small caps Archives - Wealthy Retirement https://wealthyretirement.com/tag/small-caps/ Retire Rich... Retire Early. Thu, 18 Dec 2025 21:19:59 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.3 The Big Inflation Beater https://wealthyretirement.com/market-trends/the-big-inflation-beater/?source=app https://wealthyretirement.com/market-trends/the-big-inflation-beater/#comments Sat, 20 Dec 2025 16:30:42 +0000 https://wealthyretirement.com/?p=34549 This data may surprise you...

The post The Big Inflation Beater appeared first on Wealthy Retirement.

]]>
Inflation may have slowed down, but no one is celebrating. At 2.7%, it remains well above the Fed’s 2% target.

And with more interest rate cuts likely coming and higher tariffs still on the table, I expect inflation to accelerate.

Fortunately, there’s an asset class that has absolutely crushed inflation every decade for nearly a century. And I bet you’ll be surprised when you find out what it is.

It is not gold.

Gold has kept up with inflation over the very long term, but that’s about it. An ounce of gold essentially buys the same amount of goods and services today as it did a millennium or two ago.

The big inflation beater is small cap stocks.

Chart: Small Cap Stock Returns vs. Inflation

You can see from the chart above that small caps strongly outpaced inflation in every decade. The smallest margin was 4.7% in the 1980s.

On average, small caps returned 13% annually, while inflation averaged 3.2% – meaning small caps increased an investor’s buying power by an astounding 10% per year.

That doesn’t just mean you could have had 10% more money each year. It means you could have bought 10% more goods and services each year – no matter how high prices rose during that year.

To make it clear just how profound this is, let me give you an example. Let’s say you’re a golfer and the average round of golf costs you $100. You have a budget of $1,000 per year for golf (not including equipment). That means you can play 10 times per year.

Now imagine that, due to inflation, a round of golf will cost you $105 next year. If your budget doesn’t increase, you’re down to playing nine times per year. And in a few years, if inflation remains constant, that will decline to eight times.

But now suppose that you added the average yearly return (13%) that small caps have delivered to your golf budget, increasing it from $1,000 to $1,130. Not only would you be able to afford the annual bump in greens fees, but you’d also be able to increase the number of times you can hit the links to 11 per year. You’d be able to play 12 times the following year… and so on.

Small caps get a bad rap. Many investors think they’re super risky. And certain ones are. There are plenty of garbage companies out there.

But as an asset class, small caps have a fantastic track record that goes back decades. And surprisingly, they help investors increase their buying power even during periods of high inflation.

Going forward, it will be important to have small caps in your portfolio. With large caps trading at historically high valuations (and with more rate cuts by the Fed on the horizon), they are likely to be the top performers in the near term.

Many people think of small caps as speculative investments. But they have proven over nearly 100 years to play a vital role in allowing investors to beat inflation and increase their buying power.

The post The Big Inflation Beater appeared first on Wealthy Retirement.

]]>
https://wealthyretirement.com/market-trends/the-big-inflation-beater/feed/ 5
The Right Way to Own Small Cap Stocks https://wealthyretirement.com/financial-literacy/the-right-way-to-own-small-cap-stocks/?source=app https://wealthyretirement.com/financial-literacy/the-right-way-to-own-small-cap-stocks/#respond Tue, 21 Oct 2025 20:30:20 +0000 https://wealthyretirement.com/?p=34359 When they move, they can move fast!

The post The Right Way to Own Small Cap Stocks appeared first on Wealthy Retirement.

]]>
Years ago, a friend of mine asked me for a stock recommendation or two. “I need to make some money,” he said.

I told him I really liked Texas Instruments (Nasdaq: TXN). “The calculator company?!” he exclaimed. “Yes, the calculator company,” I replied, rolling my eyes.

I explained that while there are still calculators out there with Texas Instruments’ name on them, the company is one of the world’s leading semiconductor makers. And it pays a nice dividend.

He snored loudly, pretending to be asleep.

I then told him about Raytheon Technologies (NYSE: RTX). The government never gets tired of spending money on new toys for the military.

“C’mon, Marc… give me something exciting,” he demanded.

“Okay, how about Digital Realty Trust (NYSE: DLR)?”

