Topic: How To Invest

Dear Mr. McKeough: I purchased shares of Aceto Corporation some time ago, and the stock has done well. Is it time to sell?

Article Excerpt

Aceto Corp., $18.59, symbol ACET on Nasdaq (Shares outstanding: 28.4 million; Market cap: $519.1 million; www.aceto.com), distributes over 1,100 chemical compounds that manufacturers use as raw materials. It gets two-thirds of these materials from Asia. Aceto’s compounds include ingredients for generic drugs, vitamins and nutritional supplements. In addition, the company sells specialty chemicals that are used to make plastics, adhesives, coatings, food, cosmetics, electronics and air conditioning systems. For the agricultural industry, Aceto makes herbicides, fungicides, insecticides and a chemical that keeps potatoes from sprouting. In December 2010, the company bought New Jersey-based Rising Pharmaceuticals, which let it take better advantage of rising generic drug demand. As a result of this purchase, Aceto gets over 70% of its earnings from generic drugs and other products people consume. In the three months ended December 31, 2013, Aceto’s revenue rose 2.2%, to $116.5 million from $114.0 million a year earlier. Earnings jumped 49.7%, to $6.8 million from $4.5 million. Due to more shares outstanding, earnings per…