Quality Investing can be a Contrarian Investing….

I am going to write something different which is not easily acceptable to our investment society. But if we analyze it thoroughly then we can understand it and able to accept the reality.

So before going forward with the core discussion, let me start with some basic concepts.

Let me first mention what is contrarian investing?

 “Contrarian Investing is an investment strategy that is characterized by purchasing and selling in contrast to the prevailing sentiment of the time.” – Wikipedia

“Contrarian investing is the ideology in which an investor attempts to make profits by making his decision against the popular understanding but only when the conventional wisdom appears to be wrong.” – Trade Brains

After reading the above definition, we can come to know that contrarian means going against the herd. If we perform a task that is not performed by anyone then we fall into the category of contrarian person.

When it comes to an investment then What people usually do as a contrarian investing decision?

People run a list of 52 week low, the stock price has fallen a lot, low in valuation, companies having some problems & not with good financial but available as penny stock prices, etc. These things the majority of people are doing. I was in interaction with many of the clients and all those seek an investment idea with all the mentioned criteria earlier. In addition, they seek investment ideas where stock prices are below Rs. 5, 10 or maximum Rs. 100

A common myth in the market is catching a falling knife, turnaround, beaten-down stocks, etc. work as a contrarian. But if we check ground reality then the majority of people focus on those factors so if all want to do the same then how it can remain contrarian.

In addition, people average quality when stock prices start falling, the majority like to average at lower and booking profit when stock prices going upwards territory. They don’t have guts to book losses. Thus, lastly, they remain with the losers as they have booked out winners.

So, if the majority are performing in the same way then how it can be a contrarian investing?

I have taken a few examples of the companies which are having lower quality and prices have fallen. And as prices have fallen people have started accumulating those stocks. I have taken the last 10 shareholding patterns for reaching to a conclusion. All these people who have tried to catch a falling knife, those all have ended up with the losses.

We can see that people have to keep on buying as prices have fallen, book value bargain, try to catch a falling knife, averaging lower, etc.

So, what can be a contrarian investing?

When I asked people to invest in XYZ company and stock prices trading near 52 weeks high then people tell me that it’s already run up, give me something which has not run.

Also, stock prices are above Rs. 1000, 5000, etc. then they fearful and ask for a penny.

Means buying stocks which are traded at 52 weeks high then people tend to stay away from it. In addition, when stock has moved upward and things have improved with it then we never have to hesitate by averaging upward. We need to book losses if things are not happening as per our assumptions and keep running profitable ideas.

“Cut the losers and stay with the winners” – it’s the only formula of staying with a portfolio of winners.

So, these all can be a contrarian where the majority of people don’t focus.

Mr. Nooresh Merani has twitted a few days back –

Similarly, I have taken a few examples of the companies which are having a decent quality and prices keep on rising. And as prices keep on raising people have started booking profit in those stocks. I have taken the last 10 shareholding patterns for reaching to a conclusion. All these people who have to try to sell out their positions, all have ended up with the regrets.

We can see that people don’t like to average upward when companies having a quality, they run for booking profits when the stock price has moved up rather keep holding a winner. So that what the majority are not doing that only can provide us with an above-average return.

It is not always one asset class; one investment style remains contrarian forever. As particular assets or investment styles generating above-average returns then that will attract more and more participants which convert contrarian style to general style or asset class. When equity becomes popular among the participants then it having a good probability of underperformance compared assets class which is relatively lower popular. So that we require to shift from asset class as it moves in the pendulum of unpopular to highly popular.

This is the only concept of contrarian investment that teaches us. But the majority of investors have taken this in a different way. And they try to hunt for the lower value, falling knife, etc. Yes, this can be a contrarian investment style but we have to compare that when the majority of the people interested in such situations then that will not remain contrarian any longer.

The majority of the time, investors avoid higher value, quality, keep upward-moving stocks and that can be a contrarian investment strategy for us till people not getting attracted to such quality companies.

So that there is not a single investment style or asset class which remains contrarian forever. It will be unpopular and will moves to popular and then again once in a while return to the unpopular. We have to identify it and that helps us to create and protect our wealth.

Disclosure – Companies mentioned in the article are just for an example & educational purpose. It is not a buy/sell/ hold recommendation.

The Intelligent Investor – 15 – Stock Selection for the Enterprising Investor

Enterprising investors or aggressive investors are those who put more effort into stock selection and investment decisions. Graham-Newman Corporation was involved in the few investment classifications such as –

Arbitrage – opportunities where companies involve the reorganization, merger, demerger, etc.

Few businesses have a good quality but due to operating with the other gruesome businesses, good business does not get value. So that demerger of good business from the gruesome business will create value for the shareholders.

