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 8x8
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 8x8.
|
Factor |
What We Want to See |
Actual |
Pass or Fail? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Growth | 5-Year Annual Revenue Growth > 15% | 10.1% | Fail |
| 1-Year Revenue Growth > 12% | 22.3% | Pass | |
| Margins | Gross Margin > 35% | 67.5% | Pass |
| Net Margin > 15% | 80.7% | Pass | |
| Balance Sheet | Debt to Equity < 50% | 0.1% | Pass |
| Current Ratio > 1.3 | 2.94 | Pass | |
| Opportunities | Return on Equity > 15% | 103.1% | Pass |
| Valuation | Normalized P/E < 20 | 68.36 | Fail |
| Dividends | Current Yield > 2% | 0% | Fail |
| 5-Year Dividend Growth > 10% | 0% | Fail | |
| Total Score | 6 out of 10 |
Source: S&P Capital IQ. Total score = number of passes.
Since we looked at 8x8 last year, the company has seen its score jump by two points. An uptick in revenue growth and better net margins gave the company its boost, even though the stock price is down a bit over the past year.
The voice-over-Internet business continues to evolve, and surprisingly, the competition for the low end of this business has been fierce. With Vonage
But 8x8 distinguishes itself by catering to business customers. With businesses used to paying higher rates for services than residential customers, 8x8 has the chance to post much better margins, albeit not generally anywhere near as high as its current figure, which reflects a big one-time tax benefit.
So far, that model has worked well. Last October, the company acquired cloud-based call center Contactual, which added General Electric
Still, 8x8 faces competition from big tech companies with an appetite to expand their service lines. 8x8 may have the inside track, but it'll have to keep running to maintain its lead. For 8x8 to improve, continuing growth and better profitability need to be its key goals for the years ahead.
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.
8x8 isn't the perfect stock, but we've got some ideas you may like better. Let me invite you to learn about three smart long-term stock plays in the Fool's latest special report. It's yours for the taking and is absolutely free, but don't miss out -- click here and read it today.
Meanwhile, 8x8 customer GE also has a lot of promise. Read our brand-new premium report and find out whether you should be a buyer of GE shares.
Click here to add 8x8 to My Watchlist, which can find all of our Foolish analysis on it and all your other stocks.
