Based on the aggregated intelligence of 165,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, office-supply retailer Office Depot
With that in mind, let's take a closer look at Office Depot's business and see what CAPS investors are saying about the stock right now.
Office Depot facts
Headquarters (Founded) |
Boca Raton, Fla. (1986) |
Market Cap |
$1.6 billion |
Industry |
Specialty stores |
Trailing-12-Month Revenue |
$12.0 billion |
Management |
CEO Steve Odland (since 2005) |
Return on Equity (Average, Past 3 Years) |
(34.5%) |
Compound Annual Revenue Growth (Over Past 3 Years) |
(7.8%) |
Cash/Debt |
$663.3 million / $720.2 million |
1-Year Return |
38% |
Competitors |
OfficeMax
|
Sources: Capital IQ (a division of Standard & Poor's) and Motley Fool CAPS.
On CAPS, 15% of the 557 members who have rated Office Depot believe the stock will underperform the S&P 500 going forward. These bears include All-Stars BrianMav and hot1053, both of whom are ranked in the top 10% of our community.
Last year, BrianMav explained why the stock's upside seems stapled down:
There isn't enough room in this sector for three huge companies, and from my experience with all of them, I think Staples is going to win. It's going to be a long and slow decline, peppered with short-term inversions, but ultimately Office Max and Office Depot are going to zero and Staples will stand alone.
In a more recent pitch, hot1053 also urged bulls to punch out of the stock:
Whenever I've been to [Office Depot] to shop, it's mostly empty. Yes they have other lines of business, but in they are still under scrutiny for overcharging government entities for their products. This has really damaged their reputation.
The company still continues to lose money, it still keeps historically nonprofitable locations open. ...
If this company doesn't have liquidity issues already, I think it will have liquidity issues in the future. All the signs for this stock appear negative. It reminds me a lot of the delisted/failed [Circuit City].
What do you think about Office Depot, 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!