My general approach is to own only the types of companies I expect to at a minimum double over the next year. I have been asked if I am a value or growth investor. I value growth. I look for a company that is relatively cheap compared with how fast it's growing; given that it's growing at a predictable pace.
Here are three all-star stocks you'll wish you owned. Hint: They're not Nike (NKE), McDonald's (MCD) and Coca-Cola (KO) -- or any other mainstream company.
BE Aerospace (BEAV) for the most part manufactures cabin interior products for aircrafts. The first time I heard about this company was through my mentor Doug Hall, an aerospace engineer for Honeywell (HON). After BE Aerospace beat EPS expectations for the last five quarters, I think there's still room to grow.
The P/E is 11.25, very low for a company that has been soaring. I have historical revenue growing at 29% a year and earnings clocking in higher. I have this one as a buy up till $30, modestly underestimating with a 20% growth rate. Also, the return on equity comes in at 15%, which is higher than the profit margin, which shows that BE Aerospace can leverage its equity effectively. When it's priced like it's going to grow at 4%, I'll take this bet.
Bucyrus International (BUCY) makes the equipment that extracts the basic materials that have been soaring in value lately due to anticipated inflation. These include coal, copper, oil sands and iron ore.
With a P/E of 27, it's priced like it's growing at 17% year over year, but again, this thing's been trashing that estimate with growth rates over 40%. Lately it's been beating 80%. That's expected based on the industry it's in. Everyone knows that the prices we're paying at the gas pump are more than what we used to pay. I was bearish on oil once it started sliding around a month ago, but that's mostly passed as far as I can tell. The speculators lost out, and Bucyrus is one of my golden geese.
Nvidia (NVDA) is growing at 24%, and it's priced as if it's going to grow at 5%. Yeah, right. Insiders hold 11% of the company, and it's leveraging a return of equity of 22%. The risk to this company is higher operating expenses. This is yet another company with no debt and strong management that the stock market thinks has rabies.
Who do you think is going to be making the money when you decide to go HD? How about BluRay? Nvidia is even coming out with phones that play 1080p HD videos. Say hello to high performance with low power usage. This company is pushing new limits across the board and doesn't have any points on the scoreboard with a P/E of 15.
You might be familiar with my recent articles, and you might be wondering if I'm adding any new stocks to my portfolio. Nvidia, Bucyrus and BE Aerospace are three I've gotten into in the last week. If you don't know what I look for, it's growth potential at the cheap, and lots of it. In my opinion, it's the only way to invest; otherwise, you're just spitting into the wind.
Since most of what I do is on my own, I try to limit my losses with trailing stops because I don't have the time or tools to actively monitor all of my positions and read all the news as soon as it comes out. From what I can tell, this strategy is a lifesaver in a declining market, but it is a pain in the neck in a sideways market.
For the most part, however, it appears that it dumps the losers and keeps the winners. For example, when Zumiez (ZUMZ) came out with news that its same-store sales were down, the stock plummeted, and it dumped out of my portfolio. Sometimes this is good; sometimes it's bad. For the most part, I try not to buy back into stocks that were sold out, but since a lot of my picks see a lot of volatility, 10% to 20% fluctuations aren't uncommon in a month's time.
Author is long Nvidia, Bucyrus and BE Aerospace.
Posted on Sept. 1, 2008
