5 Speculative and Overvalued Companies to Avoid – March 2015

The market is filled with companies with a lot of hype which are touted as great investments, but Benjamin Graham taught that intelligent investors must look past the hype and avoid speculating about a company’s future.  By using the ModernGraham Valuation Model, I’ve selected five of the most overvalued companies reviewed by ModernGraham. Each company has been determined to not be suitable for either the Defensive Investor or the Enterprising Investor according to the ModernGraham approach. This is a sample of one screen that is included in ModernGraham Stocks & Screens, which is available for premium subscribers and is a great resource for selecting better opportunities.  Defensive Investors are defined as investors who are not able or willing to do substantial research into individual investments, and therefore need to select only the companies that present the least amount of risk. Enterprising Investors, on the other hand, are able to do substantial research and can select companies that present a moderate (though still low) amount of risk. Each company suitable for the Defensive Investor is also suitable for Enterprising Investors.

Abbott Laboratories (ABT)

Abbott Laboratories is not suitable for the Enterprising Investor or for the Defensive Investor.  The Defensive Investor is concerned by the the low current ratio, low earnings growth over the last ten years, and the high PEmg and PB ratios.  The Enterprising Investor is concerned by the low current ratio and the lack of earnings growth over the last five years.  As a result, value investors following the ModernGraham approach based on Benjamin Graham’s methods should explore other opportunities at this time.  From a valuation side of things, the company appears to be overvalued after seeing its EPSmg (normalized earnings) drop from $2.98 in 2010 to only $2.27 for 2014.  This level of demonstrated growth does not support the market’s implied estimate of a 6.15% annual earnings over the next 7-10 years, leading the ModernGraham valuation model, based on Benjamin Graham’s formula, to return an estimate of intrinsic value above the price.  (See the full valuation)

OneOK Inc. (OKE)

OneOK Inc. is not suitable for the Enterprising Investor or for the Defensive Investor.  The Defensive Investor is concerned by the the low current ratio, the insufficient earnings growth over the last ten years, and the high PEmg and PB ratios.  The Enterprising Investor is concerned by the level of debt relative to the current assets.  As a result, value investors following the ModernGraham approach based on Benjamin Graham’s methods should explore other opportunities at this time.  From a valuation side of things, the company appears to be overvalued after growing its EPSmg (normalized earnings) from $1.47 in 2010 to only $1.50 for 2014.  This level of demonstrated growth does not support the market’s implied estimate of 10.36% annual earnings growth over the next 7-10 years, leading the ModernGraham valuation model, based on Benjamin Graham’s formula, to return an estimate of intrinsic value below the price.  (See the full valuation)

General Electric Co. (GE)

General Electric does not qualify for either the Defensive Investor or the Enterprising Investor. The Defensive Investor is concerned with the low current ratio and the insufficient earnings growth over the last ten years. The Enterprising Investor takes issue with the level of debt relative to the current assets along with the lack of earnings growth over the last five years. As a result, any purchase of the company is made with a speculative nature behind it. That said, any speculator interested in pursuing the company should still proceed to the next part of the analysis, which is a determination of the company’s intrinsic value.

With regard to that intrinsic value, the company has seen its EPSmg (normalized earnings) drop from $1.39 in 2010 to only an estimated $1.33 for 2014. This lack of demonstrated growth does not support the market’s implied estimate for earnings growth of 5.56% annually over the next 7-10 years. The ModernGraham valuation model therefore returns an estimate of intrinsic value below the current price, indicating the company is overvalued at the present time.  (See the full valuation on Seeking Alpha)

Yum! Brands Inc. (YUM)

Yum! Brands does not qualify for either the Defensive Investor or the Enterprising Investor. The Defensive Investor is concerned with the low current ratio, and the high PEmg and PB ratios. The Enterprising Investor takes issue with the level of debt relative to the current assets. As a result, any purchase of the company is made with a speculative nature behind it. That said, any speculator interested in pursuing the company should still proceed to the next part of the analysis, which is a determination of the company’s intrinsic value.

With regard to the intrinsic value, the company has grown its EPSmg (normalized earnings) from $2.10 in 2010 to $2.60 for 2014. This level of demonstrated growth does not support the market’s implied estimate for earnings growth of 11.01% annually over the next 7-10 years. The ModernGraham valuation model therefore returns an estimate of intrinsic value below the current price, indicating the company is overvalued at the present time.  (See the full valuation on Seeking Alpha)

Coca-Cola Company (KO)

Coca-Cola does not qualify for either the Defensive Investor or the Enterprising Investor. The Defensive Investor is concerned with the low current ratio and the high PEmg and PB ratios. The Enterprising Investor takes issue with the level of debt relative to the current assets. As a result, any purchase of the company is made with a speculative nature behind it. That said, any speculator interested in pursuing the company should still proceed to the next part of the analysis, which is a determination of the company’s intrinsic value.

With regard to that intrinsic value, the company has grown its EPSmg (normalized earnings) from $1.73 in 2010 to only $1.85 for 2014. This lack of demonstrated growth does not support the market’s implied estimate for earnings growth of 7.33% annually over the next 7-10 years. The ModernGraham valuation model therefore returns an estimate of intrinsic value below the current price, indicating the company is overvalued at the present time.  (See the full valuation on Seeking Alpha)

What do you think?  Are these companies a bad opportunity for Intelligent Investors?  Is there a company you like better?  Leave a comment on our Facebook page or mention @ModernGraham on Twitter to discuss.

Disclaimer:  The author did not hold a position in any company mentioned in this article at the time of publication and had no intention of changing those holdings within the next 72 hours.  Logos are taken from either the company page or Wikipedia for purposes of identifying the company only; ModernGraham has no affiliation with the companies.