Wallace Weitz's Dell Value Play

In May 2006, I recommended buying Dell as it is such an attractive company. Since recommending Dell (DELL) at $25.20, Dell's share price has skidded lower to $22.12. As I have been expecting, superinvestors started investing more in Dell.

Wallace Weitz, a superinvestor, from Omaha started buying Dell too. This is what Weitz says about Dell:

Dell is a new position for us (and one likely to raise eyebrows among our investors). We generally avoid technology stocks because of their very short product cycles and unpredictable future free cash flows, but we do not think Dell is a typical tech stock. Dell markets directly to consumers and assembles computers, monitors, printers and other hardware to order. As a result, it takes very little inventory risk and can change its product offerings on short notice.

In recent quarters, Dell has faced improved competition from Hewlett Packard (HPQ) and others and has created problems for itself by skimping on telephone tech support for its customers. As a result, sales have slowed, margins have slipped and the company’s cost advantage over its competitors has narrowed. We believe Dell has addressed these problems and that its cost structure, balance sheet, returns on investment and strong management provide the company with significant and sustainable competitive advantages. The company generates prodigious amounts of cash and is currently deploying it in a massive stock buyback program. We believe the company is worth considerably more than the current price of $24.

If Dell is a great buy for Weitz and Hawkins and Nygren and Tilson, I have great confidence that it is a great buy for us too.

DELL 1-yr chart:

Disclaimer: My Family Fund does not have a position in Dell.

Comments

[Andrew Schmitt:]

Dell is not a technology company, it is a power retailing company that sells technology.

2006 Jul 21 03:03 PM

[NO DooDahs:]

It may well be worth more than it's trading for, but it's also fairly certain to be trading lower soon.

Waste of money to buy now. Buy later and save.

The "superinvestors of value" almost always buy too early ... while it's still falling ... we smaller investors should learn from that.

2006 Jul 24 07:13 AM