Topic: How To Invest

What is Pat’s commentary for the week of August 5, 2015

Article Excerpt

You can find a lesson about acquisitions in our latest edition of Wall Street Stock Forecaster, which we sent out last week. Investors often under-estimate the hidden risk of a corporate strategy of growth-by-acquisition. This strategy is inherently risky. It’s a little like buying new stock issues. Acquisitions generally come on the market when it’s a good time to sell. That may not be, and often isn’t, a good time to buy. Insiders and managers at the selling company know a lot more than the buyers about the company itself, and its business strengths and weaknesses. Some takeovers work out well for the buyers, of course. This doesn’t diminish the inherent risk. More important, risk multiplies as takeovers become a habit. Takeovers are more likely to succeed when the buyer is already a successful company and is under no pressure to buy anything. That way, the buyer can take its…