Acquisitions work for Stanley

Article Excerpt

THE STANLEY WORKS $34 (New York symbol SWK; Conservative Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 79.1 million; Market cap: $2.7 billion; Price-to-sales ratio: 0.6; WSSF Rating: Average) makes hand and power tools for consumer and industrial users. Its top-selling brands include Stanley, FatMax and Powerlock. It mainly sells its tools through home-improvement retailers like Home Depot. Security products cut Stanley’s risk Stanley has spent $2.8 billion on acquisitions since 2002. We generally take a skeptical view of companies that fuel growth this way. But most of these purchases have cut Stanley’s reliance on tools. As a result, building-security operations, including automatic doors, gates and monitoring services, now supply 35% of Stanley’s sales and 45% of its earnings. Stanley has also moved into making specialized tools for auto mechanics and other professionals. This business accounts for 30% of the company’s sales and 25% of its earnings. Sales of tools to consumers and contractors make up the remaining 35% of sales and 30%…