4-Star Stocks Poised to Pop: Tellabs
Based on the aggregated intelligence of 180,000-plus investors participating in Motley Fool CAPS, the Fool's free investing community, network equipment maker Tellabs (NAS: TLAB) has earned a respected four-star ranking.
With that in mind, let's take a closer look at Tellabs' business and see what CAPS investors are saying about the stock right now.
Tellabs facts
Headquarters (Founded) | Naperville, Ill. (1974) |
Market Cap | $1.49 billion |
Industry | Communications equipment |
Trailing-12-Month Revenue | $1.38 billion |
Management | Founder/Chairman Michael Birck |
Return on Equity (Average, Past 3 Years) | 1.6% |
Cash/Debt | $1.19 billion / $164 million |
Dividend Yield | 2% |
Sources: S&P Capital IQ and Motley Fool CAPS.
On CAPS, 90% of the 445 members who have rated Tellabs believe the stock will outperform the S&P 500 going forward.
Just last week, one of those bulls, BuffettJunior1, nicely summed up the Tellabs bull case:
[A]t the current price it looks very attractive. The company has $1.2 billion in cash and short-term investments and only a small amount of debt. The five year average free cash flow is over $160 million. The company has decent profit margins and return on capital. The main question here is what will they do with all that cash? A special dividend is a definite possibility.
But before you run out and start gobbling up shares, some of Tellabs' peers might actually be better suited to your own individual investing profile.
For example, Cisco Systems' (NAS: CSCO) greater size and returns on equity of 13.8% dwarf smaller Tellabs', so Cisco's a much better play for conservative large-cap investors. Meanwhile, Qualcomm (NAS: QCOM) is expected to grow its bottom line at a faster rate of 16% over the next five years, giving growth seekers a superior option over Tellabs' expected 8% growth. And Motorola Solutions' (NYS: MSI) shares have rallied nicely over the past few months, jumping 12% since late September, which naturally gives momentum traders a better opportunity than Tellabs, with its small decline. However, when you consider that Tellabs trades at a clear price-to-book of 0.9, a discount to each of its peers mentioned above, the stock seems nicely suited for contrarian bargain hunters looking to buy into the space.
What do you think about Tellabs, 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!
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At the time thisarticle was published Fool contributor Brian Pacampara owns no position in any of the companies mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and has created a bull call spread position on Cisco. The Fool also owns shares of Qualcomm. Motley Fool newsletter services have recommended buying shares of Cisco. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days.We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Fool's disclosure policy always gets a perfect score.
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