 500 widely held common stocks covering the leading industries of the U.S. economy. MSCI All Country World Index ex USA captures large and mid cap representation across 22 Developed Markets countries (excluding the U.S.) and 23 Emerging Markets countries. An investment in the VanEck Vectors Morningstar Wide Moat ETF (MOAT) may be subject to risks which include, among others, fluctuations in value due to market and economic conditions or factors relating to specific issuers. Medium-capitalization companies may be subject to elevated risks. The Fund’s assets may be concentrated in a particular sector and may be subject to more risk than investments in a diverse group of sectors. An investment in the VanEck Vectors Morningstar International Moat ETF (MOTI) may be subject to risks which include, among others, fluctuations in value due to market and economic conditions or factors relating to specific issuers. Foreign and emerging markets investments are subject to risks, which include changes in economic and political conditions, foreign currency fluctuations, changes in foreign regulations, changes in currency exchange rates, unstable governments, and limited trading capacity which may make these investments volatile in price or difficult to trade. Medium-capitalization companies may be subject to elevated risks. The Fund’s assets may be concentrated in a particular sector and may be subject to more risk than investments in a diverse group of sectors. Fund shares are not individually redeemable and will be issued and redeemed at their Net Asset Value (NAV) only through certain authorized broker-dealers in large, specified blocks of shares called ”creation units” and otherwise can be bought and sold only through exchange trading. Creation units are issued and redeemed principally in kind. Shares may trade at a premium or discount to their NAV in the secondary market. You will incur brokerage expenses when trading Fund shares in the secondary market. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Returns for actual Fund investments may differ from what is shown because of differences in timing, the amount invested, and fees and expenses. Investing involves substantial risk and high volatility, including possible loss of principal. An investor should consider the investment objective, risks, charges and expenses of a Fund carefully before investing. To obtain a prospectus and summary prospectus, which contain this and other information, call 800.826.2333. Please read the prospectus and summary prospectus carefully before investing.

Spring Takeover Bids a Boon

Spring Takeover Bids a Boon

Spring Takeover Bids a Boon. Stock selection, a cornerstone of the moat investment philosophy, has driven much of the recent success of the Morningstar® Wide Moat Focus IndexSM (MWMFTR), which has gained over 15% YTD as of May 31, 2016. Of late, consolidation has been king and we’ve seen increased M&A activity. Spring Takeover Bids a Boon

M&A Activity Can Strengthen Moats

The concept of an economic moat refers to how likely a company is to keep competitors at bay for an extended period of time. Simply put, moat investing comes down to identifying companies that are able to stay one step ahead of the competition. Economic moats are often part of the strategic rationale for M&A transactions and post-acquisition success can be an important factor in moat ratings.

Strategic M&A can be attractive investment themes for moat companies — not only potential takeover targets but possible acquirers as well. Bolstered future return on capital and increased market share have the potential to strengthen these companies’ economic moats and highlights the derived value from their acquisition strategies.

M&A Deals in the Works

M&A in general has been a prevalent theme in MWMFTR this spring. In April, Abbott Laboratories (ABT US) announced its intent to acquire St. Jude Medical, Inc. (STJ US) for $25 million, positioning the two to capture a larger market share position within the cardiovascular device market. The deal is expected to close in the coming fourth quarter. St. Jude was first added to MWMFTR on March 21, 2016. It was the big winner among domestic moat-rated companies for the month of April. (Read more on April’s results in A Star Spangled April for Moats.)

In another announcement, German chemical and pharmaceutical company Bayer AG (BAYN DE), currently the number two crop chemical producer in the world, made an unsolicited takeover offer for Monsanto Company (MON US), the world’s leading seed company. While currently facing a multitude of hurdles, the deal, if completed, would mark the largest-ever German takeover of a foreign company.1 A constituent in MWMFTR since it was added to the index on September 21, 2015, shares of MON soared immediately following reports of the buyout approach.

M&A doesn’t always end in fist bumps and high fives, however. In April, U.S. drug maker Pfizer Inc. (PFE US) terminated its agreement to acquire Botox maker Allergan Plc (AGN US) on the heels of a new tax ruling by the U.S. Department of Treasury targeting its anticipated tax benefits. The announcement sent AGN US’ price falling. However, investors will need to sit tight to see how AGN’s $40.5 billion sale of its generic drug unit to Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd (TEVA US) shakes out.

St Jude, Monsanto, and Allergan are all holdings of MWMFTR and VanEck Vectors™ Morningstar Wide Moat ETF (MOAT®). As of May 31, 2016, they represented 6.51%, 5.75%, and 3.69% of the Fund’s net assets, respectively. Their pre- and post-deal-announcement fair values can be seen in the table below.

Click here for more details on MOAT holdings.

Data as of May 20, 2016. Source: Morningstar.

Moat Investing  provides key insights and performance trends impacting global moat investing based on Morningstar equity research. U.S.-focused MOAT and internationally focused MOTI offer investors global exposure to Morningstar’s moat methodology and valuation principals.

IMPORTANT DISCLOSURES

1 Source: http://www.wsj.com/articles/bayers-bid-for-monsanto-faces-hurdles-1463704261

Fair value estimate: The Morningstar analyst’s estimate of what a stock is worth.

The Morningstar Wide Moat Focus Index consists of 20 U.S. companies identified as having sustainable, competitive advantages and whose stocks are the most attractively priced, according to Morningstar.

The Morningstar® Wide Moat Focus IndexSM was created and is maintained by Morningstar, Inc. Morningstar, Inc. does not sponsor, endorse, issue, sell, or promote the VanEck Vectors Morningstar Wide Moat ETF and bears no liability with respect to the ETF or any security. Morningstar® is a registered trademark of Morningstar, Inc. Morningstar Wide Moat Focus Index is a service mark of Morningstar, Inc.

This content is published in the United States for residents of specified countries. Investors are subject to securities and tax regulations within their applicable jurisdictions that are not addressed on this content. Nothing in this content should be considered a solicitation to buy or an offer to sell shares of any investment in any jurisdiction where the offer or solicitation would be unlawful under the securities laws of such jurisdiction, nor is it intended as investment, tax, financial, or legal advice. Investors should seek such professional advice for their particular situation and jurisdiction.

The information herein represents the opinion of the author(s), but not necessarily those of VanEck, and these opinions may change at any time and from time to time. Non-VanEck proprietary information contained herein has been obtained from sources believed to be reliable, but not guaranteed. Not intended to be a forecast of future events, a guarantee of future results or investment advice. Historical performance is not indicative of future results. Current data may differ from data quoted. Any graphs shown herein are for illustrative purposes only. No part of this material may be reproduced in any form, or referred to in any other publication, without express written permission of VanEck.

This commentary is not intended as a recommendation to buy or to sell any of the named securities. Holding will vary for MOAT and its underlying Index.

Any indices listed are unmanaged indices and include the reinvestment of all dividends, but do not reflect the payment of transaction costs, advisory fees or expenses that are associated with an investment in a fund. An index’s performance is not illustrative of a fund’s performance. Indices are not securities in which investments can be made.
To view fund performance current to the most recent month end, call 800.826.2333 or visit vaneck.com.