Corning Incorporated. By now most people know that Corning makes Gorilla Glass, