While you may not have seen them in any of the workout-room scenes in the Rocky saga, Cybex (AMEX:CYB) fitness products are now common in gyms across the country. Shareholders have seen the stock price rise 73% year to date.
For the Fool who has been procrastinating about that trip to the local gym, Cybex designs and markets cardiovascular training equipment, free weights, and plate-loaded resistance machines.
Cybex equipment has long been a mainstay at gyms such as Bally's Total Fitness (NYSE:BFT) and Life Time Fitness (NYSE:LTM), which have experienced mixed results. Life Time reported a 27% growth in Q3 profits at the end of October, while Bally's reported a Q3 loss of $0.14 per share. The results at Cybex have been pretty clear, though.
On Nov. 2, Cybex reported that its net sales for the third quarter had increased 12% year over year. It also announced quarterly EPS of $0.05 vs. a loss of $0.23 a year ago. For the nine months ended Sept. 30, net sales increased 13%. Excluding non-routine items, non-GAAP income for the first three quarters of 2006 climbed to $0.14 per diluted share vs. $0.07 for the same period in 2005.
John Aglialoro, chairman and CEO, said, "We are excited about our re-entry into the high-end consumer market with our recent introduction of our Consumer Arc Trainer. . Cybex is poised for an exciting new product lineup in 2007."
There were two other developments last week. In an effort to improve its visibility, the company announced that its stock will move from the American Stock Exchange to the Nasdaq on or around Nov. 21. The company also said it had been selected as one of the preferred vendors for Snap Fitness, an up-and-coming fitness center chain in the U.S.
Management has done some sound things. Earlier this year, Cybex reserved the proceeds of a stock offering to develop new products, increase manufacturing capacity, and pay down debt. Of the 3.5 million shares sold, Cybex sold 1.75 million shares, with existing shareholders accounting for the balance.
Cybex trades at a modest P/E of 5.3 and this month it appointed John McCarthy, a health-industry lobbyist who was once drafted by the New York Knicks, to its board of directors. The stock is also a top 10 holding of the Gartmore Micro Cap Equity Fund (FUND:GMEIX), which hasn't finished a year in the red since its inception in 2003. Cybex would be a sound consideration for Fools seeking a microcap stock to add some zing to their portfolios.
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Fool contributor Billy Fisher does not own shares of any of the companies mentioned.
