Based on the aggregated intelligence of 170,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, property and casualty insurer Tower Group
With that in mind, let's take a closer look at Tower's business and see what CAPS investors are saying about the stock right now.
Tower facts
| Headquarters (Founded) | New York City (1989) |
| Market Cap | $1 billion |
| Industry | Property and casualty insurance |
| Trailing-12-Month Revenue | $1.46 billion |
| Management |
Chairman/CEO Michael Lee CFO William Hitselberger |
| Return on Equity (Average, Past 3 Years) | 14.9% |
| Cash/Debt | $104.44 million / $374.27 million |
| Dividend Yield | 2.1% |
| Competitors |
Allstate
Chubb
Travelers Companies |
Sources: Capital IQ (a division of Standard & Poor's) and Motley Fool CAPS.
On CAPS, 97% of the 352 members who have rated Tower believe the stock will outperform the S&P 500 going forward. These bulls include GainSeeker and FoolDiligence.
Just last month, GainSeeker tapped Tower as a particularly timely pick:
Low PEG, low debt, low p/s. Nice growth. Stock dropped 15% on the reduced outlook after a nice beat to the quarter. Mgt expects challenging climate to "continue not worsen -- tells me this is a great entry point and there will be more beats ahead.
In fact, Tower currently sports a forward P/E of just 7.6. That represents a slight discount to listed competitors Allstate (8.4), Chubb (10.6), and Travelers (9.7).
CAPS member FoolDiligence lists more of the stock's cheapish multiples:
[Price/cash flow]: <9x
[Price/sales]: <0.7x
[Price/Tangible book]: <1.4x
In addition to this you have founder and CEO, Michael Lee holding almost 10% of the company. While you wait for the market to fully recognize TWGP's value, you receive a 2% dividend that has grown at an average of >30% per year and still maintains a low payout ratio of under 15%.
What do you think about Tower, or any other stock for that matter? If you want to retire rich, you need to put together the best portfolio you can. Owning exceptional stocks is a surefire way to secure your financial future, and on Motley Fool CAPS, thousands of investors are working every day to find them. CAPS is 100% free, so get started!
