8 High Quality Undervalued Companies
8 High Quality Undervalued Companies
Podcast27 min 23 sec
Listen to Episode
Note: AI-generated summary based on third-party content. Not financial advice. Read more.
Quick Insights

Consider buying Adobe (ADBE), as its strong performance contradicts market fears, creating a potential for the stock to double towards $700. Google (GOOGL) is presented as another high-conviction opportunity with a price target of $300, based on its resilience against competitive threats. Semiconductor leader ASML Holding (ASML) is viewed as undervalued with a potential upside to $1,000 due to its dominant market position. Salesforce (CRM) offers a compelling valuation play, trading at its cheapest levels ever despite significant growth in free cash flow. For a longer-term recovery, UnitedHealth Group (UNH) is a discounted market leader working through temporary headwinds.

Detailed Analysis

ASML Holding (ASML)

  • The host describes ASML as having a "dual pronged moat," consisting of technology that is difficult to replicate and long-term partnerships with its customers, making it hard to disrupt.
  • Revenue is viewed as highly resilient and predictable, with consistent growth over time.
  • The host notes that the company's cash flow can appear "lumpy," but explains this is due to accounting and billing cycles, not a weakness in the underlying business fundamentals.
  • Free cash flow per share is growing, driven by both business growth and share buybacks.
  • The company is considered more insulated from industry cyclicality than its peers.

Takeaways

  • The host is bullish on ASML, believing it is currently undervalued.
  • A specific price target was mentioned: the host believes ASML could trade up to $1,000.
  • This is presented as an opportunity to invest in a high-quality, resilient company in the semiconductor industry that is not at an extreme low but still has significant upside potential.

Salesforce (CRM)

  • While the stock price has been down, the host points out that the company's free cash flow has been going up significantly.
  • The host refutes the common criticism of high stock-based compensation (SBC), presenting it as an "old take."
    • He states that SBC has remained flat for the past three years while free cash flow has tripled.
    • This has reduced the impact of SBC to just 25% of free cash flow, which is less than a company like Meta.
  • Salesforce is becoming a "leaner, more capital efficient company."
  • The company is trading near an all-time low valuation based on its P/E ratio and has an all-time high free cash flow yield, making it the "cheapest it's ever been."

Takeaways

  • The host is bullish on Salesforce, viewing the current low valuation as a buying opportunity.
  • The key insight is that the negative narrative around stock-based compensation is outdated, and the company's fundamentals (especially free cash flow growth) are very strong.
  • This is an example of a "valuation vs. narrative" play, where the market's perception may not align with the company's improving financial health.

Duolingo (DUOL)

  • The host acknowledges this is the most volatile stock he owns.
  • He addresses the primary bear case: that live language translation tools from tech giants like Apple and Meta will make Duolingo obsolete.
  • He personally does not believe this is a valid threat, arguing that people learn languages for reasons beyond simple translation.
  • The host points to the company's fundamental charts, stating "every single chart is going up" as evidence of strong performance.
  • He is willing to be wrong on the investment but wants to give it at least a year to play out.

Takeaways

  • The host is bullish on Duolingo, believing it is undervalued based on its 2.2% free cash flow yield and its incredibly fast growth.
  • The investment thesis relies on the belief that the company's core value proposition (language learning) is not directly threatened by new translation technology.
  • This is a high-risk, high-reward play due to the stock's volatility and the strong bear narrative, but the underlying business growth is currently very strong.

Equifax (EFX)

  • This is presented as a more "conservative" investment for a "steady compounder" over time.
  • The company has an "incredibly wide moat," with its products deeply entrenched in the processes of government, landlords, and businesses.
  • Equifax is managing to grow its revenue steadily even with high interest rates and an unaffordable housing market.
  • A major potential catalyst is a decrease in interest rates or an improvement in the mortgage market, which would cause a surge in credit pulls and profits for Equifax.

Takeaways

  • The host is bullish on Equifax as a more conservative, long-term holding.
  • The company offers steady growth in the current environment with significant potential upside if macroeconomic conditions (like interest rates) improve.
  • This is an investment in a wide-moat business that is a key part of the financial system's infrastructure.

