Based on the aggregated intelligence of 170,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, industrial pipeline company Insituform Technologies (Nasdaq: INSU ) has earned a coveted five-star ranking.
With that in mind, let's take a closer look at Insituform's business and see what CAPS investors are saying about the stock right now.
Insituform facts
| Headquarters (founded) |
Chesterfield, Mo. (1980) |
| Market Cap |
$760 million |
| Industry |
Construction and engineering |
| Trailing-12-Month Revenue |
$926.38 million |
| Management |
CEO J. Joseph Burgess (since 2008)
CFO David Martin (since 2007)
|
| Return on Equity (average, past 3 years) |
7.5% |
| Cash/Debt |
$107.3 million / $102.4 million |
Sources: Capital IQ (a division of Standard & Poor's) and Motley Fool CAPS.
On CAPS, 95% of the 182 members who have rated Insituform believe the stock will outperform the S&P 500 going forward. These bulls include rollotherichkid and fellow Fool Bryan Hinmon (TMF42).
A few months ago , rollotherichkid touched on the tailwinds working in Instituform's favor: "I think its time has come. As more cities suffer from shrinking budgets and failing sewer and water pipes this company will offer the best solution in price and quality."
Over the next five years, in fact, Instituform is expected to grow its bottom line at a solid rate of 18% annually. That's faster than more common construction and engineering plays like Fluor (NYSE: FLR ) (11%), Jacobs Engineering (NYSE: JEC ) (12%), and McDermott (NYSE: MDR ) (11%).
Bryan offers three big reasons to buy into Instituform:
1. Reputation and scale. Insituform has rehabilitated more pipe than any other firm. The fact that it invented CIPP technology, has a large workforce that it can mobilize quickly, and has a 40 year track record give it a competitive advantage when bidding on rehab projects. Insituform wins nearly 50% of the contracts it bids on because of its cost advantages and reputation.
2. Focus on operations to complement growth. Insituform's current management team came aboard in 2008 and has instilled a culture focused on operational improvement. Since 2008, operating margins have improved to 9.5%, up from only 2.7%. ...
3. Great stewardship. New management is focused on profitable growth. In fact, they recently shuttered some European operations that didn't meet profitability hurdles and set a goal to achieve a 15% return on invested capital. ... And the board of directors recently instituted share ownership guidelines for all directors and senior management, so their interests are properly aligned.
What do you think about Insituform, or any other stock for that matter? If you want to retire rich, you need to put together the best portfolio you can. Owning exceptional stocks is a surefire way to secure your financial future, and on Motley Fool CAPS, thousands of investors are working every day to find them. CAPS is 100% free, so get started!
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