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    <title>Joshua Heller's Instablog</title>
    <description>I am a private investor who uses FCF as my primary valuation method.  Some industries like financials, I will use book value as FCF is not a viable valuation method.   Most importantly, I want to buy companies with the best management.  Good management can ride out the tough storms (look at JPM during the financial meltdown in 2008) and emerge stronger than the competition.  

While dividends are good, I prefer buybacks as they are more tax friendly.  Plus, the investor can decide when to sell based on their tax situation (versus receiving dividends).  Further, options can be used to generate income (such as covered calls) for income needs.  </description>
    <author>
      <name>Joshua Heller</name>
    </author>
    <link>http://seekingalpha.com</link>
    <item>
      <title>Long Conrad Industries (CNRD.PK)</title>
      <link>http://seekingalpha.com/instablog/697570-joshua-heller/462301-long-conrad-industries-cnrd-pk?source=feed</link>
      <guid isPermaLink="false">462301</guid>
      <content>
        <![CDATA[Conrad Industries closed today at $16.90 up $1.77 after releasing 4th quarter numbers and their annual report. For those not familiar with the company, CNRD delisted in 2005 and trades on the Pink Sheets (Yahoo Finance CNRD.PK). Management also owns over 50% of the company. <p>In the 3rd quarter, a customer had canceled a large contract. This lead me to hold off on buying additional shares (granted it is already a large position) while I waited to see an update. Even with the cancellation, there were not any issues with revenues in the 3rd quarter report (and now the 4th) as revenues were 59MM and 63MM.</p><p><em>&quot;During the third quarter of 2011, a customer advised that it was defaulting on contracts for the construction of five-LPG tank barges, four-30,000 bbl. tank barges, two-tow boats, four-7,500 bbl. tank barges and two-10,000 bbl tank barges. Except as noted below, all vessels subject to the default were sold to other customers prior to yearend with no adverse financial impact to the Company. The two tow boats and two of the 7,500 bbl. tank barges were in the early stages of construction, the contracts were cancelled, and the material for these has been included in our inventory. The two remaining 7,500 bbl. tank barges have not been sold and the contracts have not been cancelled. As a result of contract provisions that allow us to recover from the defaulting customer the difference between the contract price and what we sell the barges for, progress payments already made by the defaulting customer and favorable market conditions for these vessels, we do not expect any material adverse financial consequences due to the default of these remaining two barges.&quot;</em></p><p>One of the other bullish items in the report was a large increase in CapEx. One of the concerns that I had was that the industry was on a temporary upswing from low demand in previous years. Instead, it looks like CNRD is winning more business and sees room for further expanson.</p><p><em>&quot;During the past eleven years, we have made, in the aggregate, approximately $49.0 million of capital expenditures to add capacity and improve the efficiency of our shipyards. This includes $4.3 million in 2011 which was primarily capital additions at our four locations to increase capacity and operational efficiencies, and to replace leased equipment with Company owned equipment. Our Board of Directors has approved a $20.8 million capital expenditure program for 2012 which includes a contract we entered into July 2011 to purchase 50 acres of property adjoining our Conrad Deepwater facility for approximately $5.5 million which is subject to customary closing conditions.&quot;</em></p><p>While the company is spending a large amount of cash on CapEx, the company still believes it is prudent to buy back additional shares via 10b-5 plan (due to low trading volume). The company announced another 5MM buyback in January 2012.