EPPT - And Marginally/Semi Relevant Other Stuff

I am including all the usual suspects even though they haven’t been around the full 5 years - so, their data is from their birth date using their Chinese Zodiac Animal. Now…a great many of you may - or may not, understand the intricate significance of the Chinese Zodiac in assessing a companies fortunes; however, just like everyday naturally occurring Karma (which is almost invariably, but not always, exactly like stretching a rubber band that pops right back to its original size once you let it go).

Back in our glory days we used to fashion crude wooden rifles out of used lumber and then cut loops of rubber from discarded inner tubes. You put a nail in the forepart of the wooden gun and then stretch the inner tube loop over it from its opening position at the tip of the wooden gun stock. Doesn’t sound like that much but from 8-10 feet - if you had constructed it correctly - it would leave a nice red mark for a few minutes. Glory days and I suppose we were war mongers of a sort. I had two older cousins that were pretty good at making the rubber guns and they let me have it often and I would have right smart feeling red welts aplenty after a game of war - at least for a few minutes. One day I waited semi patiently until Tommy was taking a shower, opened the shower curtain and popped him a good one right on his rear end. Much better than the traditional and much more convenient towel pop. REVENGE never felt as sweet. Course a little later he chased me down and gave me a good pounding - but, thereafter he always kept and eye on me when we were playing war games.

Anyway, I saw a joke a while back that reminds me of our search for the latest and greatest High Growth companies. It goes something like this:

Two old guys pushing carts in a grocery store happen to run into each other.

1st Old Guy: So sorry, I wasn’t paying attention because I was looking for my wife.

2nd Old Guy: Me too - please accept my apology - I was looking for my wife also.

1st Old Guy: What does your wife look like?

2nd Old Guy: Well - she is a former runway model, 27 years old, well built with long blonde hair. She’s wearing a white mini skirt with a matching halter top. What does your wife look like?

1st Old Guy: Doesn’t matter - let’s go look for yours!

Now that scenario reminds me of high growth investors - we look for the top growth stocks, over scrutinize and meticulously dissect every major flaw, minor flaw and potential major and minor flaws in an Earnings Report. To the point that the plane doesn’t actually have to be on fire with the wings falling off before we bail out and are on to what we think are greener pastures. And I freely admit that this may be more my investing persona and not perhaps the bulk of the smart kids high growth investing cohort.

Anyway… here are the YTD - 1YR - 5YR performance results for some of the more popular companies:

Note: In cases whereby a company has not been public for a full five years - I simply use their performance record to date:

A) Core Comparison Group:

These companies have an incredible amount of public awareness.
publicity and man, many investors.

META…YTD… +70.67%…1Yr…+13.20%…5Yr…+33.3%

APPL… YTD… +31.94%…1Yr… -1.00%…5Yr… .+305%

AMZN:…+24.63…-27.87… +46.51%

GOOG:… +18.07…-15.23…+107.6%

NFLX…+11.20…+50.30…+6.8%

NVDA…+89.44…-34.37…+390.4%

B) Recently Popular High Growth Group:

Simply a listing of a few High Growth Favorites from the last year or so.

CRWD…YTD +28.05%…1YR…-36.98%…5Yr +128.0%

BILL… -27.32…-55.46…+123.0%

DDOG… -6.67… -44.77…+79.1%

SNOW… +7.15… -17.10… -39.5%

NET…+45.00…-36.24…+248.0%

C). Food For Thought Group:

  1. ENPH…YTD… -11.72%…1Yr… +42.83…5Yr… 4,913.7%

A guy named Roberts on SA has been telling all of us about ENPH for years along with an investor that posted about the company on The Mongoose Chronicles. Those that listened have generational returns.

Current Price: 223.61
52 Wk Range: 128.67 - 339.92
Market Cap: $30.6B
Valuation: EV/Sales FWD 9.55

Last 4 QTRS Rev Grow (Latest First):

75.58%
80.56
67.75
46.24

Most Recent ER Press Release & CC Transcript:

https://seekingalpha.com/pr/19110505?source=content_type%3Areact|section%3Aearnings_summary|section_asset%3Aearnings_history|first_level_url%3Asymbol|button%3Apress-release

https://seekingalpha.com/article/4576201-enphase-energy-inc-enph-q4-2022-earnings-call-transcript?source=content_type%3Areact|section%3Aearnings_summary|section_asset%3Aearnings_history|first_level_url%3Asymbol|button%3Atranscript

ENPH is playing Solar/Renewable Energy 5 Card Stud with Jokers Wild and they have an Aces over Jokers hand. A true Unicorn Rule Making Rule Breaker.