Adobe (ADBE)

  • The host notes that Adobe recently beat earnings estimates and raised its future revenue and earnings outlook, citing strong demand and monetization of AI features.
  • He acknowledges the significant competitive threats from companies like Canva, Figma, and Google's Gemini, which have concerned investors.
  • However, he argues that "the numbers don't lie." The company's Digital Media segment is still growing at 11.6%, and its total performance obligations (future contracted revenue) grew by 13%.
  • The company is trading at its cheapest valuation in over five years, with a P/E ratio of 15 and a free cash flow yield of 6.3% (~5% after accounting for stock-based compensation).
  • Management is taking advantage of the low stock price by buying back shares aggressively, reducing the share count by 4% year-over-year.

Takeaways

  • The host is very bullish on Adobe, seeing a major disconnect between the negative narrative and the company's strong financial performance and growth.
  • He suggests the stock could "quite literally double from here from $350 to $700" if the market's fears of disruption prove to be overblown and the stock's valuation returns to historical levels.
  • This is presented as a prime example of a high-quality company being sold off due to fear, creating a potential opportunity for investors.

UnitedHealth Group (UNH)

  • The host describes UNH as a formerly high-quality company that hit a "rough patch" after it made a deliberate decision to write unprofitable insurance policies.
  • He believes it will take a couple of years for these bad policies to work their way through the company's financials, but that UNH will eventually recover and get its policies back on track.
  • The company is currently trading at cheap valuations, with a P/E ratio of 22 and a free cash flow yield of 7.8%.
  • The stock is down significantly from its highs, and while it's impossible to time the bottom, the host believes buying now is likely a good decision for the next couple of years.

Takeaways

  • The host is bullish on UNH for a long-term recovery.
  • He views the company as "too big to fail" and believes its current problems are temporary and self-inflicted, rather than a permanent structural issue.
  • This is an opportunity to buy a market leader in the healthcare space at a discounted valuation while it works through a known, temporary headwind.

Google (GOOGL)

  • The host is extremely bullish on Google, stating he believes the stock will go to $300 per share.
  • He thinks that in five years, investors will regret not buying the stock at its current price of around $240 per share.
  • He highlights that Google has consistently proven doubters wrong, particularly regarding the competitive threat from AI like ChatGPT, and that investors shouldn't "take off the gas pedal."

Takeaways

  • The host has a strong conviction bullish view on Google.
  • The insight is to look past the competitive narratives and focus on the company's continued growth and resilience.
  • A price target of $300 was explicitly mentioned, suggesting significant upside from current levels.

Amazon (AMZN)

  • The host notes that Morgan Stanley recently reiterated Amazon as a top pick.
  • A key risk is being reduced as Amazon is directly addressing the competitive threat from Walmart's grocery delivery by rapidly expanding its own fresh grocery delivery network.
  • The host cites a "semi-analysis report" suggesting that growth in Amazon Web Services (AWS) is expected to be much higher than investors currently anticipate.

Takeaways

  • The host is bullish on Amazon, believing there are multiple positive catalysts for the stock over the next five years.
  • The investment thesis is based on Amazon successfully neutralizing a key competitive threat in grocery and having an underappreciated growth driver in AWS.
  • He believes now is a good time to consider an investment in the company.

Netflix (NFLX)

  • A major news item discussed is the potential merger of Paramount/Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD).
  • This is presented as a negative for Netflix as it would create a massive media competitor with a huge content library.
  • Risk Factor: A combined entity would have more bargaining power, making it more difficult and expensive for Netflix to license content from them. This could close Netflix off from popular content like the movie Dune.
  • Despite this, the host believes Netflix is "really well prepared" for this threat.
    • Netflix can produce its own content at a massive scale.
    • Even after a potential merger, Netflix would still have roughly double the amount of money to invest in new content each year compared to the combined competitor.

Takeaways

  • While the host remains a long-term bull on Netflix (it's one of his largest positions), he acknowledges a new competitive risk is emerging.
  • The key takeaway is that while the media landscape is consolidating, Netflix's massive scale, cash flow, and content budget provide a strong defense against new and larger competitors.
  • Investors should monitor this potential merger, but the host's view is that Netflix has so far "withstood all of these type of changes."
Ask about this postAnswers are grounded in this post's content.
Episode Description
00:00 Portfolio Update 21:10 Paramount, Warner Bros, And Netflix 24:45 TikTok Interview
About The Joseph Carlson Show
The Joseph Carlson Show

The Joseph Carlson Show

The world of investing is no longer boring. We explore timeless wealth creation principles, current news and drama, as well as commentary and reaction from members of the community.