Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, biotech company Lexicon Pharmaceuticals
With that in mind, let's take a closer look at Lexicon's business and see what CAPS investors are saying about the stock right now.
Lexicon facts
| Headquarters (Founded) | The Woodlands, Texas (1995) |
| Market Cap | $577 million |
| Industry | Biotechnology |
| Trailing-12-Month Revenue | $2.8 million |
| Management | Co-Founder/CEO Arthur Sands Co-Founder/Chief Scientific Officer Brian Zambrowicz |
| Return on Equity (Average, Past 3 Years) | (50.4%) |
| Cash/Debt | $143.7 million / $25.2 million |
| Competitors |
Athersys Deltagen Exelixis |
Sources: S&P Capital IQ and Motley Fool CAPS.
On CAPS, 14% of the 286 members who have rated Lexicon believe the stock will underperform the S&P 500 going forward.
Just last week, one of those Fools, All-Star zzlangerhans, wrote that the bear case all boiled down to price:
Lexicon is what I like to call a "Buttercap" stock. You see the share price under [$1.50] and wonder why the company is valued so low. Then you look at the pipeline and it has some potential. ...
You're kind of liking what you see so far, and you're thinking about making your move when the stock suddenly turns around from the bar and ... UGH! You see the market cap of [$500 million]. That's due to a bloated 338M share count, the result of massive dilution in 2010.
The recent 143M share rights offering won't make the share count or market cap any prettier. The way I've seen these events play out before is a continuing erosion in share price followed by a reverse split, followed by more dilution. So next time you see a low share price with a decent pipeline, make sure you aren't investing in a company where everything looks good but her cap.
What do you think about Lexicon, or any other stock for that matter? If you want to retire rich, you need to protect your portfolio from any undue risk. Staying away from dangerous stocks is crucial to securing your financial future, and on Motley Fool CAPS, thousands of investors are working every day to flag them. CAPS is 100% free, so get started!
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