To: Frank McVerry who wrote (5 ) 9/15/1999 1:15:00 AM From: Frank McVerry Read Replies (1) | Respond to of 41
THE IDEAL STOCK In Peter Lynch's book 'One Up On Wall Street', he devoted a chapter to 'the ideal stock', which had thirteen requirements. Here is how ACLNF stacks-up against these requirements. (1) IT SOUNDS DULL - ACLN Ltd ? - real catchy name (2) IT DOES SOMETHING DULL - ferries used cars ? .....ZZZZZ (3) IT DOES SOMETHING DISAGREEABLE - well car ferries are usually big, smelly, dirty, greasy, oily messes - disagreeable enough ? (4) IT'S A SPINOFF - started 21 years ago as a shipper to Tunisia. Became Hemswell Holdings in1993. Then renamed ACLN LTD in 1996....more a grandson than a spin-off. (5) INSTITUTIONS DON'T OWN IT AND ANALYSTS DON'T FOLLOW IT - Institutional ownership is only 3% and I'm the only 'analyst'. There hasn't even been a chat room board following it until now. (6) THE RUMORS ABOUND - I can imagine them all now... Oh-oh, this is a foreign stock ! So where's Belgium ? Africa - gimme a break. ! ...The same kinds of worries that used to keep investors out of casino and Italian restaurant stocks (- they're run by the Mafia, aren't they ?!) (7) THERE'S SOMETHING DEPRESSING ABOUT IT - (1),(2), (3) and (6) have already got me in a mild depression. (8) IT'S A NO-GROWTH INDUSTRY - this ain't the Internet. Just like the funeral business where no-one is interested in competing, so ACLN just adds one country after another. (9) IT'S GOT A NICHE - when a North African or Egyptian heads for Belgium to buy that little Toyota, you can be sure that before he goes, he has already talked to a previous buyer about return transportation and ACLN is almost certainly the transporter who was previously employed - better the devil you know... (10) PEOPLE HAVE TO KEEP BUYING IT - until we have Star Trek teleporters or Toyota starts making amphibious vehicles, these used cars will always have to be ferried by sea (local car production also very unlikely for a long, long time) (11) IT'S A USER OF TECHNOLOGY - I'm sure they use computers, faxes, e-mail, cell phones, radar, GPS -enough technology ? (12) THE INSIDERS ARE BUYERS - well, as the insiders already own most of the stock, there wouldn't be any left for you or me to buy, if they bought more shares. (13) THE COMPANY IS BUYING BACK SHARES - - they have announced a 250000 share buyback ...looks like 12 out of 13 apply. That's about the closest result I've seen to the 'Lynch ideal stock'. Couple these with the excellent fundamentals given in earlier posts and this looks like a no-brainer winner. Next: VALUATIONS FWIW, Frank McV