Based on the aggregated intelligence of 170,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, timberland operator Plum Creek Timber
With that in mind, let's take a closer look at Plum Creek's business and see what CAPS investors are saying about the stock right now.
Plum Creek facts
Headquarters (Founded) |
Seattle (1989) |
Market Cap |
$6.9 billion |
Industry |
Industrial REIT |
Trailing-12-Month Revenue |
$1.19 billion |
Management |
CEO Rick Holley (since 1994) CFO David Lambert (since 2006) |
Return on Equity (Average, Past 3 Years) |
14.4% |
Cash/Debt |
$252 million / $2.69 billion |
Dividend Yield |
3.9% |
Competitors |
International Paper
Potlatch
Weyerhaeuser |
Sources: Capital IQ (a division of Standard & Poor's) and Motley Fool CAPS.
On CAPS, 94% of the 737 members who have rated Plum Creek believe the stock will outperform the S&P 500 going forward. These bulls include TheKooz and All-Star ikkyu2, who is ranked in the top 3% of our community.
A couple of months ago, TheKooz helped Fools see the forest for the trees:
Trees continue to grow adding value as we wait for the housing market to recover. When the housing market gets back to normal, Plum Creek will have a great selection of prime lumber to offer. A decent dividend while we wait.
Plum Creek even boasts a robust three-year average operating margin of 23.2%. That's higher than that of competitors like International Paper (6.7%), Potlatch (15.9%), and Weyerhaeuser (-1%).
CAPS All-Star ikkyu2 elaborates on the bull case:
Jeremy Grantham points out the advantages of forestry, a renewable resource.
Peter Lynch says, try to find a company that any idiot could run, because sooner or later, that idiot will be running it. So how's this for a business model:
1) Get land.
2) Plant tree on land.
3) Chop down tree; sell tree.
4) Repeat.
I like it. I like the long-term time horizon. I like the moat -- could you enter the forestry business as a viable competitor tomorrow? Where's your hectares? Where's your old-growth?
I like everything about it.
What do you think Plum Creek, 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!