Date updated:02-24-2007
From Barron's 2-26-07 issue:
"Gutsy analysis and great performance are the hallmarks of the Cambridge, Mass.-based independent research firm, Off Wall Street Consulting Group, a longtime specialist in short-sale recommendations. Roberts, well-schooled in the art of contrariness from his early days as an analyst at Mark Boyar's Boyar Asset Management and later at Seth Klarman's Baupost Group, seized the moment 17 years ago and started Off Wall Street to serve the then-nascent hedge-fund universe.
Roberts and his team of six analysts produce about 25 "actionable" ideas a year, which now also include some bullish recommendations, along with their trademark bearish reports."
He was recently interviewed by Barron's and offered the following 5 ideas (3 shorts and 2 longs).

-
MHK
Mohawk Inds Inc - $42.68
- +0.07%
- $42.55
"We recently shorted carpet maker Mohawk Industries (MHK). We were short Mohawk last year at approximately the same levels. We recommended selling Mohawk in March 2006 at $87 and we closed the position in June 2006 at $70 for a 20% gain." Mohawk is highly dependent on the new residential construction market and the remodeling market. It is in the sweet spot of where you would expect there might be problems...We think Mohawk will have down earnings in 2007. Earnings will go from the 2006 level of $6.57 a share to $5.94 a share...We see it heading to $68."

-
FOSL
Fossil - $32.06
- 0.00%
- $N/A
"We are recommending a short sale on Fossil (FOSL)...The bigger story is that the Fossil brand has become more and more irrelevant. The fashion watch segment has gotten very crowded and sales in Fossil's price range have been in decline...Our forecast is about $1.30 a share this year and the Street estimate is about $1.45 a share. Another interesting item is the company has about 103 days of inventory on hand. That's a lot and it would appear they are going to have to take markdowns...We have an $18 price target. "

-
HWAY
Healthways - $17.87
- +1.88%
- $17.84
"Any other new short ideas?" "Healthways (HWAY), the nation's largest disease-management company. They use health insurance-claim data to identify people with high-cost chronic diseases...There has been very spotty scientific evidence that disease management is successful and that it is saving anybody any money...The stock is expensive at 45. This has a fiscal-year ending August and the Street is at $1.50 a share in earnings this year and at $2.04 for fiscal 2008. Our projection is $1.39 a share for '07 and $1.64 for '08 and our price target is 33."

-
SAI
Saic Inc - $17.88
- 0.00%
- $N/A
"Our ratio of short sales to long ideas is about 3 to 1, but we like to do long ideas. We published a report on SAIC (SAI) in January. SAIC is the largest pure-play federal information technology services company... It also has about $600 million worth of real estate on the books. It has a $14 billion backlog. We think they'll earn about $1.02 a share for this year and about $1.30 in free cash flow...Our price target is in the mid-20s."

-
RJET
Republic Airways - $7.64
- +4.95%
- $7.47
"Republic Airways (RJET). What's interesting is that it has a completely different business model from other airlines. Republic Airways is not subject to the same variability in profit...The company has been profitable for 31 out of its 33-year history...The company signs long-term 10-to-15 year fixed-fee contracts that make its earnings more predictable...It is very, very inexpensive. We think they'll earn $1.79 this year, $1.97 for next and $2.38 the year after. The stock is trading at about $19 a share, about 10 times earnings. We have a target in the mid-20s."
- Top Professional Portfolios
- 1. Fidelity Contrafund - ...
- 2. Navellier & Associ...
- 3. Calamos Advisors
- 4. Argus Management
- 5. Charlie Munger
- show all
- Top Do-It-Yourself Portfolios
- » Joseph Russell Portfolio 1
- » Albo's First Portfolio
- » Darrell Werth Portfolio 1
- » Echo5Joker's Portfolio
- » jgroov Portfolio 1
- show all
- Most Viewed Portfolios
- » Warren Buffett
- » George Soros
- » T. Boone Pickens - BP Cap...
- » Carl Icahn
- » Renaissance Technologies
- show all
By Fred Fuld Posted on Dec. 3, 2009 Everyone can appreciate the security offered by a regular income, whether in the form of a paycheck or retirement check -- or a divi...
Posted on Dec. 3, 2009 Regardless of why a stock is in the news, it never hurts to hear what a professional investor has to say about it. The key is to gather as much in...
By Roberto Pedone Posted on Dec. 3, 2009 The traders of CNBC’s “Fast Money” think the path of least resistance for the stock market remains to the upside. On Tues...
Posted on Dec. 2, 2009 Not a Stockpickr member? Join the community today -- for free. Regardless of why a stock is in the news, it never hurts to hear what a professi...
A. I'm outrageously long and holding some
SH and DOG.
I was long in 2008 but there was a big
difference between then and 2009:
I didn't understand the magnitude of
what was to come.
I was stupid.
I'm less stupid now.
Every now and then Vette asks me how I'm
holding out.
Thanks Vette, I wish you were my
brothere growing up!
A. The only one I own : SLX,
too hard pick a winner out all of them
Unusually active options can often indicate that a major event in a stock is about to take place, or that unsophisticated investors (using options in lieu of leverage) are ... more
Here is a list of some of the biggest stocks that hit 52-week lows on Dec. 3, 2009. more
There were no Analyst Downgrades for Dec. 3, 2009. Read more here. more











02/24/2007 17:34 PM CST Asked by moosh
Mohawk also supplies carpet for people finishing their basements. People can't sell their home so they are converting their basements to living areas.