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 Peet's Coffee & Tea
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 Peet's.
|
Factor |
What We Want to See |
Actual |
Pass or Fail? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Growth | 5-Year Annual Revenue Growth > 15% | 12.1% | Fail |
| 1-Year Revenue Growth > 12% | 11.4% | Fail | |
| Margins | Gross Margin > 35% | 19.6% | Fail |
| Net Margin > 15% | 4.8% | Fail | |
| Balance Sheet | Debt to Equity < 50% | 0% | Pass |
| Current Ratio > 1.3 | 4.24 | Pass | |
| Opportunities | Return on Equity > 15% | 10.2% | Fail |
| Valuation | Normalized P/E < 20 | 47.21 | Fail |
| Dividends | Current Yield > 2% | 0% | Fail |
| 5-Year Dividend Growth > 10% | 0% | Fail | |
| Total Score | 2 out of 10 |
Source: S&P Capital IQ. Total score = number of passes.
Since we looked at Peet's last year, the stock has kept its two-point score. Even as its share price soars, Peet's doesn't seem to be making much progress on the business front, with weak margins, high valuations, and a definite lack of newsworthy events in an industry that's been hopping lately.
In the past year, there have been numerous developments in the coffee space. Dunkin' Brands
All the while, Peet's has seen modest growth, with sales coming from its retail locations and also through K-Cups of its own. But in its most recent quarter, Peet's fell short of earnings expectations. As margins have been weakening, the company has had more difficulty keeping its profits up. Moreover, both it and Caribou Coffee
Peet's won't reach perfection without some sort of blockbuster deal. The stock is still priced as though one of the bigger players in the industry will buy it out. Unless that happens, there's only so much further the stock can go before it comes down to more reasonable valuations.
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.
Peet's isn't the perfect stock, but we've got some ideas you may like better. Let me invite you to learn about three smart long-term stock plays in the Fool's latest special report. It's yours for the taking and is absolutely free, but don't miss out -- click here and read it today.
Click here to add Peet's to My Watchlist, which can find all of our Foolish analysis on it and all your other stocks.
