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 Dendreon
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 Dendreon.
| Factor | What We Want to See | Actual | Pass or Fail? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Growth | 5-Year Annual Revenue Growth > 15% | 261.9% | Pass |
| 1-Year Revenue Growth > 12% | 4,169.8% | Pass | |
| Margins | Gross Margin > 35% | 40.6% | Pass |
| Net Margin > 15% | NM | NM | |
| Balance Sheet | Debt to Equity < 50% | 128.8% | Fail |
| Current Ratio > 1.3 | 1.35 | Pass | |
| Opportunities | Return on Equity > 15% | (76.3%) | Fail |
| Valuation | Normalized P/E < 20 | NM | NM |
| Dividends | Current Yield > 2% | 0% | Fail |
| 5-Year Dividend Growth > 10% | 0% | Fail | |
| Total Score | 4 out of 8 |
Source: Capital IQ, a division of Standard & Poor's. NM = not meaningful due to negative net income and normalized earnings during the period. Total score = number of passes.
Dendreon's score of 4 seems safely in the middle ground. But the bombshell that the biotech dropped on investors last week could spell disaster for the company's future.
Biotech investing is full of potential pitfalls. For every company whose drugs get approved, countless others never pay off. In between are biotechs such as Vical
In that light, as recently as early last week, Dendreon seemed like a success story. The company's cancer drug Provenge had gotten FDA approval and was finally on the market. Despite an expensive $93,000 treatment, Humana
But so far, that hasn't happened. Last week, Dendreon removed its sales guidance and called for only “modest” growth, sending the stock down 65%. The challenge of Provenge is that it's an individually tailored treatment, but Dendreon needs to ramp up production quickly in order to make shareholders happy.
At least for now, Dendreon can't promise a perfect result for its investors. Only time will tell whether the biotech can resume its path upward or whether Provenge will fall short of its potential.
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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Finding the perfect stock is only one piece of a successful investment strategy. Get the big picture by taking a look at our 13 Steps to Investing Foolishly.