</p><p>The last thing I like to look at is a spreadsheet of 5Year (10Year if information is available) of all the relevant numbers. Just because a stock is cheap does not mean it will suddenly go to fair value. We want to make sure that even though it is cheap relative to the market, it is also cheap to itself.</p><p><a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0At1Wluk5zm-ZdDMzaXNSVm9WcE8yM0tzOVdsbUxEdGc" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0At1Wluk5zm-ZdDMzaXNSVm9WcE8yM0tzOVdsbUxEdGc</a></p><p>Looking at the linked spreadsheet, we can see that in 2007 the company was 'cheap' to the market but by 2008 you would not have been very happy. Of course I am cherry picking the worst year for the market in recent memory and many stocks did do worse.</p><p>I have only owned this stock since early 2011 so I cannot say for sure what I would have done but the idea is to take money off the table as the risk/reward becomes less favorable. We see at the end of 2007 that the company was ahead of itself in terms of Book Value but probably cheap on all other metrics.</p><p>Even though I think CNRD could easily trade at $30 in the future (perhaps a catalyst like relisting shares), if we see book value near 1.5x I would be interested in taking some money off the table.</p><p>The other reason why I like to have this data available (even though it is time consuming to enter it all in) is that it really should give you conviction. Even though book value increased and the company went from being in net debt to net cash in 2008, sentiment on the entire market was so poor that CNRD was overlooked.</p><p>So where are the negatives? I could look at the high CapEx spend as being too risky but with management having been so prudent in the past 11 years, I do not think this would be an issue. The company will still have net cash on the balance sheet and is basically debt free. Should 5 year EPS, FCF, EBITDA growth be an issue? With all of the headwinds with the economy and Gulf of Mexico, this does not concern me. In fact, it is good to see that these metrics are back to 2007 highs. Could the stock be 'dead' money for the rest of the year? I can see that and would be disappointed, but if we saw no movement for 2 years and then in the 3rd year we saw a double, we would all still be very happy.</p><p><strong>Disclosure: </strong>I am long <a href="http://seekingalpha.com/symbol/cnrd.pk" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">CNRD.PK</a>.</p>]]>
      </content>
      <pubDate>Sun, 01 Apr 2012 16:28:00 -0400</pubDate>
      <description>
        <![CDATA[Conrad Industries closed today at $16.90 up $1.77 after releasing 4th quarter numbers and their annual report. For those not familiar with the company, CNRD delisted in 2005 and trades on the Pink Sheets (Yahoo Finance CNRD.PK). Management also owns over 50% of the company. <p>In the 3rd quarter, a customer had canceled a large contract. This lead me to hold off on buying additional shares (granted it is already a large position) while I waited to see an update. Even with the cancellation, there were not any issues with revenues in the 3rd quarter report (and now the 4th) as revenues were 59MM and 63MM.</p><p><em>&quot;During the third quarter of 2011, a customer advised that it was defaulting on contracts for the construction of five-LPG tank barges, four-30,000 bbl. tank barges, two-tow boats, four-7,500 bbl. tank barges and two-10,000 bbl tank barges. Except as noted below, all vessels subject to the default were sold to other customers prior to yearend with no adverse financial impact to the Company. The two tow boats and two of the 7,500 bbl. tank barges were in the early stages of construction, the contracts were cancelled, and the material for these has been included in our inventory. The two remaining 7,500 bbl. tank barges have not been sold and the contracts have not been cancelled. As a result of contract provisions that allow us to recover from the defaulting customer the difference between the contract price and what we sell the barges for, progress payments already made by the defaulting customer and favorable market conditions for these vessels, we do not expect any material adverse financial consequences due to the default of these remaining two barges.