A Company’s Misstep Can Lead You to Profits
Starbucks (SBUX) CEO Howard Schultz recently announced that the company would start offering energy drinks in its stores. He also mentioned that Starbucks would be getting into the “health and wellness business.” Yep, you read that correctly. A coffee chain wants to break into the health business.
For a company known as a purveyor of fine (if not overpriced) coffee, this is a huge step outside their core competency. And, in my opinion, it’s a big mistake. With the company stock price down 50 percent in the last 16 months, now is not the time to be breaking into unfamiliar markets. For one thing, branching out costs money. For another, Starbucks risks losing brand identity as it expands its product line away from coffee.
The company is already facing shrinking margins due to increased costs of sales (up 1.1 percent versus last year) and increased operating expenses (up .90 percent). It is closing 100 under-performing stores, and reducing the number of store openings this year. Taking on the additional costs to expand into another market just doesn’t seem like a wise decision. Not to mention that the expansion would be into the highly fragmented energy drink market.
Investing in Starbucks Stock
With Starbucks’ stock already down dramatically from its peak, it may appear that the opportunity to profit from these missteps is past. But I believe there is still more room for the stock to fall. And I don’t think the slide will stop until the share price is in the single digits. So taking a short position against the coffee king can add some diversity to your portfolio… and be a profit opportunity in a falling market.
Meanwhile, if you hold Starbucks stock, it might be time to dump it.
[Ed. Note: Rick Pendergraft is a professional trader and market analyst. In Rick’s new investment service, he gives easy-to-follow, step-by-step advice that you can use to create a consistent, automated income. Learn more about how he can help you produce explosive gains – no matter which way the market is trading – here.]Rick Pendergraft
Inspired by his high school economics teacher, Rick Pendergraft fell in love with the markets at an early age. He entered his first investing competition at 17, and opened his first brokerage account before he finished college. At the age of 23, on the third options trade he had ever placed, Rick turned $1,800 into $22,000 in less than a week, when the company he bought became the target of a takeover. He admits it was a stroke of luck, but it was a memorable education as to the leverage that options can provide. After a ten year career in banking, Rick decided to pursue trading full-time. To get his foot in the door, he started out in the sales department at Schaeffer's Investment Research. It was not long before his talent was recognized and he was invited to apprentice under Bernie Schaeffer, one of the top options traders in the world. Rick thrived in his new position and twice received the award for "Top Trader."Rick has developed a loyal following of readers who are grateful for his timely warnings and profitable advice. He is widely recognized as a market expert and has been frequently quoted by Reuters, BusinessWeek, Forbes, USA Today, the New York Times, and the Washington Post. Rick's primary focus is on identifying short and intermediate term rising and falling trends in the major market sectors. His analysis is based on technical factors along with indicators of market sentimentRick lives near Delray Beach, FL with his wife and three children.