Recent Scouting Reports:

https://seekingalpha.com/article/4594254-enphase-energy-garp-at-buying-level?source=content_type%3Areact|section%3Asummary|section_asset%3Aall_analysis|first_level_url%3Asymbol|button%3ATitle|lock_status%3ANo|line%3A1

  1. Perion Networks YTD…+52.91…1Yr…+69.82…5Yr…+1652.27%

PERI

https://www.perion.com/

Look at that 5Yr return number again…and again. Where’d that come from? Dunno - maybe its a typo or something.

Current Price: 38.38
52 Wk Range: 16.41 - 42.75
Market Cap: 1.79B
Valuation: EV/Sales FWD 1.88

Last 4 QTRS Revenue Growth (Latest First):

32.72%
31.06
33.72
39.52

Most Recent ER Press Release and CC Transcript:

https://seekingalpha.com/pr/19111003?source=content_type%3Areact|section%3Aearnings_summary|section_asset%3Aearnings_history|first_level_url%3Asymbol|button%3Apress-release

https://seekingalpha.com/article/4576429-perion-network-ltd-peri-q4-2022-earnings-call-transcript?source=content_type%3Areact|section%3Aearnings_summary|section_asset%3Aearnings_history|first_level_url%3Asymbol|button%3Atranscript

Recent Scouting Reports:

https://seekingalpha.com/article/4568229-bet-on-success-of-chatgpt-invest-in-perion?source=content_type%3Areact|section%3Asummary|section_asset%3Aall_analysis|first_level_url%3Asymbol|button%3ATitle|lock_status%3ANo|line%3A7

1652% 5 Year performance can’t be right. Must be a glitch somewhere…right?

  1. Impinj…YTD…+26.96…1Yr…195.84…5Yr…+1000.55

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwj_6pDrhsH-AhVhlWoFHWCPD8QQwqsBegQIFxAD&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DNAKKqZ6ayEA&usg=AOvVaw2nbKcKLIOXJrsdcL8cPj0B

PI

The folks at Rule Breaker made PI a rec ages ago. Have no idea if it is still on the rec list or not - but if so - hats off to those guys. Took a while but PI is killing it now. Can it continue? How in the world would I know. The hook has its RFID (?) Cloud Connectivity stuff linked to AI which makes it all that much more sexy.

Current Price: 139.99
52 Wk Range: 39.74 - 144.90
Market Cap: 3.66B.
Valuation: EVS/Sales FWD 10.23

Last 4 QTRS Revenue Growth (Latest First):

45.68%
51.06
26.50
17.45

Most Recent ER Press Release and CC Transcript:

https://seekingalpha.com/pr/19112414?source=content_type%3Areact|section%3Aearnings_summary|section_asset%3Aearnings_history|first_level_url%3Asymbol|button%3Apress-release

https://seekingalpha.com/article/4576583-impinj-inc-pi-q4-2022-earnings-call-transcript?source=content_type%3Areact|section%3Aearnings_summary|section_asset%3Aearnings_history|first_level_url%3Asymbol|button%3Atranscript

Recent Scouting Reports:

https://seekingalpha.com/news/3952250-top-10-growth-stocks-according-to-seeking-alphas-quant-ratings?source=content_type%3Areact|section%3Asummary|section_asset%3Aall_news|first_level_url%3Asymbol|button%3ATitle|lock_status%3ANo|line%3A1

https://seekingalpha.com/news/3940524-pi-director-reports-stock-purchase-worth-2m?source=content_type%3Areact|section%3Asummary|section_asset%3Aall_news|first_level_url%3Asymbol|button%3ATitle|lock_status%3ANo|line%3A2

Why consider PI? Well - because a donkey has never won the Kentucky Derby - thats why. A donkey did gets its own statue in a town in Colorado - but thats another story.