Details on post – SIMPLE IS BETTER – ISSUE -14 – DEMERGER

Liquidation – opportunity to earn profits where the company is gone through liquidation phase, sold out of assets and make cash payments to the stockholders. Many a time, company liquidate non-core assets for improving productivity and to reward shareholders.

One of the pharma companies has sold out their business to the MNC company and rewarded shareholders with a special dividend.

Related hedges – buying a convertible bonds/preference shares and selling of stocks into which they are going to convert. Such opportunities are rare and difficult for the Indian market due to the unavailability of wide derivatives stocks.

Net current assets or bargain issues – purchasing an issue which is available below net current assets value, not giving any value for the plants, land, machinery, etc. Here, wide diversification requires.

We should buy cyclical companies when the business cycle is depressed and due to depressed earnings valuation seems to be higher. I have explained on cyclical companies in detail in Warren Buffett’s letters series.

We can find out some of the undiscovered companies by using different types of criteria. Such a criterion helps us to filter out a few companies from the huge list. And then we need to put further due diligence, efforts for selecting or rejecting companies for an investment purpose from the available filtered list.

Enterprise investors can make an investment into the bargain issues and to the workout or special situations (I.e. demerger, merger, buyback, divestment, etc.) where they can reap an additional profit. Special situations have a lower probability of large loss so that we can earn lower losses with a satisfactory return.

We as an investor also need to do a practice for making an investment decision. We can make paper trade and decisions which help us to improve our decision making. As we know that cricketers, musicians, athletes, etc also getting engage in the practice before the actual performance. When we are learning to drive then we do not directly drive a car on the highway but we learn at peaceful roads so that we can avoid a big accident. Similarly, we need to perform with the investment field, rather make an initial huge investment, we need to put efforts to learn investment skills. This will help us to improve our decision making, philosophy, minimization of errors, etc.

We need to focus on the ROIC rather than focus on the EPS.

It shows us how efficiently a company is utilizing the fund to generate optimum returns. And provide us with good returns over a longer period.

We also need to check about the management who runs the business, whether they focus on the stock price or business, do financial statements are easy to understand or full of ambiguity? what company has promised and how-much they have delivered? does top management turnover higher or they stay for the long-term with the company?

We will find out many of the answers to the above questions from the annual report.

We also can learn and improve our approach by reading the approach of other investors such as Warren Buffett, Phil Fisher, Ben Graham, Charlie Munger, Howard Marks, Prof. Sanjay Bakshi, Neeraj Marathe Sir, etc.

Disclosure – Companies mentioned in the article are just for an example & educational purpose. It is not a buy/sell/ hold recommendation. 

Read for more detail: The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham, Jason Zweig

The Intelligent Investor – 14 – Stock Selection for the Defensive Investor

For stock selection and for investing for defensive investors, Mr. Graham has mentioned a few criteria –

• Adequate size of the enterprise

Mr. Graham has quoted that investment candidate companies should not be too small into the size. As per him, we should not invest in the company which does not have sales and assets less than $100 Mn (Rs.700 crore) and $50 Mn (Rs.350 crore) respectively.

• A Sufficiently Strong Financial Condition

We should check the long-term debt to working capital also. Such strength provides a margin of safety to defensive investors.

• Earning stability

Earning of the company does not get highly fluctuated during the past ten years. This indicates that a company has a stable business model. The stability of the business model provides safety to defensive investors.

• Dividend record

Uninterrupted dividend for at least the last 20 years. Further, we can check that whether company paying dividend through cash earning or through debt, which I have already explained in – The Intelligent Investor 11

• Earnings growth

Earning should be grown for the last ten year. We should decide the % of earnings growth, we seek from the business.

• Moderate price/earnings ratio

As per Mr. Graham P/E ratio should not be higher than 15x for the past three years of average earnings. Reverse P/E ratio is near to the AAA bond rate, which means 1/15 = 6.67%.

• The moderate ratio of price to assets

The price to book value should not be higher than 1.5x. and also, P/E * P/BV will not be higher than 22.5x (15x * 1.5x). it can be possible that P/E can be 20x and P/BV can be 1.12x or vice-versa.

We should not invest in the companies where earnings getting worst though those companies are available at the cheaper valuation. And if everyone thinks similar for an investment opportunity then advantage for a similar investment opportunity will be gone. Similar happens during the FY17 to FY18 to equities where everyone wants to invest in the equities and equities valuation reach at the higher level.

Mr. Graham has also mentioned that we should not put all our eggs into the one basket, diversification protect us, minimize the risk. But diversification should help when we have a stock of quality companies, also over-diversification does not help. If we own the worst quality companies and make diversification then also our winning odds will never be favorable.

