In a week when Netflix (Nasdaq: NFLX) CEO Reed Hastings challenged the short case on his company by investment manager Whitney Tilson, we had our own investing disagreement within the Rising Stars team. Rising Star analyst Ilan Moscovitz recommended a short on Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) for his Dada Portfolio this week, despite the fact that Anand Chokkavelu had recommended a long position in the company for his portfolio just over a month ago.
For Ilan's thinking, along with two additional buy recommendations, read the summaries below.
Rising Star Shorts: Bank of America and Lender Processing Services
Ilan believes there will be considerable fallout from the "mortgage fraud scandals ripping through Wall Street" and decided to bet against two companies that might possibly suffer from future lawsuits and regulation.
He points out that Bank of America is facing a wide variety of fraud allegations. While his colleague Anand feels that the company is oversold, Ilan argues that state authorities are determined to "get to the bottom of potential fraud and abuses." Ultimately, as Ilan sees it, investigations across all 50 states will not bode well for Bank of America.
Ilan's case for shorting Lender Processing Services (NYSE: LPS), a mortgage processing firm that assists mortgage servicers, is similar. He argues that the company is alleged to be highly involved in a number of potentially fraudulent practices relating to foreclosure processing, and notes that the company is leveraged 2.5 to 1. For more on Ilan's bearish thinking on these two companies, have a look at his entire piece.
Rising Star Buy: Houston Wire and Cable
Rising Star analyst Jason Moser provides us an insight worthy of Confucius when he writes, "in a world that grows more wireless by the second, it's ironic but true: We still need wires." Yes, yes we do!
That's why Jason bought shares of Houston Wire and Cable (Nasdaq: HWCC) for his portfolio. This small-cap company is "one of the largest distributors of specialty electrical wire and cable, and related services in the country" and will benefit from the "eventual demand to come around for infrastructure, utility and industrial upgrades, and construction." Read Jason's article to learn more about this long-term investing idea.
Rising Star Buy: Dean Foods
While Jason argues that the world still needs wires, fellow Rising Star analyst Jim Mueller makes the case that people will always want dairy products, and will consume more of them as the economy continues to improve. That's why he's recommending Dean Foods (NYSE: DF), a manufacturer of milk, ice cream, soy milk, butter, and cheese, for his Messed-Up Expectations portfolio.
Jim believes that the company's cost-cutting strategy combined with an increase in consumer demand will lead to better results for the company. With analysts expecting little of Dean Foods, Jim likes the odds here. To hear more of his thinking, pour yourself a cup of eggnog and read his entire article.
Watch your BAC
So who's right about Bank of America? Is it a woefully oversold titan that will rise considerably as America gets its financial house in order? Or is it a deeply flawed institution with potentially more legal issues than Julian Assange?
Personally, I'm bearish on Bank of America, but I'm not sure I'd short the stock. The nice thing about investing, as Warren Buffett always points out, is that you don't have to swing at every pitch.
Let us know what you think in the comments box below. And be sure to read all of our Rising Star stories that are summarized above.
