Introduction
Share buybacks can serve as an effective way to drive shareholder value via returning capital to shareholders by repurchasing its own stock. Share buybacks are primarily driven by companies that strongly feel their shares are undervalued based on current fundamentals, future growth prospects and cash on hand. Taken together, executive boards approve share buyback programs based on these attributes in concert with undervaluation on the open market. Additionally, the company of interest feels a sense of bullishness and confidence on the future and sustainability of their business.
Theoretically, repurchasing and retiring shares satisfies many shareholder friendly objectives:
1) Reducing the number of shares tilts the supply and demand curve thereby removing shares will decrease supply and in turn increase demand and drive the share price higher
2) Earnings per share increase since earnings are now dividend over fewer shares
3) If share buybacks are coupled with a dividend, the dividend yield may increase if the aggregate quarterly payout amount remains unchanged thus; as a result the payout will be divided over fewer shares.
I'll be using The PowerShares Buyback Achievers ETF (PKW) as a proxy for this analysis. PKW focuses on U.S. companies that have reduced their shares outstanding by at least 5% in the previous year and weights these holdings by market capitalization, subject to a 5% cap within the ETF portfolio. PKW may present an opportunistic niche in which to invest and potentially capitalize on a cohort of companies that engage in aggressive buyback programs, particularly in these volatile markets. Continue reading "Navigating Volatile Markets Via Share Buyback Investing - Part 2"