These all parameters are important for initial screening, after that we need to make our due diligence before investing in a particular stock. We need to read at least five years of annual reports, if the institution holds more than 60% to particular stock means that it is highly discovered (>15% is much more for Indian companies), and need to put efforts before investing.

Disclosure – Companies mentioned in the article are just for an example & educational purpose. It is not a buy/sell/ hold recommendation. 

Read for more detail: The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham, Jason Zweig

The Intelligent Investor – 13 – A Comparison of Four Listed Companies

When we have decided to make an investment then we need to perform an analysis work so that we do not be stuck with the wrong investment avenues or at the wrong time. For making an analysis, we must need to focus on a few points.

Profitability – how the company performs? Return on invested capital, margins, growth in sales-profits, earning per book value, etc. If the profitability of the company gets hampered then we need to check whether it is permanent or temporary.

Stability – earning of the company decline in any of the years from the past ten years? Do the earnings of the company get fluctuations? Does a company involve in a seasonal or cyclical business?

Growth – companies with higher growth command for the high multiples and lower growth with low multiples. The growth of the company can help us to grow our wealth also. The growth provides an opportunity for the company to use capital appropriately.

Financial position – liquidity ratio, the position of a balance sheet, debt, preference share, etc. Tree does not grow in the sky. If financials are not strong then the business will not be surviving for a longer period. So that we need to put emphasis on the financial. How does a company utilizing assets? Company is capital intensive or asset-light? Working capital intensive or negative cash conversion cycle?

Also, we need to check what the company is doing with the capital generated. What is the capital allocation decisions of the management? Long dividend track record, increment into the dividend, buyback, buyback at higher than intrinsic value or lower than intrinsic value and if a company requires fund for growth then reinvest profits for growth rather pay dividend or buyback.

Disclosure – Companies mentioned in the article are just for an example & educational purpose. It is not a buy/sell/ hold recommendation. 

Read for more detail: The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham, Jason Zweig

The Intelligent Investor – 12 – Things to Consider About Per-Share Earnings

Many of the companies having smart enough management who know that analysts and the majority of investors focus on the bottom line so that they also emphasize the boosts earning at any means. Manipulating earnings for the few years can reward them a better way by offloading their stakes. Thus, we require to study earnings quality by putting a huge emphasis.

I have a different series under the “Simple is Better” category which covers tricks to identify earning manipulation.

Management of companies can be hungry for getting recognition which makes them involved in the playing with the earnings. We should not focus on the short-term earnings or one year earning for deciding for investment purpose otherwise we can be stuck into the trap. We need to focus on the footnotes for understanding properly for onetime earnings. Whether such earning will be going to recurring or one time? We also can perform an adjustment to the one time earning and need to check that still stock available at cheaper multiple or not. Does the company involve the frequent selling off assets for boosting profits? Does Company has change revenue recognition policy, change other accounting policy? Does the Company involve accounting shenanigans? When things available at dirt cheap then first need to check it thoroughly that why such cheapness is available with the stock. Cheapness is attractive always but the reason behind cheapness is an important factor.

One of the exchanges

The company got other income due to stake sell into the subsidiary company which has boost earning by ~3x and due to such one-time earning P/E multiple has fallen drastically. And, this fallen P/E multiple misguide investors and attract them to make a mistake.

We have to remove the effect of one time gain in the normal business and need to take an average of the 10 year or entire cycle for elements temporary and extreme profitability effects.

One of the automobile company has a reverse of the provision made during a slowdown time

If businesses into the cyclical nature then it is advisable to take an average of past seven to ten years or a business cycle earning average for nullifying the effects of ups and downs into the earnings due to changes into the cycle. If we focus on the earning at the best cycle then we can attract to buy and end up with the losses or has to wait till the next good time of the cycle. Reversely, when we focus on the worst cycle then we avoid the opportunity and we end up with the opportunity miss.

Example of the cyclical company regarding buying at top of the cycle which resulted in losses and the bottom of the cycle resulted in a profit

We are habituated to buy at the lower P/E and sell at the higher P/E but the same is not applicable in the cyclical industry. We have to buy company during the bad cycle which has depressed earnings that shows higher P/E and need to sell during the good cycle which has good earning that has depressed P/E. So, if we buy at the lower P/E then we end up with losses though P/E will be increased. Also, higher-earning is temporary and as the cycle turns out then earnings will disappear.

We can start reading an annual report from the backside so that some facts which the company wants to hide in the last section which comes first to us. Always read footnotes, focus more on learning about financial reporting.

Disclosure – Companies mentioned in the article are just for an example & educational purpose. It is not a buy/sell/ hold recommendation. 

Read for more detail: The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham, Jason Zweig