I explained that this company is a real estate investment trust that rents out shelf space to household-name companies to place their servers. It generates a ton of cash and also pays a solid dividend.

“Booorrrring!!!” he cried.

Had he invested in those companies, he wouldn’t have thought they were boring at all. Texas Instruments became the second-biggest winner in the history of my monthly newsletter, The Oxford Income Letter, gaining over 450% in 10 years. I sold Digital Realty Trust in 2022 for a more than 220% gain in eight years. Raytheon, now called RTX, is still in the Oxford Income Letter portfolio and is up 792% since 2013.

But my friend wanted something tiny that could really move.

There’s a misperception in the market that low-priced stocks can move faster than high-priced stocks.

Tell that to anyone who bought Nvidia (Nasdaq: NVDA) at $400 or Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) for $300 two years ago. They’ll laugh in your face. Goldman Sachs has more than doubled to $760 since then, and Nvidia has more than quadrupled (it underwent a 10-for-1 stock split in 2024).

Still, there is something exciting about owning a lot of shares of a low-priced, very small company. And when tiny companies move, they can move fast.

Look at RedCloud Holdings (Nasdaq: RCT). It was trading between $1.40 and $1.70 in June of this year. But by July 1, it had tripled to $4.29.

PepGen (Nasdaq: PEPG) recently doubled – from below $2 to over $4 – in just a month.

And Dominari Holdings (Nasdaq: DOMH) skyrocketed nearly 13X, rising from $1 to $13, from mid-January to mid-February.

That’s the kind of action most people who get involved in microcap stocks are looking for.

And there’s nothing wrong with that as long as you know the risks and position size accordingly.

Many investors don’t know this, but you can also find microcaps that pay dividends.

For example, Kimbell Royalty Partners (NYSE: KRP) has a market cap of just $1.4 billion and yields almost 12%.

And $30 million market cap Crown Crafts (Nasdaq: CRWS) sports an 11% yield.

That brings me to another point: Microcaps don’t have to be startups that have recently gone public or are involved in Bitcoin or some other speculative technology.

Crown Crafts makes baby furniture and has been around for almost 70 years.

I tell investors that when creating a portfolio, they should diversify into various sectors, geographies, and market caps. There are times when large cap companies outperform and other times when small cap or microcap companies are better.

No doubt, my buddy was looking for one of those microcaps that are about to take off. Everybody is. And it’s okay to invest in these types of companies.

In fact, I recommend that investors include microcaps in their portfolios so they have exposure to these small companies that can double or triple in a short period of time in some cases and fly under the radar in others.

Just be sure you know why you’re buying a stock, and have an exit plan (like a stop) set up ahead of time. This ensures that you will sell if things change or grab profits when it’s time.

The post The Right Way to Own Small Cap Stocks appeared first on Wealthy Retirement.

]]>
https://wealthyretirement.com/financial-literacy/the-right-way-to-own-small-cap-stocks/feed/ 0
How to Gain an Edge in Your Investing https://wealthyretirement.com/market-trends/how-to-gain-an-edge-in-your-investing/?source=app https://wealthyretirement.com/market-trends/how-to-gain-an-edge-in-your-investing/#comments Sat, 30 Aug 2025 15:30:05 +0000 https://wealthyretirement.com/?p=34203 It pays to look where others aren’t.

The post How to Gain an Edge in Your Investing appeared first on Wealthy Retirement.

]]>
People hate when I show them this chart.

Most investors are perpetually Pollyanna-ish. If the market’s up, all is well.

Not me.

I deal in facts, figures, and plain truths – whether they make me comfortable or not.

That’s not cynicism. It’s realism. And realism pays.

So when I say people hate this chart, it’s because there’s nothing comfortable about it.

The cyclically adjusted price-to-earnings (CAPE) ratio – also called P/E 10 – uses inflation-adjusted earnings averaged over the past decade. It smooths the cycle and gives a clearer long-term view of price versus earnings.

The chart below plots the CAPE of the S&P 500 in standard deviations from its long-term mean. In simple terms, it shows how far today’s valuation sits from “normal.”

Right now the reading is near three standard deviations above average.

Chart: More Proof Valuations Are High

That is an extreme level by any historical yardstick. Readings that high show up only a tiny fraction of the time – roughly a few tenths of one percent.

