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 Sturm, Ruger
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 Sturm Ruger.
Factor |
What We Want to See |
Actual |
Pass or Fail? |
---|---|---|---|
Growth | 5-Year Annual Revenue Growth > 15% | 16.7% | Pass |
1-Year Revenue Growth > 12% | 39.4% | Pass | |
Margins | Gross Margin > 35% | 35.6% | Pass |
Net Margin > 15% | 13.0% | Fail | |
Balance Sheet | Debt to Equity < 50% | 0.0% | Pass |
Current Ratio > 1.3 | 3.08 | Pass | |
Opportunities | Return on Equity > 15% | 35.4% | Pass |
Valuation | Normalized P/E < 20 | 17.27 | Pass |
Dividends | Current Yield > 2% | 3.0% | Pass |
5-Year Dividend Growth > 10% | 10.8%* | Pass | |
Total Score | 9 out of 10 |
Source: S&P Capital IQ. Total score = number of passes. * 7-year growth rate.
Since we looked at Sturm, Ruger last year, the company has picked up four full points. A huge pickup in revenue, accompanied by margin improvement and a higher dividend yield, brought the company to near-perfection, and shareholders have to be happy with the 75% jump in the stock over the past year.
Gun makers have had an amazing run over the past four years. Shares have soared pretty much ever since the 2008 presidential election, when sales started to jump in anticipation that then-President-Elect Barack Obama would lead calls for more restrictive gun-control laws. Sturm, Ruger's stock price has risen sixfold over that span.
Fears of tighter gun control have largely proved unfounded. Still, the elections later in the year may be part of what has driven strength in gun sales this year, as rival Smith & Wesson
Gun makers owe some of their success to the popularity of sporting goods retailers. With Cabela's
For Sturm, Ruger to improve, it just needs to squeeze a little extra margin out of each sale. If it can do so while keeping growth on the high end, Sturm, Ruger could well become a perfect stock.
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.
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