Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, nanotech and electron microscopy specialist FEI Company
With that in mind, let's take a closer look at FEI's business and see what CAPS investors are saying about the stock right now.
FEI facts
| Headquarters (founded) | Hillsboro, Ore. (1971) |
| Market Cap | $1.9 billion |
| Industry | Scientific and technical instruments |
| Trailing-12-Month Revenue | $826.4 million |
| Management | CEO Dr. Don Kania (since 2006) CFO Raymond Link (since 2005) |
| Return on Capital (average, past 3 years) | 9.6% |
| Cash/Debt | $336.6 million / $89 million |
| Competitors |
Carl Zeiss Hitachi High-Technologies JEOL |
Sources: S&P Capital IQ and Motley Fool CAPS.
On CAPS, 97% of the 275 members who have rated FEI believe the stock will outperform the S&P 500 going forward.
Just last month, one of those Fools, Clint35, brought FEI's solid fundamentals to our community's attention: "It's pretty cheap for a small company that's growing [quarterly] sales at about 14% and earnings around 36%. They also have a good balance sheet and pretty good margins."
If you want market-beating returns, you need to put together the best portfolio you can. Owning exceptional stocks is a surefire way to secure your financial future. Of course, despite a strong five-star rating, FEI may not be your top choice.
If that's the case, we've compiled a special free report for investors called "Discover the Next Rule-Breaking Multibagger," which uncovers another small-cap growth play with big potential. The report is 100% free, but it won't be around forever, so click here to access it now.
Want to see how well (or not so well) the stocks in this series are performing? Follow the new TrackPoisedTo CAPS account.