&quot;</em></p><p>One of the other bullish items in the report was a large increase in CapEx. One of the concerns that I had was that the industry was on a temporary upswing from low demand in previous years. Instead, it looks like CNRD is winning more business and sees room for further expanson.</p><p><em>&quot;During the past eleven years, we have made, in the aggregate, approximately $49.0 million of capital expenditures to add capacity and improve the efficiency of our shipyards. This includes $4.3 million in 2011 which was primarily capital additions at our four locations to increase capacity and operational efficiencies, and to replace leased equipment with Company owned equipment. Our Board of Directors has approved a $20.8 million capital expenditure program for 2012 which includes a contract we entered into July 2011 to purchase 50 acres of property adjoining our Conrad Deepwater facility for approximately $5.5 million which is subject to customary closing conditions.&quot;</em></p><p>While the company is spending a large amount of cash on CapEx, the company still believes it is prudent to buy back additional shares via 10b-5 plan (due to low trading volume). The company announced another 5MM buyback in January 2012.</p><p>The last thing I like to look at is a spreadsheet of 5Year (10Year if information is available) of all the relevant numbers. Just because a stock is cheap does not mean it will suddenly go to fair value. We want to make sure that even though it is cheap relative to the market, it is also cheap to itself.</p><p><a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0At1Wluk5zm-ZdDMzaXNSVm9WcE8yM0tzOVdsbUxEdGc" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0At1Wluk5zm-ZdDMzaXNSVm9WcE8yM0tzOVdsbUxEdGc</a></p><p>Looking at the linked spreadsheet, we can see that in 2007 the company was 'cheap' to the market but by 2008 you would not have been very happy. Of course I am cherry picking the worst year for the market in recent memory and many stocks did do worse.</p><p>I have only owned this stock since early 2011 so I cannot say for sure what I would have done but the idea is to take money off the table as the risk/reward becomes less favorable. We see at the end of 2007 that the company was ahead of itself in terms of Book Value but probably cheap on all other metrics.</p><p>Even though I think CNRD could easily trade at $30 in the future (perhaps a catalyst like relisting shares), if we see book value near 1.5x I would be interested in taking some money off the table.</p><p>The other reason why I like to have this data available (even though it is time consuming to enter it all in) is that it really should give you conviction. Even though book value increased and the company went from being in net debt to net cash in 2008, sentiment on the entire market was so poor that CNRD was overlooked.</p><p>So where are the negatives? I could look at the high CapEx spend as being too risky but with management having been so prudent in the past 11 years, I do not think this would be an issue. The company will still have net cash on the balance sheet and is basically debt free. Should 5 year EPS, FCF, EBITDA growth be an issue? With all of the headwinds with the economy and Gulf of Mexico, this does not concern me. In fact, it is good to see that these metrics are back to 2007 highs. Could the stock be 'dead' money for the rest of the year? I can see that and would be disappointed, but if we saw no movement for 2 years and then in the 3rd year we saw a double, we would all still be very happy.</p><p><strong>Disclosure: </strong>I am long <a href="http://seekingalpha.com/symbol/cnrd.pk" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">CNRD.PK</a>.</p>]]>
      </description>
      <category type="symbol" link="http://seekingalpha.com/symbol/cnrd.pk/instablogs">cnrd.pk</category>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>AAPL, Are Expectations Too High?  </title>
      <link>http://seekingalpha.com/instablog/697570-joshua-heller/462291-aapl-are-expectations-too-high?source=feed</link>
