My name is Porter Stansberry.
I'm the founder of one of the largest financial research firms in the world.
Over the last 26 years, we've helped investors navigate almost every major economic cycle, and we've been on the forefront of every big financial story from the rise of Bitcoin and mRNA vaccines to robotics and artificial intelligence.
But today, I'm breaking what I believe is the biggest story of my career.
Because one of the most famous historians alive — a man whose books have sold over 45 million copies in 65 languages — recently issued a warning that should stop every American dead in their tracks.
He warned of a coming wave that would create what he calls the "Useless Class."
Not the unemployed. The unemployable.
An entire segment of American society — including many white-collar professionals who earn six figures — rendered permanently irrelevant.
Not by a recession. Not by a policy mistake. But by a structural shift so large, so fast, and so irreversible that it has only one historical parallel.
1776.
That is not hyperbole.
As you'll see today, the last, and only, time a force this powerful reshaped the economic order was 250 years ago.
Now, on the eve of America's 250th anniversary, it's happening again.
One famous Stanford economist is even calling it:
"The biggest change ever… bigger than electricity… bigger than the steam engine."
And the aftershock could reset not just your personal wealth, but the entire U.S. economic system — how you work, how you earn, how you protect everything you've built.
Because as you'll discover, everything from the government quietly taking stakes in companies like Intel, Lithium Americas, and MP Materials…
To Trump's moves on Venezuela and Greenland… his never-ending executive orders… and his increasingly centralized grip over the economy…
All the way to the surging popularity of radical socialist politicians like Bernie Sanders, AOC, and Zohran Mamdani…
It's all deeply connected. All part of the same story.
A story that one Nobel Prize winner says is dividing not just the economy but our entire society.
And whether you end up on the winning side of this moment – or find yourself part of the historian's "Useless Class" – comes down to the decisions you make starting now.
The stocks to buy… the stocks to sell… and the three money moves to ensure you and your loved ones aren't left behind by what's coming.
Good investing,
Porter Stansberry
Valero's Rally: Why This Refiner Is Built to Last
By Jeffrey Neal Johnson. Publication Date: 4/2/2026.
Valero Energy (NYSE: VLO) has established itself as a leader in the energy sector, delivering strong results for investors. Valero Energy’s stock price is up roughly 45% year to date and is trading near its 52-week high of $258.43. That sustained momentum reflects a fundamental shift in the global refining industry. Valero isn’t merely benefiting from favorable conditions—it’s capitalizing on them through operational efficiency and a clear strategy. Its recent run highlights the company’s position as a top-tier industrial operator in a high-demand environment and suggests the drivers behind its valuation are more durable than in prior cycles.
Valero’s Durable Profit Machine
The core of Valero's strength is its ability to generate substantial cash from refining margins—commonly called crack spreads. For investors, the crack spread is the key profitability indicator: it measures the gap between the purchase price of a barrel of crude oil and the selling price of the refined products, such as gasoline and diesel. Wider spreads mean higher profitability, and current margins are unusually strong.
Market participants view this as more than a temporary spike. Several factors have created a new, more durable paradigm: global refining capacity has tightened after the shutdown of older, less efficient facilities, and a challenging regulatory and economic environment has discouraged investment in new large-scale projects—especially in North America and Europe. Those supply constraints create a structural advantage for established, high-efficiency operators like Valero, raising the profitability floor.
BRICS Makes HUGE New Advancement Towards Deleting the U.S. Dollar… (Ad)
BRICS has confirmed partner status for Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, and Thailand - expanding its coalition aimed at reducing reliance on the U.S. dollar in international trade.
Former Trump adviser John Browne is warning Americans that the pressure on the dollar is escalating faster than anticipated, and that the window to prepare is narrowing.
Discover the steps you can take to protect your finances nowKey Points
Valero benefits from a long-term structural shift in the global refining market, which supports higher, more durable profitability for efficient operators.
Valero's consistent, high-level operational execution allows it to maximize profitability in the current favorable margin environment.
