The Robot screen contains low P/E outliers. It
calls our attention to some of the very cheapest
stocks in the market, in the bottom percentile of
price/earnings ratios. It screens out stocks that
have excessive debt. From this screen we recently
bought Om Group (OMG), the largest U.S. dealer in
cobalt. It also deals in metal powers. The stock
is selling for less than book value and less than
six times earnings. We also bought some Cal-Maine
Foods (CALM). It produces and sells eggs. Now that
some of the crazier diet fads seem to be receding,
I figure that eggs can rebound a little bit as
part of a well-rounded diet for most Americans.
The stock sells for 6 times earnings.
The Bunny screen, or Growth at a Low Price, looks
for stocks with a five-year historical earnings
growth rate of 25% or better, and a current
price/earnings ratio of 12 or less. Among those,
the screen selects the five with the highest
growth rates and the five with the lowest P/E. OM
Group has made an appearance on this screen too.
The Casualty List is simply a list I used to write
about each quarter containing stocks that are down
a lot, and that I think have rebound potential.
One stock that weve bought this year is Ceradyne
(CRDN), which makes bullet-resistant armor and
advanced technical ceramics. It was down more than
30% in the first quarter.
Kirk: Are there any stocks on these screens that
you're particularly interested in right now?
Dorfman: There are a few were looking at. From
the Bunny screen we are intrigued by Western
Digital (WDC) & ConocoPhillips (COP). My friend
and mentor David Dreman owns a lot of
ConocoPhillips (COP). By the way, Goldman Sachs
(GS), which we own in the fund, just missed the
cut on the latest Bunny screen. I want to learn
about Insight Enterprises (NSIT), a technology
company that shows up on the Robot screen right
now.
Kirk: Looking over the most recent SEC filings
for your fund, I see some familiar stocks like
Berkshire Hathaway, Bear Stearns, Autoliv, Apache,
Goldman Sachs, Kinetic Concepts, Nam Tai, Rofin
Sinar, Schnitzer Steel, etc. Can you talk about
some stocks that you've sold recently?
Dorfman: We trimmed two of our energy holdings,
Apache (APA) and Devon Energy (DVN), at mid-year,
to keep them from being too large a percentage of
the fund. Also, they had accelerated very fast in
the first half of the year. Apache, for example,
rose more than 29% in the first half. Since then
it has fallen nearly 18%. Now that weve had an
energy correction in July and August, I think its
a good time for people to buy again.
By the same token, we did some mid-year trimming
in two of our metals stocks, Schnitzer Steel
(SCHN) and Commercial Metals (CMC). Again, that
proved propitious. And again, in July and August
we wished we had sold more. But you cant be too
fine or too cute with these things.
Recently I sold my holding in MB Financial (MBFI),
a Chicago bank. Its price/earnings ratio has
crept up to 17, and there has been a little
selling by insiders. In addition, the stock hasnt
been acting well. Its down about 19% in the past
12 months. I still own other banks in the fund
Cullen/Frost Bankers and Banco Latinoamericano.
Kirk: I know your strategy is to focus on low-
expectation stocks. In you opinion, looking ahead
with a one year time frame, where should long-term
value investors be focusing their attention as far
as sectors go?
Dorfman: I think there are big bargains now in
the financial sector and the pharmaceutical
sector. Many pharmaceutical stocks have declined
five years in a row. These are companies that make
innovative products that save peoples lives. And
yet they sell for multiples comparable to those of
the tobacco stocks