Van Den Berg’s Bond Bonanza: A Dividend Detective’s Tale

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Oy, What Happened?

So, Van Den Berg Management I, Inc. – a name that sounds suspiciously like a villain in a silent film – decided to throw another $3.07 million at MarketAxess (MKTX 1.46%). February 17th, 2026, the SEC filing tells us. A mere pittance, you say? For some, maybe. But for a dividend hunter like myself, it’s like finding a twenty-dollar bill in an old coat! They scooped up 16,382 shares, bringing their total holding to $5.51 million. It’s not quite Scrooge McDuck swimming in gold, but it’s a start. And frankly, I’m impressed. They’re clearly not investing in tulip bulbs.

But Wait, There’s More! (As They Say on Late-Night TV)

This little purchase now represents 1.26% of Van Den Berg’s 13F reportable AUM as of December 31st, 2025. AUM, for the uninitiated, is “Assets Under Management,” which basically means how much money these folks are playing with. It’s like a giant, global game of Monopoly, only with slightly more complicated rules and significantly less cardboard. Let’s take a peek at their top holdings, shall we? Prepare for a thrilling list…

  • NYSEMKT: PHYS: $28.23 million (6.5% of AUM) – Sounds like a medical drama. I hope they have good insurance.
  • NYSE: COHR: $22.12 million (5.1% of AUM) – Is this a singing group? Or a particularly enthusiastic cohort?
  • NYSE: SA: $20.93 million (4.8% of AUM) – Short for…San Antonio? Saudi Arabia? The suspense is killing me!
  • NYSE: LUMN: $18.60 million (4.3% of AUM) – Sounds like a lighting company. Hopefully, they’re not dimming the prospects of these investments.
  • NASDAQ: GOOGL: $18.14 million (4.2% of AUM) – Ah, the usual suspect. Google. They own everything, don’t they?

Now, as of February 13th, 2026, MarketAxess shares were trading at $179.36. Down 4.8% over the last year. Underperforming the S&P 500 by 16.60 percentage points. Ouch. That’s like bringing a knife to a gunfight. But don’t despair! Even a slightly wounded dividend payer is better than no dividend payer at all.

Let’s Take a Look Under the Hood (Company/Etf Overview)

Metric Value
Price (as of market close 2/13/26) $179.36
Market capitalization $7.09 billion
Revenue (TTM) $846.26 million
Net income (TTM) $246.63 million

So, What Is This MarketAxess Anyway? (Company/Etf Snapshot)

MarketAxess, my friends, is a big deal in the world of electronic bond trading. They’re like the Amazon of fixed income. Except instead of delivering packages, they deliver…bonds. And instead of Jeff Bezos, they have…well, I don’t know who they have, but they’re probably very good at spreadsheets. They provide a platform for institutional investors and broker-dealers to trade all sorts of bonds – U.S. investment-grade, high-yield, Treasuries, even those fancy Eurobonds. They make money by charging fees for these trades, and also by selling market data. It’s a surprisingly lucrative business, if you can get your hands on enough bonds.

What Does This Mean for You, the Investor? (And Me, the Dividend Hunter?)

Electronic bond trading is a huge deal. For decades, bonds were traded the old-fashioned way – over the phone, through dealer networks. It was slow, inefficient, and frankly, a bit of a dinosaur. Then came MarketAxess, and suddenly, bonds were being traded electronically. It’s like going from carrier pigeons to email.

Now, MarketAxess has become a leading platform in U.S. corporate credit. But the bond market is changing again. Volatility is up, liquidity is shifting, and other platforms are muscling in on the action. So the question is, can MarketAxess defend its turf? Can it remain a key hub for institutional credit liquidity? The company’s long-term earnings depend on it. If they can keep the bonds flowing, they’ll remain a vital part of the bond market’s infrastructure. And that, my friends, is good news for dividend hunters like me. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some bonds to track down… and maybe a pastrami sandwich.

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2026-03-04 22:25