Thursday, October 9, 2014

* FireEye (FEYE) - Incredible Charts Show Huge Risk and a Firm Like No Other


Share on StockTwits





This visualization is provided by:
Capital Market Laboratories: Get Notified When CML Light Goes Live


Conclusion
There's huge risk in FEYE with contradicting good news, bad news and a huge bet on R&D. Let's look at five charts to understand.

DISCLOSURE: The Hedge Fund is Short FEYE Shares



Revenue (TTM)
So here's the good news... revenue is busting higher up from $83M (ttm) to now over a quarter billion (ttm).



Gross Margin %
And the bad news... gross margin % has been dropping as revenue has been increasing.  This is a huge measure to check with growth companies.  The bet is that these firms can maintain high gross margins as revenue expands.  This does not seem to be the case with FEYE (for now).


Net Income (TTM)
The company has never produced a profit over a trailing-twelve-month period, and that loss has grown from $36M to now over a quarter billion dollars. The firm has more in losses than it does in revenue.



Research & Development / Operating Revenue
FEYE is pouring money into R&D, spending nearly $0.50 of every dollar in revenue into it.  If you're long FEYE, this is the bet you're making.  When it comes to R&D, there's FEYE... and then there's everybody else.



Revenue vs R&D
If we take the two extremes in FEYE, which are revenue growth (one year) on the x-axis and R&D / Operating revenue on the y-axis, we can see quite clearly how different this firm than every other peer.



Capital Market Laboratories: Join the Queue - Get Notified When CML Light Goes Live

This is trade analysis, not a recommendation.






Legal Stuff:
Options involve risk. Prior to buying or selling an option, an investor must receive a copy of Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options. Investors need a broker to trade options, and must meet suitability requirements.

The information contained on this site is provided for general informational purposes, as a convenience to the readers. The materials are not a substitute for obtaining professional advice from a qualified person, firm or corporation. Consult the appropriate professional advisor for more complete and current information. I am not engaged in rendering any legal or professional services by placing these general informational materials on this website.

I specifically disclaim any liability, whether based in contract, tort, strict liability or otherwise, for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, or special damages arising out of or in any way connected with access to or use of the site, even if I have been advised of the possibility of such damages, including liability in connection with mistakes or omissions in, or delays in transmission of, information to or from the user, interruptions in telecommunications connections to the site or viruses.

I make no representations or warranties about the accuracy or completeness of the information contained on this website. Any links provided to other server sites are offered as a matter of convenience and in no way are meant to imply that I endorse, sponsor, promote or am affiliated with the owners of or participants in those sites, or endorse any information contained on those sites, unless expressly stated.

1 comment:

  1. Nice post.
    Services - which makes up a substantially larger portion of FEYE's total revenue post-Mandiant - tend to have lower margins than HW/SW sales. Margins should stop declining shortly.
    Net income trends are interesting; investors should also look at the extent to which they're actually burning through cash. (or not.)

    ReplyDelete