For years, I’ve tried to alert investors to the market’s rich valuation. But we live in a value-blind regime. Most folks only care about rising prices and earnings growth.

Those matter. But they’re not everything.

When you focus on the right things – not just surface-level hype – you become a more principled, disciplined investor.

It doesn’t mean you stop investing. It means you raise your standards.

A market drenched in rich valuations isn’t one to avoid. It’s one that demands scrutiny and wisdom – the kind value investors have practiced for decades.

You weigh price against quality. You insist on a margin of safety. You accept that the crowd can be wrong for a long time.

Frankly, I like when most people ignore this. It gives me an edge. I look where others won’t because they’re busy chasing buzz. (My August 15 Value Meter column is a perfect example.)

Right now, the best values I see are in small caps. They trade at a clear discount to large caps.

Chart: The Case for Small Caps

Over full market cycles, that’s often where leadership flips and excess returns emerge. So long-term investors should be ecstatic about this.

History favors small caps on a global scale, which makes today a real opportunity.

But don’t look only at the U.S.

Over the past 20 years, U.S. small caps have lagged large caps. But abroad, the story flips. In developed international markets – and in emerging markets – small caps have led.

Chart: Small-Caps Overseas

Leadership rotates. Valuation gaps close. That is how cycles work.

The long-run data also suggests the U.S. gap is likely to narrow. Trends mean-revert, and current valuations help. (When you can buy durable small businesses at a discount while attention fixates on mega-cap winners, the odds tilt in your favor.)

That’s why it’s better to buy when small caps are out of favor – when focus is elsewhere and sentiment is sour. It’s not about calling a top or a bottom. It’s about treating price as a key part of the process and letting time do the heavy lifting.

Today, that discipline seems boring. Good. Boring sets you apart.

Take advantage of it.

The post How to Gain an Edge in Your Investing appeared first on Wealthy Retirement.

]]>
https://wealthyretirement.com/market-trends/how-to-gain-an-edge-in-your-investing/feed/ 2
3 Reasons Small Caps Could Steal the Show https://wealthyretirement.com/market-trends/3-reasons-small-caps-could-steal-the-show/?source=app https://wealthyretirement.com/market-trends/3-reasons-small-caps-could-steal-the-show/#comments Sat, 19 Jul 2025 15:30:40 +0000 https://wealthyretirement.com/?p=34046 The stars are aligning for some serious small cap outperformance...

The post 3 Reasons Small Caps Could Steal the Show appeared first on Wealthy Retirement.

]]>
Are small cap stocks about to have their moment?

It seems that may be the case…

Considering large caps, as measured by the S&P 500, have done the heavy lifting of the current stock market rally.

And the Magnificent Seven – a group of seven megacap technology growth stocks associated with artificial intelligence – have led the way. Because the S&P 500 is a weighted index, companies with the largest market caps have a bigger impact on it. And all of the Magnificent Seven stocks are among the 11 largest firms in the world.

But the Magnificent Seven’s recent run – as a group, they’re up 230% since the October 2022 beginning of the current bull market – has also made them very expensive.

The forward price-to-earnings ratio (P/E) of the Magnificent Seven now stands at 28.6. That’s far higher than the S&P 500’s P/E (22.2) and nearly double that of the S&P SmallCap 600 Index (just 15.6).

And now, several challenges that have held small cap companies back are receding. So there are suddenly new opportunities in the small cap space.

Rate Cuts Coming

Small companies have suffered from higher borrowing costs since the Federal Reserve started hiking rates in early 2022 in response to spiking inflation.

These companies tend to have less in the way of profits, so they rely more heavily on credit to fund their operations. And credit has been expensive the last few years.

But relief is likely on the way. It looks increasingly likely that the Fed will begin reducing rates later this year.

Futures traders are now pricing in at least two quarter-point rate cuts by the end of the year, and possibly three.

And historically, small caps have benefited the most during interest rate easing cycles.

Since 1954, small cap stocks gained on average 14.2% after the first Fed cut, while large caps gained 9.4%. And a year after the first cut, small caps gained nearly 27% while large caps rose about 16%. An 11-percentage-point outperformance is pretty significant for any asset class.