A strong balance sheet and a commitment to growing shareholder dividends underscore the company’s financial discipline and long-term stability.
- Special Report: Elon Musk’s $1 Quadrillion AI IPO
Valero leverages this environment through strong operational execution. The company consistently runs its facilities at about 98% utilization, enabling it to process more crude and capture greater value when margins are strong. That capability was on display at its Port Arthur refinery: after an incident prompted a temporary shutdown, the facility was restarted quickly and successfully, underscoring Valero's technical expertise and crisis management. The ability to navigate operational disruptions and return to full capacity bolsters confidence in Valero’s ability to deliver consistent results.
A Balance Sheet Built for Growth and Stability
Strong operations translate into a robust financial position that allows Valero to reward shareholders while maintaining balance-sheet flexibility. Valero Energy’s fourth-quarter 2025 earnings report illustrated that strength: the company reported earnings per share of $3.82, comfortably above analyst consensus of $3.27.
That performance is backed by disciplined financial management. Valero maintains a healthy debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, indicating the company relies more on shareholder capital than borrowing to finance assets. A lower ratio implies lower financial risk and greater flexibility to invest through cycles.
Valero also returns capital to investors. The company currently pays an annual dividend of $4.80 per share, roughly a 2% yield at current prices. Highlights for income-focused investors include:
Four consecutive years of dividend increases, demonstrating a commitment to growing shareholder returns.
A conservative cash flow payout ratio of about 23.53%, meaning only roughly $0.23 of every dollar of cash flow is used to pay the dividend. This low ratio suggests the dividend is sustainable and leaves capacity for future increases or other shareholder-friendly uses, like buybacks.
Taken together, Valero's earnings, balance sheet strength, and reliable dividend present a compelling case for its financial health.
Analyst Upgrades Signal Confidence in Valero’s Future
Independent analysts are increasingly recognizing the durability of Valero's model. While the stock’s rapid rise has outpaced some older price targets, the most recent analyst revisions show growing bullish sentiment. Wall Street expectations have been moving higher as confidence in the current refining environment strengthens.
That optimism is reflected in high-conviction upgrades from major firms. For example, analysts at Raymond James raised their price target for Valero to $290 per share, indicating meaningful upside potential from current levels.
Analysts have also nudged upward their 2026 earnings-per-share forecasts for Valero, suggesting continued strong earnings power. Investors may note recent stock sales by company executives, but those trades should be viewed in context. After a period of exceptional stock performance, insiders commonly sell shares for personal financial planning and diversification, often through pre-scheduled 10b5-1 plans that avoid conflicts of interest. Such sales do not necessarily indicate a change in confidence about Valero’s long-term prospects. The broader institutional view is one of increasing conviction in the company's value.
Positioned for Lasting Performance
Valero's recent rally appears to be more than a short-term upswing; it reflects a company effectively exploiting a structural industry shift. Tight global refining supply, superior operational execution, and disciplined financial stewardship have combined to create a durable profit engine. That foundation supports continued value creation through a reliable, growing dividend and potential further stock-price appreciation. Investors will be watching the upcoming earnings report on April 30, 2026, for confirmation of sustained high utilization rates and strong margin performance, which could further validate Valero Energy's long-term bullish case.
Cintas Corporation: The Deep Value Opportunity in Plain Sight
Reported by Thomas Hughes. Originally Published: 3/28/2026.
Key Points
- Cintas' March price pullback set a new long-term low, creating a deep value opportunity for buy-and-hold investors.
- Growth and capital returns underpin the price action, which is likely to resume upward momentum before year-end.
- Institutions and analysts help support this market, limiting the downside in 2026.
- Special Report: Elon Musk’s $1 Quadrillion AI IPO
Cintas Corporation (NASDAQ: CTAS) is a deep-value opportunity few are talking about, perhaps because of its humdrum business. The company provides uniforms, laundry services, first-aid supplies, and related services to businesses across many industries. Crucially, this must-have service generates recurring revenue, is growing, and is returning value to shareholders.
