Whether it's the corporate lunchroom, your cubicle, or the local watering hole after work, there are regular places we gather to discuss news, sports or -- if you're like us -- stocks. Here at Motley Fool CAPS, we gather around the virtual water cooler daily to rate stocks and delve into their merits as investments.
Our 130,000-strong CAPS community -- where members give the thumbs-up or thumbs-down to some 5,300 stocks -- has earned its points by seeking out the businesses it thinks will outperform the market. Below, we'll take a look at some of the top stocks in the CAPS universe that you're talking about the most, and investigate whether you think they'll continue their winning ways.
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Stock
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CAPS Rating (out of 5)
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No. of Calls
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% Outperform Calls
|
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Excel Maritime (NYSE: EXM )
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*****
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1,787
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96%
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Harley-Davidson (NYSE: HOG )
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**
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1,780
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80%
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Level 3 Communications (Nasdaq: LVLT )
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****
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1,788
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94%
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Noble (NYSE: NE )
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*****
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1,889
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98%
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Walgreen (NYSE: WAG )
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****
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1,881
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94%
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A tall drink of water
Harley-Davidson’s iconic "hogs" might not be the ones behind the recent outbreak of swine flu, but the company’s most recent earnings report didn’t look particularly healthy. Still, some smart Fools think the iconic motorcycle maker’s engines are starting to purr. As it gets its inventories under control and gross margins firm up, the story goes, the new management team running the biker bar will be able to go full-throttle eventually.
Once upon a time, there were waiting lists to get a Harley. It’s been a long way down from there, but the bikes still command a premium, and used models continue to hold their value. CAPS member jimemac48 figures an economy on the rebound will equate to more people hitting the open road once again:
Once this ecomoy gets turned around the baby boomers .....and their kids will once again buy a Harley.
The situation might be similar for dry bulk shipper Excel Maritime, which has been dealing with high debt. Like its nautical rival DryShips (Nasdaq: DRYS ) , Excel has been pursuing debt restructuring. But the Baltic Dry Index has risen well off the lows experienced at the beginning of the year, which may provide an indication that the shippers have escaped the danger of being swamped.
CAPS member Soapbox9 believes that plans for improving the infrastructure of economies here and around the globe make dry bulk goods shippers like Excel Maritime an investment you can nail to the mast:
Drybulk sector. Need I say more? This sector is one of the few to join the bullmarket, and is beginning to with Dryship's good q1 earnings. Copper and other resources are going up. Infrastructure is part of Obama's plan.......and....we can't make all that steel ourselves! someone's going to have to ship it. To be honest, I like ALL drybulk stocks, and have bought many and made a great deal of money so far.
Despite the recession, pharmacy operators like Walgreen and CVS Caremark (NYSE: CVS ) both reported rising sales in the latest quarter, helped in part by the Easter holiday that fell in April this year. Yet Walgreen was pressed on nonessential items even as profits jumped and same-store sales rose 5.7% over last year.
CAPS member votrehomme believes Walgreen has a better prescription for growth than its rival, one that should pay off in the future:
Walgreens has built up amazingly in Tucson. Over the last 5 years, they've put one on literally every major street corner. All that real estate is worth something and provides stability. They seem to be trying to get into a super-convenience store position, but still keeping a great variety of products. They haven't gone the CVS type of route with just one or two brands and deep inventory in only those, with far fewer choices.
Gather 'round
Seeking information from the CAPS community can be like trying to take a sip from a fire hose -- there are so many good opinions to be had. Why not grab a pointy paper cup from the dispenser and join us on Motley Fool CAPS, where your input can help guide other investors to stocks with bright prospects for growth? Read a company's financial reports, scrutinize key data and charts, and examine the comments your fellow investors have made, all from a stock's CAPS page.
Sign up today for the completely free service and let us hear what you have to say about the great -- and almost great -- companies that interest you.
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