Lower Taxes

The recently-passed One Big Beautiful Bill Act extends the corporate tax cuts enacted during President Donald Trump’s first term.

That’s more good news for smaller businesses, which tend to pay higher tax rates than their larger brethren due to their revenue composition. They rely more heavily on domestic revenues, which are more directly affected by U.S. corporate tax rates.

Tariffs

Finally, tariffs disadvantage bigger firms, because those businesses get more of their revenue from exports than small firms, which tend to be more domestically focused.

And while the Trump administration is negotiating many of the tariffs down, they will still be higher going forward. This gives small firms a leg up on large caps.

Put higher tariffs, lower taxes, and more affordable borrowing costs together, and the future is looking bright for small businesses and their share prices.

And in fact, we’re already seeing that in our portfolios at The Oxford Club.

The truth is the surge in small cap stocks is already here – if you know where to look.

The post 3 Reasons Small Caps Could Steal the Show appeared first on Wealthy Retirement.

]]>
https://wealthyretirement.com/market-trends/3-reasons-small-caps-could-steal-the-show/feed/ 2
Where the Value Will Be Found in 2025 https://wealthyretirement.com/market-trends/where-the-value-will-be-found-in-2025/?source=app https://wealthyretirement.com/market-trends/where-the-value-will-be-found-in-2025/#respond Fri, 03 Jan 2025 21:30:40 +0000 https://wealthyretirement.com/?p=33256 This may be the last place to find true value in today’s market...

The post Where the Value Will Be Found in 2025 appeared first on Wealthy Retirement.

]]>
Editor’s Note: Happy New Year!

Today, I’m sharing Director of Trading Anthony Summers’ article from the December issue of The Oxford Income Letter about where the best value will likely be found in 2025.

I want to hear your thoughts as well – do you have your eye on any particular stocks or sectors this year? Let me know in the comments below.

– James Ogletree, Managing Editor


Buffett is at it again…

The Oracle of Omaha has accumulated his largest cash hoard ever, an astounding $325 billion in cash.

What does he know that most investors don’t?

Unlike many of the fearmongers in the media, I don’t take this as a sign that Buffett is preparing for an imminent crash.

He simply knows two inconvenient truths:

  1. The ample rewards of stock investing must be balanced against the risks.
  2. The risk-reward balance is looking less and less attractive.

You see, there’s this thing called the “equity risk premium.” It’s basically the extra return you get for investing in stocks instead of safer investments like Treasury bonds.

When you invest in stocks, you expect to earn more than you would from government bonds because you’re taking on more risk. But today, that extra return is getting squeezed to the smallest levels since the early 2000s.

Chart: Buffett's Secret Weapon: The Equity Risk Premium - S&P 500 earnings yield minus real bond yield plus inflation

This is a sign that the stock market is becoming more and more overpriced – particularly large cap stocks, whose valuations have gotten stretched to concerning levels.

The S&P 500 is currently trading at 25 times forward earnings. That’s so far above the historical average that valuations would need to drop by about 3% annually for the next decade just to get back to normal.

Here’s the good news, though: There’s still value to be found for those who are willing to do a little digging.

Small cap stocks, especially those with strong value characteristics, are trading at some of their best valuations relative to large caps in 25 years. While everyone’s been chasing the same handful of megacap tech names, these smaller companies have been steadily building value.

History also shows us that interest rate cuts often lead to significant outperformance for small caps.

Dating back to 1957, small caps have returned an average of about 11% in the first three months of rate-cutting cycles, 19% in the first six months, and nearly 29% in the first year.

Chart: Small Caps Outperform After Rate Cuts

The gains after periods of underperformance are even more striking.

When small cap stocks have posted meager returns over a three-year period (as they did from 2021 to now), the bounce back has been remarkable.

According to market data going back to 1982, following these disappointing periods, small caps have gone up over the next three years 99% of the time.

Small caps are also showing stronger projected earnings growth than their large cap counterparts for both this year and next. Combine that with their current valuation discount and the historical data, and you’ve got a compelling opportunity.

But here’s the catch: You can’t just buy any small cap stock.

The key is focusing on quality companies with strong balance sheets, solid cash flows, and durable competitive advantages – in other words, true value stocks. These are where the risk-reward balance makes the most sense right now.

