Stock Blog

An enduring principle in value investing is to buy at the point of maximum fear. When a company becomes embroiled in complicated and uncertain legal troubles, it becomes shunned by Wall Street, and its stock can often be bought at unbelievable bargains. Such stocks often rapidly regain their true value as soon as the legal troubles are cleared up. A discerning investor who is able to correctly analyze all the legal issues involved and predict a probable outcome may be able net a spectacular... [Read More]

Over the weekend, I was inspired by several blogs (The bull case for Conn’s; How to Analyze Receivables & Inventory; Conn’s Inc.) to dig further into the annual reports of the company CONN. What I found was very interesting, and highlights the dangers of investing blindly solely on the basis of financial numbers, without peering deeper into what those numbers mean.

Conns is a retailer of electronics and electrical appliances, with 75 stores in Texas. On casual inspection, the company appears to... [Read More]

Share prices of companies that make industrial equipment tend to be very volatile. These companies are especially dependent on a healthy economy, and every time a new batch of economic statistics is released, the share prices of these companies gyrate wildly depending on the prevailing mood. However, to investors willing to take a longer-term perspective, the wild price swings in conservatively managed equipment manufacturers can be a source of great opportunities. One such company is Chart... [Read More]

Harvest Natural Resources (HNR) is an oil producer whose major oil producing assets are located in Venezuela, where it is subject to confiscatory taxes or outright nationalization by Hugo Chavez. Its major attraction is it cash-rich and debt-free status. HNR has approximately $2.85 per share in cash free and clear. The rest of HNR’s value derives from possible cash flow from its Venezuelian assets, as well as oil exploration projects now ongoing in other parts of the world.

HNR has been... [Read More]

Biogen Idec (BIIB) is a biotechnology company with two major products, Avonex (an interferon), which treats multiple sclerosis, and Rituxan (a monoclonal antibody), which treats non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Near-term growth is likely to come from the drug Tysabri, another monoclonal antibody meant for treatment of multiple sclerosis. Tysabri was withdrawn from the market after several clinical trial patients developed progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), but was later reintroduced into... [Read More]

Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc (FDP) is a vertically integrated producer of fresh and canned fruits and vegetables. While most fruits and vegetables require minimal processing and are typically shipped directly from local farmers to supermarkets over several hundred miles, some produce (notably bananas) are shipped over thousands of miles and/or require canning and extensive processing, and therefore require an intermediary which can handle these diverse operations. FDP owns and operates ocean... [Read More]

Regal Entertainment group owns the largest theatre network in USA, mainly under the Regal Cinemas and United Artists brand. I initiated this position due to the reputation of movies being a robust industry in a depression, and also because I had a price target of $15, which is a PE of 20 over its previous year’s EPS of $0.73. During the two months when I held it, the stock has underperformed the general stock market, and does not appear to be moving towards the price target. I liquidated my... [Read More]

Ball Corporation is a major manufacturer of metal and plastic packaging for food manufacturers, with a minor business in aerospace and defense. Almost 80% of revenues are derived from making aluminum cans for beverages, with the remaining 20% from plastic packaging and the aerospace business. A significant amount of revenue is derived from sale of beer cans, with Ball having 30% of the US market. This is largely a mature industry, although there are small pockets of innovation and... [Read More]

To the 5 people who are still reading this blog, I apologize for not writing any posts for the past 2-3 months. I was experimenting with several new strategies incorporating a technical analysis component in my stock analysis. I felt that, as an amateur investor, I could not compete with professional stock analysts, all of whom can read the same annual reports that I can read, and have the time and resources to do back channel checks that I cannot do. My only advantage is my small size, which... [Read More]

The latest banking rescue has been widely panned by the punditry, with even Krugman voicing his dismay, yet was warmly received by the markets. The pundits are correct : this plan will not rescue the bad banks. Instead, the new plan will grease the flow of credit into the real economy, and lift all banks, both good and bad, along with the entire economy. In fact, I think that the new plan is a piece of genius. It finally rewards the good guys instead of the bad ones.

From the viewpoint of... [Read More]