      <guid isPermaLink="false">462291</guid>
      <content>
        <![CDATA[With a nearly 50% increase in AAPL stock price in the first quarter, I thought it was time to revisit my AAPL long thesis. While I view AAPL as still being cheap, I started looking at some of the expectations for this quarter and they seemed high. <p>I created the 10 year financials (which are linked below). With the tremendous growth of AAPL revenue and profits, I do not see much value in the historical numbers. I think the best metric for AAPL is EPS, I did keep EBITDA, FCF simple, and FCF numbers there for anyone interested in looking at those numbers.</p><p>One thing that I did find interesting was that the cash on the balance sheet on AAPL is slightly misleading. AAPL has cash on the balance sheet that is larger then the book value of the company. When I saw this I thought I had made an error but it turns out that the Accounts Payable and Accrued Expenses are very high relative to Accounts Receivable.</p><p>I also created a projection for year end 2012, EPS, cash on balance sheet, etc. What I am looking at is what stock price is reasonable? I could see 800 or 850 before I would take profits. (I could reduce before that but just for risk management purposes). I think my EPS of $40.00 per share is very conservative.</p><p><a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0At1Wluk5zm-ZdFNmbkpZWEhVQnZBSlpITkk2Tnk0Y1E" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0At1Wluk5zm-ZdFNmbkpZWEhVQnZBSlpITkk2Tnk0Y1E</a></p><p>Where I see the most value is looking at the past sales data by product line to see if expectations are reasonable. On the third tab, you can see past actual numbers and some analyst expectations that I have run across online.</p><p>Some of the expectations seem too high for me. However, I think about the second price point with iPad and think about how that helped iPhone numbers. In the end, I can see the numbers being hit, so unless we see a further increase in AAPL shares in the run up to earnings, I will sit tight with my shares and know that we could see some giveback in earnings on a product sales miss or a guidance miss.</p><p><strong>Disclosure: </strong>I am long <a href="http://seekingalpha.com/symbol/aapl" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">AAPL</a>.</p>]]>
      </content>
      <pubDate>Sun, 01 Apr 2012 16:26:09 -0400</pubDate>
      <description>
        <![CDATA[With a nearly 50% increase in AAPL stock price in the first quarter, I thought it was time to revisit my AAPL long thesis. While I view AAPL as still being cheap, I started looking at some of the expectations for this quarter and they seemed high. <p>I created the 10 year financials (which are linked below). With the tremendous growth of AAPL revenue and profits, I do not see much value in the historical numbers. I think the best metric for AAPL is EPS, I did keep EBITDA, FCF simple, and FCF numbers there for anyone interested in looking at those numbers.</p><p>One thing that I did find interesting was that the cash on the balance sheet on AAPL is slightly misleading. AAPL has cash on the balance sheet that is larger then the book value of the company. When I saw this I thought I had made an error but it turns out that the Accounts Payable and Accrued Expenses are very high relative to Accounts Receivable.</p><p>I also created a projection for year end 2012, EPS, cash on balance sheet, etc. What I am looking at is what stock price is reasonable? I could see 800 or 850 before I would take profits. (I could reduce before that but just for risk management purposes). I think my EPS of $40.00 per share is very conservative.</p><p><a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0At1Wluk5zm-ZdFNmbkpZWEhVQnZBSlpITkk2Tnk0Y1E" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0At1Wluk5zm-ZdFNmbkpZWEhVQnZBSlpITkk2Tnk0Y1E</a></p><p>Where I see the most value is looking at the past sales data by product line to see if expectations are reasonable. On the third tab, you can see past actual numbers and some analyst expectations that I have run across online.</p><p>Some of the expectations seem too high for me. However, I think about the second price point with iPad and think about how that helped iPhone numbers. In the end, I can see the numbers being hit, so unless we see a further increase in AAPL shares in the run up to earnings, I will sit tight with my shares and know that we could see some giveback in earnings on a product sales miss or a guidance miss.</p><p><strong>Disclosure: </strong>I am long <a href="http://seekingalpha.com/symbol/aapl" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">AAPL</a>.</p>]]>