It Pays to Think Small

All the big money managers seem to agree that the broader market looks expensive. BlackRock, Vanguard, Goldman Sachs, and others are all predicting below-average returns for U.S. stocks in the coming years.

Factoring in dividends, buybacks, earnings growth, and valuations, the current consensus is that the S&P 500 will deliver only about 4% annually over the next decade. That’s barely better than what risk-free Treasury bills are offering.

In a market where risk premiums are shrinking and the Oracle of Omaha himself is stockpiling cash, seeking genuine value isn’t just smart – it’s essential. And right now, small cap value stocks might be one of the few places left to find it.

After all, when giants like Buffett are raising cash and valuations are stretched, it pays to look where others aren’t. While everyone else is still scrambling to buy yesterday’s winners, the smart money is quietly positioning itself in small cap value stocks.

The post Where the Value Will Be Found in 2025 appeared first on Wealthy Retirement.

]]>
https://wealthyretirement.com/market-trends/where-the-value-will-be-found-in-2025/feed/ 0
What Another Trump Term Means for the Market https://wealthyretirement.com/market-trends/what-another-trump-term-means-for-the-market/?source=app https://wealthyretirement.com/market-trends/what-another-trump-term-means-for-the-market/#respond Tue, 12 Nov 2024 21:30:41 +0000 https://wealthyretirement.com/?p=33031 Here’s our strategists’ take on Donald Trump, the Federal Reserve, and more.

The post What Another Trump Term Means for the Market appeared first on Wealthy Retirement.

]]>

 

The last seven days have been a perfect storm of market news…

First, there was Donald Trump’s surprisingly wide margin of victory in the presidential election…

Then the market soared the next day, marking its largest single-day move in two years…

And the day after that, the Federal Reserve announced a 25-basis-point interest rate cut.

I don’t know about you, but my head is spinning!

That’s why we had Chief Income Strategist Marc Lichtenfeld, Chief Investment Strategist Alexander Green, and Publisher Rachel Gearhart in The Oxford Clubroom this morning to make sense of it all.

Here’s just some of what they covered:

  • The sectors that are set to thrive during Trump’s second term
  • Areas of the market Marc and Alex will likely avoid for the foreseeable future
  • The Fed’s latest interest rate decision and whether it’s cutting too much too fast
  • Whether the post-election rally could continue
  • How Marc and Alex plan to adjust their strategies after Trump takes office
  • The best “Trump stocks” to watch right now
  • How Trump’s win may impact small cap stocks
  • And more!

I rarely send full Clubroom sessions in Wealthy Retirement, but I felt this one was too important not to share.

Click the image above to watch the full session!

The post What Another Trump Term Means for the Market appeared first on Wealthy Retirement.

]]>
https://wealthyretirement.com/market-trends/what-another-trump-term-means-for-the-market/feed/ 0
Why Small Caps Belong in Your Long-Term Portfolio https://wealthyretirement.com/market-trends/why-small-caps-belong-in-your-long-term-portfolio/?source=app https://wealthyretirement.com/market-trends/why-small-caps-belong-in-your-long-term-portfolio/#respond Sat, 17 Aug 2024 15:30:28 +0000 https://wealthyretirement.com/?p=32691 According to Marc, they’re “critical for your investment success”!

The post Why Small Caps Belong in Your Long-Term Portfolio appeared first on Wealthy Retirement.

]]>
State of the Market video on YouTube

In this episode of State of the Market from last year, Chief Income Strategist Marc Lichtenfeld declared that “adding small caps to your portfolio is critical for your investment success.”

The video was recorded in early 2023, but since then, the outlook for small caps has gotten even better.

At that time, it was widely known that the Fed wasn’t done raising rates. In fact, there were four rate hikes in the first eight months of the year.

But now, the market almost unanimously expects a rate cut – perhaps even a 50-basis-point cut – at the next Fed meeting in mid-September. That means lower borrowing costs, which is a huge help to small cap stocks since they often have to take on significant amounts of debt to fund their businesses.

Also, when this episode originally aired, the Russell 2000 index was trading at half of its price-to-earnings ratio from a year earlier. But since then, its P/E has dropped by another 34%!

And Marc isn’t the only one who’s bullish on small caps.

