Every investor would love to stumble upon the perfect stock. But will you ever really find a stock that provides everything you could possibly want?
One thing's for sure: You'll never discover truly great investments unless you actively look for them. Let's discuss the ideal qualities of a perfect stock, then decide if Transocean
The quest for perfection
Stocks that look great based on one factor may prove horrible elsewhere, making due diligence a crucial part of your investing research. The best stocks excel in many different areas, including these important factors:
- Growth. Expanding businesses show healthy revenue growth. While past growth is no guarantee that revenue will keep rising, it's certainly a better sign than a stagnant top line.
- Margins. Higher sales mean nothing if a company can't produce profits from them. Strong margins ensure that company can turn revenue into profit.
- Balance sheet. At debt-laden companies, banks and bondholders compete with shareholders for management's attention. Companies with strong balance sheets don't have to worry about the distraction of debt.
- Money-making opportunities. Return on equity helps measure how well a company is finding opportunities to turn its resources into profitable business endeavors.
- Valuation. You can't afford to pay too much for even the best companies. By using normalized figures, you can see how a stock's simple earnings multiple fits into a longer-term context.
- Dividends. For tangible proof of profits, a check to shareholders every three months can't be beat. Companies with solid dividends and strong commitments to increasing payouts treat shareholders well.
With those factors in mind, let's take a closer look at Transocean.
|
Factor |
What We Want to See |
Actual |
Pass or Fail? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Growth | 5-Year Annual Revenue Growth > 15% | 20.9% | Pass |
| 1-Year Revenue Growth > 12% | (11.1%) | Fail | |
| Margins | Gross Margin > 35% | 35.8% | Pass |
| Net Margin > 15% | (4.5%) | Fail | |
| Balance Sheet | Debt to Equity < 50% | 53.2% | Fail |
| Current Ratio > 1.3 | 1.54 | Pass | |
| Opportunities | Return on Equity > 15% | (2.4%) | Fail |
| Valuation | Normalized P/E < 20 | 28.36 | Fail |
| Dividends | Current Yield > 2% | 7.3% | Pass |
| 5-Year Dividend Growth > 10% | NM | NM | |
| Total Score | 4 out of 9 |
Source: S&P Capital IQ. NM = not meaningful; Transocean started paying a dividend in May 2011. Total score = number of passes.
Since we looked at Transocean last year, the oil services company has lost a point. A huge drop in net margins weighed on the stock, although its new dividend gained back one of its lost points.
The defining moment for Transocean over the past two years has been the Gulf oil spill. With BP
More troubling, however, has been Transocean's performance compared to its competitors. In its most recent quarter, Transocean cited new regulations as the reason for its posting a loss. However, SeaDrill
For Transocean to thrive again, it needs to put the BP incident behind it. With plenty of opportunities around the world for oil drilling, Transocean should be able to recover and get a whole lot closer to perfection.
Keep searching
No stock is a sure thing, but some stocks are a lot closer to perfect than others. By looking for the perfect stock, you'll go a long way toward improving your investing prowess and learning how to separate out the best investments from the rest.
Despite its promise, Transocean is an uncertain prospect for investors right now. If you'd rather jump into the biggest potential gainers in energy, learn more about three other stocks that will prosper from $100 oil in the Motley Fool's latest special free report on energy. It's yours free, but only for a limited time, so take a look today.
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