      </description>
      <category type="symbol" link="http://seekingalpha.com/symbol/aapl/instablogs">aapl</category>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>Buy Xyratex (XRTX) - no debt, 90M in cash, 427M market cap</title>
      <link>http://seekingalpha.com/instablog/697570-joshua-heller/127320-buy-xyratex-xrtx-no-debt-90m-in-cash-427m-market-cap?source=feed</link>
      <guid isPermaLink="false">127320</guid>
      <content>
        <![CDATA[Xyratex (XRTX)&nbsp;closed at $14.10 on January 10th, 2011.&nbsp; Over the past year, shares have traded in a range of $10.50 to $20.45.<br> <br> XRTX&nbsp;reported its 4th Quarter and fiscal year results on January 6th. &nbsp;<br> <br> <a href="http://seekingalpha.com/article/245333-xyratex-ceo-discusses-q4-2010-results-earnings-call-transcript?source=qp_transcript" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">seekingalpha.com/article/245333-xyratex-...</a><br> <br> Free Cash Flow generation:&nbsp; During the fiscal year, XRTX generated 40M in free cash flow (60M&nbsp;Operating, 20M capital spending).&nbsp; As XRTX&nbsp;sales are cyclical, account receivables and inventories increased by 170M while account payables increased by 59M.&nbsp; To ignore the effects of changes in working capital, another way to look at FCF&nbsp;is to calculate using Net Income +&nbsp;Depreciation - Capital Expenditures.&nbsp; Using this calculation, FCF&nbsp;is 137M&nbsp;(139M&nbsp;+ 18M&nbsp;- 20M).&nbsp; <br> <br> Valuation:&nbsp;At today's closing price, XRTX&nbsp;current market cap is 427M.&nbsp; The company has 90M&nbsp;in cash and no debt.&nbsp; Using the two FCF&nbsp;valuations above, the market is valuing XRTX&nbsp;between 2.460 and 8.425.&nbsp; With 8.5x valuation at the top end of the range, XRTX&nbsp;could move to 10x without being expensive.&nbsp; Since XRTX&nbsp;is cyclical, valuation should not exceed 10x.&nbsp; <br> <br> XRTX&nbsp;has a strong margin of safety with a current valuation of 8.5x the high end of FCF&nbsp;generation.&nbsp; The stock could increase significantly as cash generation increases. &nbsp;<br> <br> Long XRTX (I&nbsp;am looking for a double)<br>]]>
      </content>
      <pubDate>Mon, 10 Jan 2011 21:42:53 -0500</pubDate>
      <description>
        <![CDATA[Xyratex (XRTX)&nbsp;closed at $14.10 on January 10th, 2011.&nbsp; Over the past year, shares have traded in a range of $10.50 to $20.45.<br> <br> XRTX&nbsp;reported its 4th Quarter and fiscal year results on January 6th. &nbsp;<br> <br> <a href="http://seekingalpha.com/article/245333-xyratex-ceo-discusses-q4-2010-results-earnings-call-transcript?source=qp_transcript" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">seekingalpha.com/article/245333-xyratex-...</a><br> <br> Free Cash Flow generation:&nbsp; During the fiscal year, XRTX generated 40M in free cash flow (60M&nbsp;Operating, 20M capital spending).&nbsp; As XRTX&nbsp;sales are cyclical, account receivables and inventories increased by 170M while account payables increased by 59M.&nbsp; To ignore the effects of changes in working capital, another way to look at FCF&nbsp;is to calculate using Net Income +&nbsp;Depreciation - Capital Expenditures.&nbsp; Using this calculation, FCF&nbsp;is 137M&nbsp;(139M&nbsp;+ 18M&nbsp;- 20M).&nbsp; <br> <br> Valuation:&nbsp;At today's closing price, XRTX&nbsp;current market cap is 427M.&nbsp; The company has 90M&nbsp;in cash and no debt.&nbsp; Using the two FCF&nbsp;valuations above, the market is valuing XRTX&nbsp;between 2.460 and 8.425.&nbsp; With 8.5x valuation at the top end of the range, XRTX&nbsp;could move to 10x without being expensive.&nbsp; Since XRTX&nbsp;is cyclical, valuation should not exceed 10x.&nbsp; <br> <br> XRTX&nbsp;has a strong margin of safety with a current valuation of 8.5x the high end of FCF&nbsp;generation.&nbsp; The stock could increase significantly as cash generation increases. &nbsp;<br> <br> Long XRTX (I&nbsp;am looking for a double)<br>]]>
