5 All-Star Stocks
By Rich Duprey June 10, 2008
Win or lose, we've all got an opinion about which stocks are rockets and which are dogs. If we could invest like Peter Lynch or Mohnish Pabrai, we'd probably have a lot more companies in our win column than in the loss one. Warren Buffett began buying railroads last year, and just about any company that ran on tracks came into play.
So when top-notch investors back a stock, you might want to give it more consideration. Over on the investor collaboration site Motley Fool CAPS, we can do just that. On CAPS, players who've earned a rating of 80 or better by consistently outperforming their peers are dubbed All-Stars. Sometimes, these ace investors will back a stock that others think is a dog. Considering the All-Stars' track records, we might want to look a little more closely at their selections.
Here are five companies that have been marked down by some investors, but enjoy unanimous All-Star backing:
Company
Total Ratings
% Bulls
All-Star Ratings
Webzen (Nasdaq: WZEN)
208
95%
62
Quanta Capital (Nasdaq: QNTA)
140
97%
41
Digital Ally (Nasdaq: DGLY)
99
99%
35
Intersil (Nasdaq: ISIL)
98
95%
36
Templeton Emerging Markets Income Fund (NYSE: TEI)
32
97%
11
Of course, this isn't a list of stocks to buy and sell; instead, it should serve as a starting point for your own research and analysis.
Law enforcement's ally
When the first video cameras were installed in police cars, you could hear the grumbling from the ranks about Big Brother always watching us. Aside from some loopy departmental regulations about their use, however, officers came to appreciate the benefits of having that watchful eye backing them up. More than a few times, officers were saved from spurious complaints of abuse and rudeness. But because they were videotape cameras, they soon fell into disuse and were uninstalled. Stockpiling tapes became too costly.
Digital Ally is one of a number of companies offering digital camera systems to law enforcement, but one of its other products ought to help set it apart. Its digital video flashlight is a water-resistant, aluminum, law enforcement-style flashlight that integrates a complete digital video and audio recording system. A flashlight is often one of the tools officers always carry, whether on a motor vehicle stop or in the search of a building, and has the benefit of being resistant to damage in the rough-and-tumble of policing, unlike other transmitter devices. Moreover, having the video recording on the scene wherever the officer goes is valuable for when something is not taking place in or around the police car.
Shares in Digital Ally have quadrupled since the company went public last year, while it continues to sign contracts with new customers. Because police are being watched more closely and there's more sensitivity toward their actions, the need for such video technology is great. Like the less-than-lethal stun gun that TASER (Nasdaq: TASR) introduced, the video camera is quickly becoming another tool that serves both the needs of law enforcement and the public.
That was one of the things CAPS All-Star investor iwatt noted when he rated Digital Ally to outperform the market.
Like TASR, they make a device that makes people, particularly police, safer and better able to do their jobs. They are rapidly gaining contracts with many states.
Another CAPS investor, Teofila5, finds linking technology and law enforcement an efficient way to keep crime at bay.
Technology will always play an important role in our society. Paying a particular attention to crime-solving ventures is not a bad thing. Looking at the best side of it, we can eradicate foolish criminals who like to monopolize the system. |