  1. The Trade Desk. YTD…+41.28%…1Yr…-2.02%…5Yr…1,084.57%

TTD

https://www.thetradedesk.com/

Current Price: 62.19
52 Wk Range: 39.00 - 76.75
Market Cap: 30.35B
Valuation: EVS/Sales FWD 16.12

Ok…ok so TTD is a little pricey just now…just a little, you know…pricey. Do you think that would stop the Great David Gardner (sp?) - why no it wouldn’t. He would double down or just buy more - or something like that. Or maybe not - Where have you gone David Gardner a sad subscription service turns its greedy little eyeshot you. Or something like that.

Last 4 QTRS ER Revenue Growth (latest First):

24.05%
31.11
34.65
43.45

Most Recent ER Press Release and CC Transcript:

https://seekingalpha.com/pr/19119388?source=content_type%3Areact|section%3Aearnings_summary|section_asset%3Aearnings_history|first_level_url%3Asymbol|button%3Apress-release

https://seekingalpha.com/article/4578586-trade-desk-inc-ttd-q4-2022-earnings-call-transcript?source=content_type%3Areact|section%3Aearnings_summary|section_asset%3Aearnings_history|first_level_url%3Asymbol|button%3Atranscript

Recent Scouting Reports:

https://seekingalpha.com/article/4589811-the-trade-desk-battling-macro-headwinds-to-achieve-growth-and-strong-cash-flow?source=content_type%3Areact|section%3Asummary|section_asset%3Aall_analysis|first_level_url%3Asymbol|button%3ATitle|lock_status%3ANo|line%3A2

Torn between keeping TTD as a STARTER or would it be a better Bench Player. I’ll have to figure it out.

Now go back and take a look at those 5YR results for the groups listed. At the worst it provides perhaps some meaningful perspective. But what do I know - I’m just a poor bumbling amateur investor.

All the Best,

8 Likes

Perhaps from declining 95% and hitting an all time low almost exactly 5 years ago? :wink:

2 Likes

Hi RayL:

I saw that when I was looking deeper at it.

The company is in the feast or famine advertising industry that has a list of recent casualties. When you add in that its long time CEO just stepped down and its Guidance going forward is in the mid-teens range there is a lot to be cautious about. Still…you have to respect their results over the last 5 years - I initially decided to add them the Scout Team but then changed my mind and just put them on a watch list.

Thanks for bringing the chart into focus.

All the Best,

1 Like

Heh… I originally wanted to make a point about the problem with comparing two specific points in time when looking at returns, e.g. 5 year. So took a look at PERI and found it quite remarkable that your post happened to coincide so perfectly with an ATL 5 years ago. :slight_smile:

Looking at a return such as this begs the question, though… Would one have bought the stock/company where it was at point in time?

1 Like

This is exactly what Putnid did in 2016/2017 when he bought ENPH under 1$.
In September 2019, after the ER, the stock tanked about 30% AH, but he didn´t give up on it.
I did.

I think - as RayL’s chart so blaringly depicted, at one point - 5 yrs or so ago you could have bought PERI for a couple of bucks and change. I might try to contact Investor Relations tomorrow and see if I can get the full Phoenix story. What caused the crash and what created the recovery?

ClubberV6’s reference to Putnid and ENPH reminds me of that movie called Courage Under Fire - or something like that, as well as Mike Tyson’s quote: Everybody has a plan - until they get punched in the face!

Leaves me wondering how many folks held on to Lucken Coffee and/or Upstart - both Fool Recs that siphoned a great deal of money from subscriber accounts. Me included.

All The Best,

2 Likes

Me!! I still am holding Upstart. The most $ I’ve put into a stock so far… well I’ll keep holding and see what happens :slight_smile: Never got into Lucken Coffee, so missed that one.

Not going to wreck my retirement plans but may cut into my traveling budget a little.

Paul

1 Like

Hi Paul:

If I remember correctly, XMFRob had about 2/3rds of his retirement in UPST and I think he either was keeping some and/or even thinking about adding a bit a few weeks back. Guy is a pretty good/knowledgeable investor and it just goes to show that we all can get carried away sometimes.

Besides UPST and Lucken Coffee I am sure I have another nightmare investment somewhere lurking in the background of my memory for a cool ship wreck, armageddon style trifecta of misery… It wasn’t that Chinese fertilizer company that was recommended by Hidden Gems - I remember thinking at the time that that particular Rec was full of poo. Or something like that.

Good luck with UPST - once the Fed dries up and swings to market supporting actions maybe UPST will come out swinging.

All the Best,

3 Likes