Just look at these news headlines from the past few days…

‘Small caps hold the key’: Investing ideas beyond the S&P 500

Small-Cap Stocks Remain Cheap Vs. Large Caps, Analyst Says

Op-ed: Small caps could be in for a revival. Here’s why

With experts all across the market projecting a small cap surge, the time to get in is now.

Click the image above to watch Marc’s State of the Market episode on how to put small caps to work for your portfolio.

Enjoy!

The post Why Small Caps Belong in Your Long-Term Portfolio appeared first on Wealthy Retirement.

]]>
https://wealthyretirement.com/market-trends/why-small-caps-belong-in-your-long-term-portfolio/feed/ 0
Think Small: Small Cap Stocks Poised to Outperform? https://wealthyretirement.com/market-trends/think-small-small-cap-stocks-poised-to-outperform/?source=app https://wealthyretirement.com/market-trends/think-small-small-cap-stocks-poised-to-outperform/#respond Fri, 16 Aug 2024 20:30:06 +0000 https://wealthyretirement.com/?p=32685 Smart investors are getting positioned now...

The post Think Small: Small Cap Stocks Poised to Outperform? appeared first on Wealthy Retirement.

]]>
There’s one equity class that is likely to seriously outperform for the remainder of the year: microcaps.

For several reasons, they offer the best opportunities in the market right now.

Let’s start with a bit of background…

In a bear market, large cap stocks hold up better than midcaps. Midcaps hold up better than small caps. And small caps hold up better than microcaps, the smallest of small cap stocks.

However, history also shows that when the market lifts off in earnest, midcaps outperform large caps, small caps outperform midcaps, and microcaps outperform small caps.

In other words, the whole process reverses.

But even though the bear market bottomed in October 2022, this “reversion to the mean” hasn’t happened yet.

As every investor knows who is paying attention, the Magnificent Seven – Apple, Amazon, Meta, Tesla, Microsoft, Alphabet and Nvidia – are responsible for practically the entire gain in the S&P 500.

Indeed, Nvidia alone is responsible for 30% of the gain in the index this year.

Yet, as you can see in the chart below, history shows that microcaps outperform everything over the long haul.

Chart: Microcaps Over Everything

It isn’t even close: $1,000 invested in large caps a century ago – with dividends reinvested – is worth $12.8 million. The same amount invested in small caps is worth $35.4 million. And $1,000 invested in a diversified portfolio of microcaps is worth $55.3 million.

The trade-off for this $42.5 million in outperformance is – you guessed it – greater volatility along the way.

This is especially true of those microcap companies that are not yet profitable.

But pre-profit is not the same as pre-revenue.

I have never recommended a microcap that doesn’t already have substantial sales growth.

And there’s a good reason for that.

Companies that are unable to support their growth with their own cash flows must tap stock and bond markets periodically to raise fresh capital.

That dilutes existing shareholders or delays profits.

Here’s an example. Let’s say a company has 5 million shares outstanding at $20 a share… or a market cap of $100 million.

If the company needs to raise $20 million, it can issue 1 million new shares at $20. That would dilute existing shareholders by 20%, since there would then be 6 million shares outstanding instead of 5 million.

But look what happens if the share price declines to $5. To raise $20 million, it now must issue 4 million new shares.

That would take the total number of shares outstanding to 9 million, a far greater dilution.

That’s a big reason why small, unprofitable companies get such a haircut in a down market.

But here’s the good news…

This reality is already reflected in share prices. It’s a big reason why microcap stocks have lagged in this bull market… so far.

It’s also important to remember that many of the market’s biggest gainers over the past few decades – companies like Amazon, Tesla, and Netflix – saw their biggest gains before they ever earned their first dollar of profit.

Investors could see that blockbuster sales growth would eventually turn into powerful earnings growth.

So they bid the shares up in anticipation of big profits down the road.

I expect the same thing to continue to happen in the months ahead, as microcaps with double- and triple-digit sales growth – but no profits yet – bounce back in a big way and turn in a bravura performance.

This is especially true with Fed rate cuts on the way.

As Ed Yardeni, president of Yardeni Research, points out in this week’s Barron’s, not only are valuations more compelling with small companies, but many of them have floating-rate debt.