      </description>
      <category type="symbol" link="http://seekingalpha.com/symbol/xrtx/instablogs">xrtx</category>
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    <item>
      <title>End of 2010, my current long/short portfolio</title>
      <link>http://seekingalpha.com/instablog/697570-joshua-heller/125003-end-of-2010-my-current-long-short-portfolio?source=feed</link>
      <guid isPermaLink="false">125003</guid>
      <content>
        <![CDATA[Long<br><br>AAPL, ATVI, BBY, BRK.B, CHDN, CME, COH, CSCO, DELL, DNDN, FCX, GLRE, JPM, JWN, INTC, MA, MET, MS, MSFT, PNC, PNRA, SBUX, SHLD, SNDK, STX, SUN, TSCM, V, VG, VZ, WDC, WYNN<br><br>Short<br><br>AIG, AMZN, ANF, BIDU, BP, BTU, CRM, DE, ERTS, FSLR, IYR, JCP, LVS, MCO, MEE, MGM, MON, NFLX, NYX, POT, SPWRA, TM, WFMI, XHB, ZMH<br><br>Some positions are options and not outright long or short stock.&nbsp; Most trades are pair trades (for example Long JWN, Short ANF).<br><br>Total portfolio is Net Long.&nbsp; <br>]]>
      </content>
      <pubDate>Sun, 02 Jan 2011 23:56:58 -0500</pubDate>
      <description>
        <![CDATA[Long<br><br>AAPL, ATVI, BBY, BRK.B, CHDN, CME, COH, CSCO, DELL, DNDN, FCX, GLRE, JPM, JWN, INTC, MA, MET, MS, MSFT, PNC, PNRA, SBUX, SHLD, SNDK, STX, SUN, TSCM, V, VG, VZ, WDC, WYNN<br><br>Short<br><br>AIG, AMZN, ANF, BIDU, BP, BTU, CRM, DE, ERTS, FSLR, IYR, JCP, LVS, MCO, MEE, MGM, MON, NFLX, NYX, POT, SPWRA, TM, WFMI, XHB, ZMH<br><br>Some positions are options and not outright long or short stock.&nbsp; Most trades are pair trades (for example Long JWN, Short ANF).<br><br>Total portfolio is Net Long.&nbsp; <br>]]>
      </description>
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    <item>
      <title>Comparing HPQ valuation with DELL</title>
      <link>http://seekingalpha.com/instablog/697570-joshua-heller/115157-comparing-hpq-valuation-with-dell?source=feed</link>
      <guid isPermaLink="false">115157</guid>
      <content>
        <![CDATA[<p>Hewlett Packard Company (HPQ) closed at $43.25 on November 22nd,  2010.&nbsp; During the past year, HPQ has traded in a range of $37.32 and  $54.75. <br> <br> After the close, HPQ announced their 4th  Quarter and fiscal 2010 results.&nbsp; Since I just looked at DELL, I want to  compare the results and see if DELL has a lower valuation.&nbsp;<br> <br> Cash Equivalents 11B<br> Debt 22.3B<br> Service/Warranty Liabilities 6.7B <br> Net Debt 17B<br> <br> Market Cap 98.1B<br> Enterprise Value 127.1B<br> <br> Operating Cash Flow (after subtracting Stock Compensation) 11.25B<br> CapEx 4.15B<br> Free Cash Flow 7.1B<br> <br> Using the conservative FCF number of 7.1B, the market is valuing  HPQ at 16.3x FCF, significantly higher then DELL at 8.5x FCF.&nbsp; While the  valuation is higher, there are some factors that are impacting FCF.&nbsp;  Just like DELL, HPQ Account and Financing Receivables increased by over  2B, however HPQ does not break out the difference between the two  items.&nbsp; There were some restructuring charges of approximately 1.4B  due to recent acquisitions and resulting layoffs.&nbsp; Also, CapEx looks higher  than usual due to a large number of acquisitions.&nbsp; Adding up all these  numbers, it is possible that a more natural FCF is closer to 9B - 10B  and FCF valuation would be closer to 12x.&nbsp; <br> <br> While HPQ is certainly not cheap, it is also not so expensive that I would be interested in shorting. &nbsp;</p> <br> <br> <strong>Disclosure: </strong>No Position]]>
      </content>
      <pubDate>Tue, 23 Nov 2010 14:14:01 -0500</pubDate>
      <description>
