Home
>
Stocks & Mutual Fund
>
Value Investing: Selecting From The Bargain Bin

Value Investing: Selecting From The Bargain Bin

Picking a beaten-down stock requires a different kind of selection process. Normally, most companies beaten down this far have no earnings to speak of. Of course, if the company continues to earn money, one can apply normal valuation techniques. By that measure, many of these stocks appear outrageously undervalued: an indication of great buys. But this may also be a red flag that things are "too good to be true".

Another criteria we look at focuses on the breakup value of the company and/or the ability of the company to keep operating in troubled times. For example, debt ratios are important because we want to be sure the company will not be swallowed up in its debt payments. Book Value tells us the value of each share based upon the accountants valuations of assets and liabilities. Sometimes, we also look at cash-on-hand to determine if the company is able to continue as a going concern.

A glance at the high and low price that the shares have sold for in the past may indicate no more than how crazy the market was only a few short years ago. Still, if investors were willing to pay $200 per share for a stock two years ago, it is difficult to believe that it's worth less than a dollar today. Maybe the reality is somewhere in between.

Openwave Systems (OPWV $1.12, High $208; Buy Aggressively), is the top supplier of software that mobile service providers use to offer text and instant messaging to customers. It also provides mobile Web browsing software. The company, which resulted from the merger of Phone.com and Software.com, develops products providing wireless data transfer and messaging, mobile e-mail, and directory services. A recent acquisition of SignalSoft adds a new product line, software that assists cellular users to locate destinations or other users. The company has a loyal subscriber base, and outstanding growth prospects. Openwave, however, is typical of today's bargains. Formerly selling as high as $208 per share (no, that's not a misprint), shares today cost only a little over a dollar. With a book value more than 4 times that amount, virtually no debt, and cash on hand in excess of the stock price per share, there can be no doubt that the shares are now selling at outrageously low prices. We believe these shares represent an outstanding high-risk buy at current prices.

To send comments or to learn more about Scott Pearson's Investment Advisor Services, visit http://www.valueview.net

Scott Pearson is an investment advisor, writer, editor, instructor, and business leader. As President and Chief Investment Officer of Value View Financial Corp., he offers investment management services to a wide variety of clients. His own newsletter, Investor's Value View, is distributed worldwide and provides general money tips and investment advice to readers both internationally, and in the U.S.

express cleaning service Arlington Heights ..

In The News:

Researchers from Osaka Metropolitan University designed a 21-foot dome that combines aquaculture and hydroponics to create a self-sustaining urban food system.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

ChatGPT data breach exposes personal info of users through partner Mixpanel. OpenAI confirms names, emails compromised in security incident.

Android rolls out Emergency Live Video for 911 calls, letting dispatchers see real-time scenes during emergencies. Great for holiday travel safety.

Malicious Chrome and Edge extensions collected browsing history, keystrokes and personal data from millions of users before Google and Microsoft removed them.

Google's new Call Reason feature lets Android users mark calls as urgent before dialing, displaying an urgent label to recipients using Phone by Google app.

Medical history made as surgeons successfully restore sight to legally blind patient using world's first 3D printed corneal implant grown from human cells.

Data brokers aggressively collect your holiday shopping data to fuel scams and targeted ads. Learn how to delete your digital profile before 2025 starts.

Scammers are sending fake MetaMask wallet verification emails using official branding to steal crypto information through phishing links and fraudulent domains.

Learn what background permissions, push notifications, security updates, auto-join networks and app refresh mean to better manage your phone's privacy settings.

Criminals test stolen data by applying for deposit accounts in victims' names to prepare bigger attacks. Learn why banks won't share fraud details.

New study of 10,500+ kids reveals early smartphone ownership linked to depression, obesity, and poor sleep by age 12. Earlier phones mean higher risks.

A phone phishing attack compromised Harvard's alumni and donor database, marking the second security incident at the university in recent months.

AutoFlight's zero-carbon floating vertiport uses solar power to charge eVTOL aircraft while supporting emergency response, tourism, and marine energy maintenance.

A new phone return scam targets recent buyers with fake carrier calls. Learn how criminals steal devices and steps to protect yourself from this fraud.

New Anthropic research reveals how AI reward hacking leads to dangerous behaviors, including models giving harmful advice like drinking bleach to users seeking help.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

Holiday email scams, including non-delivery fraud and gift card schemes, spike in November and December, costing victims hundreds of millions, the FBI says.

Holiday visits offer the perfect opportunity to help older parents with technology updates, scam protection and basic troubleshooting skills for safer digital experiences.

Swiss scientists create grain-sized robot that surgeons control with magnets to deliver medicine precisely through blood vessels in medical breakthrough.

Researchers exploited WhatsApp's API vulnerability to scrape 3.5 billion phone numbers. Learn how this massive data breach happened and protect yourself.

Travel companies share passenger data with third parties during holidays, but travelers can protect themselves by removing data from broker sites and using aliases.

Xpeng's humanoid robot moves so realistically that crowds believed it was fake, marking a major advancement in robotics technology ahead of 2026 commercial launch.

Researchers discover phishing scam using invisible characters to evade email security, with protection tips including password managers and two-factor authentication.

iPhone and Android users can reduce battery drain and data usage by restricting Background App Refresh to Wi-Fi connections instead of mobile networks.

Value Investing: Selecting From The Bargain Bin

Stocks & Mutual Fund