That means they stand to benefit the most when the Fed cuts rates. And the bigger the drop in rates – and the longer the central bank eases – the more appreciation we should see.

In short, historical outperformance, low valuations, and a looming rate cut all point to microcaps as the asset class that should deliver the greatest outperformance in the months ahead.

Smart investors will position themselves now for the turnaround that almost certainly lies ahead.

The post Think Small: Small Cap Stocks Poised to Outperform? appeared first on Wealthy Retirement.

]]>
https://wealthyretirement.com/market-trends/think-small-small-cap-stocks-poised-to-outperform/feed/ 0
The Overlooked Opportunity for Value Investors in 2024 https://wealthyretirement.com/income-opportunities/the-overlooked-opportunity-for-value-investors-in-2024/?source=app https://wealthyretirement.com/income-opportunities/the-overlooked-opportunity-for-value-investors-in-2024/#respond Tue, 11 Jun 2024 21:01:39 +0000 https://wealthyretirement.com/?p=32361 Why don’t more people embrace value investing?

The post The Overlooked Opportunity for Value Investors in 2024 appeared first on Wealthy Retirement.

]]>
In my early 20s, I became an almost overnight believer in value investing after reading Benjamin Graham’s seminal work, The Intelligent Investor.

The logic of Graham’s investment philosophy was so elegantly simple that it was hard to deny: By purchasing shares of companies that are trading at discounts to their intrinsic values, investors can outperform the broader market over the long run.

But despite how common value investing has since become, Graham’s approach is still not without its detractors. It runs counter to two widely held beliefs that continue to pervade the world of finance to this day.

The first belief is the notion that market prices always accurately reflect a stock’s true value. Proponents of this idea – which is also known as the efficient market hypothesis – argue that all relevant information about a company is quickly incorporated into its share price, making it impossible for a stock to consistently trade at a discount to its intrinsic worth.

The second is that broad diversification, rather than concentrated bets on individual stocks, is the surest path to investment success. This approach, called modern portfolio theory, holds that investors can maximize their returns based on a given level of risk by spreading their bets across a wide range of assets.

These two beliefs have been pillars of the financial world for decades. But the long-term success of famous value investors like Warren Buffett, Seth Klarman and Joel Greenblatt has bolstered the case against them – and proven that the crowd is often wrong.

So why don’t more people embrace value investing?

Part of the answer lies in the strategy’s demand for patience – a virtue that’s in short supply in today’s fast-paced world. When Graham first published his book, the average holding period for stocks was measured in years. Today, it’s mere months.

The internet has undoubtedly contributed to this shift. Armed with real-time data and the ability to trade with the click of a button, many investors now focus more on a company’s near-term earnings fluctuations than its long-term prospects.

Yet it is precisely the willingness to go against the crowd that gives value investing its edge. Value investors recognize that markets are not always efficient and that sentiment and short-term noise can cause stock prices to diverge significantly from where they should be based on underlying business fundamentals.

By focusing on a company’s long-term earnings power and buying only when there is a substantial margin of safety, value investors position themselves to profit from the market’s mistakes. That’s why some of the most fertile hunting grounds for value investors are areas of the market where most people aren’t looking and where information is scarce.

Small cap stocks, for example, often have little to no analyst coverage, which creates opportunities for diligent investors to find mispriced gems. They also sport the lowest price multiples in the market currently, followed by midcap stocks.

Chart: Small Cap Stock Sports Lowest Valuations

With the S&P 500 now trading at a hefty premium to small cap stocks, value investors may once again have the odds in their favor. History suggests that buying solid small companies at attractive valuations tends to yield market-beating returns over time.

Chart: On a Rolling 10-Year Basis, the Average Small-Cap Return Is Superior

Ultimately, while many investors chase hot stocks and short-term performance, value investing offers a time-tested approach grounded in logic and discipline. By focusing on the difference between price and value, investing thoughtfully rather than emotionally, and being willing to go against the crowd, patient investors can outperform over the long haul.

The post The Overlooked Opportunity for Value Investors in 2024 appeared first on Wealthy Retirement.