        <![CDATA[<p>Hewlett Packard Company (HPQ) closed at $43.25 on November 22nd,  2010.&nbsp; During the past year, HPQ has traded in a range of $37.32 and  $54.75. <br> <br> After the close, HPQ announced their 4th  Quarter and fiscal 2010 results.&nbsp; Since I just looked at DELL, I want to  compare the results and see if DELL has a lower valuation.&nbsp;<br> <br> Cash Equivalents 11B<br> Debt 22.3B<br> Service/Warranty Liabilities 6.7B <br> Net Debt 17B<br> <br> Market Cap 98.1B<br> Enterprise Value 127.1B<br> <br> Operating Cash Flow (after subtracting Stock Compensation) 11.25B<br> CapEx 4.15B<br> Free Cash Flow 7.1B<br> <br> Using the conservative FCF number of 7.1B, the market is valuing  HPQ at 16.3x FCF, significantly higher then DELL at 8.5x FCF.&nbsp; While the  valuation is higher, there are some factors that are impacting FCF.&nbsp;  Just like DELL, HPQ Account and Financing Receivables increased by over  2B, however HPQ does not break out the difference between the two  items.&nbsp; There were some restructuring charges of approximately 1.4B  due to recent acquisitions and resulting layoffs.&nbsp; Also, CapEx looks higher  than usual due to a large number of acquisitions.&nbsp; Adding up all these  numbers, it is possible that a more natural FCF is closer to 9B - 10B  and FCF valuation would be closer to 12x.&nbsp; <br> <br> While HPQ is certainly not cheap, it is also not so expensive that I would be interested in shorting. &nbsp;</p> <br> <br> <strong>Disclosure: </strong>No Position]]>
      </description>
      <category type="symbol" link="http://seekingalpha.com/symbol/hpq/instablogs">hpq</category>
      <category type="symbol" link="http://seekingalpha.com/symbol/dell/instablogs">dell</category>
      <category type="symbol" link="http://seekingalpha.com/instablog/tag/PC Industry">PC Industry</category>
      <category type="symbol" link="http://seekingalpha.com/instablog/tag/Technology">Technology</category>
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    <item>
      <title>Dell Inc (DELL) stock is ridiculously cheap</title>
      <link>http://seekingalpha.com/instablog/697570-joshua-heller/114973-dell-inc-dell-stock-is-ridiculously-cheap?source=feed</link>
      <guid isPermaLink="false">114973</guid>
      <content>
        <![CDATA[<p>Dell Inc (DELL) closed at $13.96 on November 22nd, 2010.&nbsp; Over the past year, DELL has traded in a range of $11.34 to $17.52.<br> &nbsp;</p> <p>Being  a value investor, I am always looking for intrinsically cheap value  stocks.&nbsp; Many times, a particular stock is cheap for a reason  (declining business, litigation issues, etc).&nbsp; In some instances, the market  accidentally misprices a stock that still has plenty of growth.&nbsp; DELL is  one of these stocks that is accidentally mispriced.&nbsp; DELL&nbsp;has plenty of growth while trading at a low valuation.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;</p> <p>Let's take a look at the balance sheet from the most recent earnings results on November 18th (3rd Quarter Fiscal Year 2011).&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p><a href="http://i.dell.com/sites/content/corporate/secure/en/Documents/FY11_Q3_rtyu_BalanceSheet.pdf" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">i.dell.com/sites/content/corporate/secur...</a></p> <p>Cash Equivalents 14B<br> Debt 6B<br> Services/Warranty Liabilities 6.5B<br> Net Cash 1.5B &nbsp;<br> &nbsp;</p> <p>Market Cap 26.9B<br> Enterprise Value 39.4B<br> &nbsp;</p> <p>Next is the Cash Flow section where we can look at the Trailing Twelve Months&nbsp;</p> <p><a href="http://i.dell.com/sites/content/corporate/secure/en/Documents/FY11_Q3_rtyu_CashFlows.pdf" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">i.dell.com/sites/content/corporate/secur...</a></p> <p>Operating Cash Flow (after subtracting Stock Compensation) 3.4B<br> Capital Expenditures 400MM<br> Free Cash Flow (FCF) 3B<br> &nbsp;</p> <p>The market is currently valuing 3B in FCF at 8.5x (subtracting  net cash).&nbsp; The FCF number is more conservative as Account Receivables have  grown by 700MM.&nbsp; A large portion of this growth has been from Dell  Financial Services which is no longer in partnership with CIT Group.&nbsp;  (For more information see slide 10 and 32 linked below).&nbsp;&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;</p> <p>Taking a look at the growth side, DELL increased revenues by 19% YoY.