Based on the aggregated intelligence of 130,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, consumer electronics giant Best Buy (NYSE: BBY ) has received a distressing two-star ranking.
With that in mind, let's take a closer look at Best Buy's business and see what CAPS investors are saying about the stock right now.
Best Buy facts
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Headquarters (founded)
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Richfield, Minnesota (1966)
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Market Cap
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$15.73 billion
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Industry
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Computer and Electronics Retail
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Trailing-12-Month (TTM) Revenue
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$45.02 billion
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Management
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CEO Bradbury Anderson (since 2002)
CFO James Muehlbauer (since 2008)
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Net Income Growth (average, last five years and TTM)
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7.3% and (28.7%)
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Competitors
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Wal-Mart Stores (NYSE: WMT )
Costco (Nasdaq: COST )
Target (NYSE: TGT )
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CAPS members bearish on BBY also bearish on
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General Motors (NYSE: GM )
Citigroup (NYSE: C )
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CAPS members bullish on BBY also bullish on
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Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL )
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Sources: Capital IQ, a division of Standard & Poor's, and Motley Fool CAPS.
Over on CAPS, fully 143 of the 835 All-Star members who have rated Best Buy -- some 17% -- believe the stock will underperform the S&P 500 going forward. Among the entire bear population are jamasony2 and tennis128, who is ranked in the top 10% of our community.
Two weeks ago, jamasony2 tapped Best Buy as the seemingly worst value in tough times: "[W]hy go to best buy when you can get the same electronics more cheaply at Wal-Mart? Combined with low margins and large debt, this company will probably have problems in the future."
In a pitch from January, tennis128 follows that bearish line of thinking:
Name one thing at Best Buy that you NEED?
Maybe you NEED an appliance, but thats about all they have that isn't a luxury item (I cant do dishes by hand, wash clothes in a basin, and hang them on a line to dry). Now factor in that Circuit City is closing and liquidating. If you have money and want to buy a flat panel where would you go? Liquidation prices or full retail prices? ...
My guess is that more and more people will head to Wal-Mart or online rather than pay Best Buy's ridiculous prices in this economy.
Of course, with Best Buy handily besting Wall Street's fourth-quarter estimates last week, there's a good chance that more than those earnings concerns are baked well into current price levels. There may be cheaper alternatives when you're in the market for electronics, but the company's customer service experience and mindshare make it an undeniable top-dog retailer.
Even if you don't fully buy into the prevalent bull case that Best Buy should be able to increase market share and come out even stronger after the downturn, betting against the best might not be the smartest move to make.
But what do you think about Best Buy, or any other stock for that matter? Make your voice heard on Motley Fool CAPS today. More than 130,000 investors are waiting to hear what you have to say. CAPS is 100% free, so simply click here to get started.
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