]]>
https://wealthyretirement.com/income-opportunities/the-overlooked-opportunity-for-value-investors-in-2024/feed/ 0
Immersion: An Undervalued “Touch Tech” Play Ready to Surge https://wealthyretirement.com/income-opportunities/the-value-meter/immersion-immr-an-undervalued-touch-tech-play-ready-to-surge/?source=app https://wealthyretirement.com/income-opportunities/the-value-meter/immersion-immr-an-undervalued-touch-tech-play-ready-to-surge/#respond Fri, 07 Jun 2024 20:30:03 +0000 https://wealthyretirement.com/?p=32356 Could the stock be an under-the-radar gem?

The post Immersion: An Undervalued “Touch Tech” Play Ready to Surge appeared first on Wealthy Retirement.

]]>
Last week, a reader requested that I take a look at Immersion (Nasdaq: IMMR), a small cap licensing company that’s on the cutting edge of developing the future of haptic technology.

So today, we’re going to see what The Value Meter has to say.

(By the way, I’m happy to keep taking your requests. If you have a stock you’d like me to run through The Value Meter, just drop the ticker in the comments section at the bottom of this article.)

For those of you who are not familiar, haptics allow people to use their sense of touch to engage with products and experience the digital world.

Immersion’s intellectual property and technological expertise enable it to develop high-quality, immersive haptic experiences across a wide range of applications, from mobile devices and interior car interfaces to gaming and virtual reality.

The stock has had a shaky ride over the past several years, but its recent performance has been impressive. Shares have more than doubled since 2022 to a current price of about $10, with the stock soaring nearly 40% in the past month alone.

Chart: Immersion (Nasdaq: IMMR)

This rapid appreciation in share price has caught the attention of many investors – and prompted a closer look at the company’s fundamentals and growth prospects.

Immersion currently trades at an enterprise value-to-net asset value (EV/NAV) ratio of just 0.7. That’s a 90% discount to the average EV/NAV ratio of 7 for companies with positive net assets.

However, as I always point out, a low EV/NAV ratio alone doesn’t necessarily make a stock a screaming buy. To get a more complete picture, we also need to examine the company’s ability to generate cash.

Over the past year, Immersion has recorded four straight quarters of positive free cash flow. In that span, its free cash flow has averaged 6.4% of its net asset value. That’s modestly below the 8% average among its peers, but not so far below it as to justify the clear discount on Immersion’s EV/NAV.

The company’s most recent quarterly results underscore its strong fundamentals and its tightening grip on the haptics market.

In Q1, Immersion grew revenue by a jaw-dropping 517% year over year to $43.8 million, primarily driven by a one-time licensing and settlement agreement with Meta Platforms. While this massive revenue growth rate may not be sustainable in the long run, it highlights the value of Immersion’s intellectual property and its ability to monetize its haptic technologies with major players in the industry.

The company also posted excellent profitability and free cash flow in the quarter, bolstering its cash position to a rock-solid $179 million. That gives Immersion plenty of dry powder to fund new growth initiatives, make acquisitions and keep rewarding shareholders with a steady stream of dividends.

But perhaps most exciting is Immersion’s gargantuan growth opportunity as haptics go mainstream across multiple industries. Due to the proliferation of touchscreens, wearables and virtual reality devices, the demand for realistic and engaging haptic feedback is poised to skyrocket in the coming years.

As the clear leader in this space and the owner of a massive intellectual property portfolio, Immersion is ideally positioned to capitalize on this rising tide and expand its licensing model.

Immersion checks all the boxes of a classic “growth at a reasonable price” (GARP) play: a wide moat, strong and improving financials, a below-average valuation, and exposure to multiple secular growth markets.

The stock doesn’t come without risk, but the risk/reward balance looks quite compelling at current levels. And for investors who can stomach some volatility and take a multiyear view, this is the kind of under-the-radar gem that could be a huge winner in the long run.

The Value Meter rates Immersion as “Slightly Undervalued.”

Chart:

As I said above, if you have a stock that you’d like to have rated by The Value Meter, leave the ticker symbol in the comments section below.

The post Immersion: An Undervalued “Touch Tech” Play Ready to Surge appeared first on Wealthy Retirement.

]]>
https://wealthyretirement.com/income-opportunities/the-value-meter/immersion-immr-an-undervalued-touch-tech-play-ready-to-surge/feed/ 0