&nbsp;  The consumer business is turning the corner, breaking even  this quarter after net losses previously.&nbsp; Even though DELL missed the initial push into retail  channel (most consumers needs to touch and feel the laptop before  buying), DELL is catching up to the competition.&nbsp; Commercial and  Enterprise space are both strong with the Perot acquisition creating  opportunities and synergies.<br> &nbsp;</p> <p>Presentation from DELL investor relations</p> <p><a href="http://i.dell.com/sites/content/corporate/secure/en/Documents/FY11_Q3_rtyu_Presentation.pdf" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">i.dell.com/sites/content/corporate/secur...</a><br> &nbsp;</p> <p>Over the next 12 months, I am looking for a valuation in the range of  10x - 12x conservative FCF for a stock price of $16.50 to $19.80.</p> <br> <strong>Disclosure: </strong>Long DELL]]>
      </content>
      <pubDate>Tue, 23 Nov 2010 00:42:27 -0500</pubDate>
      <description>
        <![CDATA[<p>Dell Inc (DELL) closed at $13.96 on November 22nd, 2010.&nbsp; Over the past year, DELL has traded in a range of $11.34 to $17.52.<br> &nbsp;</p> <p>Being  a value investor, I am always looking for intrinsically cheap value  stocks.&nbsp; Many times, a particular stock is cheap for a reason  (declining business, litigation issues, etc).&nbsp; In some instances, the market  accidentally misprices a stock that still has plenty of growth.&nbsp; DELL is  one of these stocks that is accidentally mispriced.&nbsp; DELL&nbsp;has plenty of growth while trading at a low valuation.&nbsp;&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;</p> <p>Let's take a look at the balance sheet from the most recent earnings results on November 18th (3rd Quarter Fiscal Year 2011).&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p><a href="http://i.dell.com/sites/content/corporate/secure/en/Documents/FY11_Q3_rtyu_BalanceSheet.pdf" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">i.dell.com/sites/content/corporate/secur...</a></p> <p>Cash Equivalents 14B<br> Debt 6B<br> Services/Warranty Liabilities 6.5B<br> Net Cash 1.5B &nbsp;<br> &nbsp;</p> <p>Market Cap 26.9B<br> Enterprise Value 39.4B<br> &nbsp;</p> <p>Next is the Cash Flow section where we can look at the Trailing Twelve Months&nbsp;</p> <p><a href="http://i.dell.com/sites/content/corporate/secure/en/Documents/FY11_Q3_rtyu_CashFlows.pdf" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">i.dell.com/sites/content/corporate/secur...</a></p> <p>Operating Cash Flow (after subtracting Stock Compensation) 3.4B<br> Capital Expenditures 400MM<br> Free Cash Flow (FCF) 3B<br> &nbsp;</p> <p>The market is currently valuing 3B in FCF at 8.5x (subtracting  net cash).&nbsp; The FCF number is more conservative as Account Receivables have  grown by 700MM.&nbsp; A large portion of this growth has been from Dell  Financial Services which is no longer in partnership with CIT Group.&nbsp;  (For more information see slide 10 and 32 linked below).&nbsp;&nbsp;<br> &nbsp;</p> <p>Taking a look at the growth side, DELL increased revenues by 19% YoY.&nbsp;  The consumer business is turning the corner, breaking even  this quarter after net losses previously.&nbsp; Even though DELL missed the initial push into retail  channel (most consumers needs to touch and feel the laptop before  buying), DELL is catching up to the competition.&nbsp; Commercial and  Enterprise space are both strong with the Perot acquisition creating  opportunities and synergies.<br> &nbsp;</p> <p>Presentation from DELL investor relations</p> <p><a href="http://i.dell.com/sites/content/corporate/secure/en/Documents/FY11_Q3_rtyu_Presentation.pdf" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">i.dell.com/sites/content/corporate/secur...</a><br> &nbsp;</p> <p>Over the next 12 months, I am looking for a valuation in the range of  10x - 12x conservative FCF for a stock price of $16.50 to $19.80.</p> <br> <strong>Disclosure: </strong>Long DELL]]>
      </description>
      <category type="symbol" link="http://seekingalpha.com/symbol/dell/instablogs">dell</category>
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