Quality execution and a fortress balance sheet enable growth that is largely self-funded, allowing dividends and share buybacks alongside organic and acquisitional expansion. The net result is evident in the share price, which—aside from a post-stock-split correction—shows a robust uptrend that is likely to continue over time.
Cintas Trades at Value Levels; Provides Opportunity for Buy and Hold Investors
Iran War TRUTH: What Was Revealed Behind Closed Doors (Ad)
For a moment…
Forget about Trump’s ties to Israel.
Forget about reports of Iran’s nuclear program.
Because my research has led me to believe we’re risking World War 3 with Iran for a completely different reason.
Click here to find out what it is.Cintas' stock price was trading at historically low levels relative to its earnings in late March amid a major acquisition. The once-stalled Unifirst (NYSE: UNF) takeover is now well underway following unanimous board approval.
The cash-and-stock deal assigns a premium to Unifirst that is likely to be realized quickly. The merger creates opportunities for consolidation, cost savings, and efficiency gains while expanding Cintas' client base, product range, and cross-selling opportunities. At face value, Unifirst's business represents roughly 20% of Cintas' revenue, suggesting that material earnings upside could be unlocked through business rationalization.
Cintas is not a cheap stock to own, but it commands a premium for a reason. Its P/E typically runs in the high 30s, supported by high-quality cash flow and generous capital return. The stock trades near 36X the 2026 consensus, but only about 14X versus the 2035 consensus, implying more than 100% upside over time if long-term estimates prove accurate.
Cintas's capital-return strategy includes dividends, dividend growth, and share buybacks. The dividend yield usually hovers around 1%, with annual increases often offset by stock-price appreciation. As a Dividend Aristocrat with more than 40 consecutive years of increases, the company appears positioned to continue growing its payout. Double-digit dividend compound annual growth is supported by strong earnings growth and ongoing share-reduction through buybacks, which help offset dilution from share-based compensation.
Cintas's share buybacks increased by approximately $250,000, or 36%, on a year-to-date basis as of the end of its third quarter. The pace of reduction in the share count is modest—about 0.18%—but sufficient to offset share-based compensation and the impact of dividend increases. For investors, that translates to a stable to slightly declining share count, which can help reduce downside risk. Cintas is a lower-beta stock that can also help dampen overall portfolio volatility.
Institutions Limit Downside in 2026
Institutional ownership and persistently low short interest help keep volatility contained. Short interest typically runs around 2%, a healthy level for a blue-chip name that supports day-to-day liquidity. Days to cover are relatively low at about four days, suggesting short sellers could exit quickly if price action heats up. Institutions—by far the largest holder group—own roughly 65% of the stock and have been accumulating shares over the trailing 12 months, buying on net in three of the last four quarters and increasing purchases in Q1 2026 as the price declined.
The technical price action is weak in early 2026 but shows support at an important level that aligns with price action in 2024. That support marks the breakout point of a prior bull-market consolidation and is likely significant. If the market continues to respect the stock's 150-week EMA, a rebound is likely. CTAS has retreated to this level only five times in the past 15 years, and each time it triggered substantial rallies, with the last two leading to quadruple- and high-triple-digit gains, respectively.
The biggest risks this year include a potential economic downturn, labor constraints, and regulatory scrutiny of the Unifirst deal. Cintas and Unifirst already overlap in some markets, and the acquisition will make the nation's largest uniform-service provider even larger. The risk of labor-force contraction is real; however, total-claims data suggest employment conditions are stable or improving versus the prior year.
This email content is a paid sponsorship sent on behalf of Porter & Company, a third-party advertiser of The Early Bird and MarketBeat.
If you have questions or concerns about your newsletter, please feel free to email our South Dakota based support team at contact@marketbeat.com.
If you no longer wish to receive email from The Early Bird, you can unsubscribe.
© 2006-2026 MarketBeat Media, LLC.
345 N Reid Place, Sixth Floor, Sioux Falls, S.D. 57103. United States of America..
No comments:
Post a Comment