A sputtering economy, implosions at financial institutions, or just plain bad management -- on any given day, investors can name a number of reasons to sell a stock. Yet while panic is never beneficial to investors, it's good practice to play devil's advocate with investments from time to time.
In Motley Fool CAPS, more than 115,000 members have weighed in on more than 5,500 stocks, sharing bullish and bearish opinions alike.
In the case of newly merged satellite radio provider Sirius XM (Nasdaq: SIRI), a total of 4,779 members have weighed in on its chances of success. I've already plucked out some of the bullish rationale backing Sirius XM today, so here are three counterpoints to consider, courtesy of CAPS:
Debt, debt, debt. Certainly a four-letter word these days, and Sirius XM has about $1 billion in debt coming due next year. With even the banks still standing on shaky ground, financing is a harried proposition.
The economy, stupid. Discretionary spending has little room in consumers' budgets these days, and many investors continue to argue against paying a premium for radio content. Though there are nearly 19 million subscribers to Sirius XM, some argue that like those reconsidering the splurge on full-price Nike (NYSE: NKE) sneakers or the annual trip to a Disney (NYSE: DIS) resort, more consumers will cross Sirius XM off their list.
Alternative radio. A new generation of drivers is hitting the pavement with Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) iPods already in tow. This leaves some investors believing younger consumers would be more inclined to use the MP3 adapter in their Toyota (NYSE: TM) or Honda (NYSE: HMC) than shell out additional money each month for Sirius XM. And with other options like Microsoft's (Nasdaq: MSFT) Sync system as well, some think cooperation is better than competition.
Of course, Sirius XM has survived and thrived despite dozens of obstacles. But the question about whether the company can do so profitably is why CAPS is such a great resource to augment your own analysis.
To see what the very best CAPS members are saying now about Sirius XM, just click on over to Motley Fool CAPS and have a look -- it's all free, and even open to your opinion.
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