Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, computer giant Dell
With that in mind, let's take a closer look at Dell's business and see what CAPS investors are saying about the stock right now.
Dell facts
| Headquarters (founded) | Round Rock, Texas (1984) |
| Market Cap | $18.4 billion |
| Industry | Computer hardware |
| Trailing-12-Month Revenue | $60.3 billion |
| Management | Founder/Chairman/CEO Michael Dell CFO Brian Gladden |
| Return on Equity (average, past 3 years) | 37.2% |
| Cash/Debt | $11.9 billion / $8.5 billion |
| Competitors |
Hewlett-Packard IBM Lenovo Group |
Sources: S&P Capital IQ and Motley Fool CAPS.
On CAPS, 29% of the 5,770 members who have rated Dell believe the stock will underperform the S&P 500 going forward.
Just last month, one of those Fools, NHWeston102, succinctly summed up the bear case for our community:
Dell's not well. The classical "box" is not going to vanish entirely but, barring some serious retooling, it won't be Dell making them. Like the leaves of autumn, Dell's drifting into a downward spiral. Not buyout bait, either.
If you want market-thumping returns, you need to protect your portfolio from any undue risk. Luckily, we've found another stock we are incredibly excited about -- excited enough to dub it "The Motley Fool's Top Stock for 2012." We have compiled a special free report for investors to uncover this stock today. The report is 100% free, but it won't be here 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 TrackPoisedTo CAPS account.
