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 Waste Management (NYSE: WM ) fits the bill.
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 Waste Management.
Source: Capital IQ, a division of Standard and Poor's. Total score = number of passes.
With a score of four, Waste Management doesn't look like the perfect stock. But the company has found innovative ways to profit from what other people throw away, and it's hard to argue that trash isn't a growth industry.
Waste Management is the largest trash and environmental services company on the continent, with operations that include trash collection, landfill management, and recycling. The stock took a tumble during the financial crisis but came back swinging in the ensuing rally.
Despite its dominant position, Waste Management faces competition from a number of quarters. In its core business, rival Republic Services (NYSE: RSG ) has seen much faster growth over the past five years, although Waste Management retains a big advantage in returns on equity over Republic. Niche medical player Stericycle (Nasdaq: SRCL ) has much faster growth and wider margins, but also comes at a premium valuation compared to Waste Management shares, while radioactive disposal specialist US Ecology (Nasdaq: ECOL ) pays a slightly higher dividend.
Even with competitive pressure, there's more than enough room in the industry for all of these players to grow. Fellow Fool Nick Kapur identified India as a potential growth opportunity for Waste Management, which has mostly stayed close to home. If the company diversifies to leverage its strength at home and build an international presence, Waste Management could easily look a lot closer to perfect in the future.
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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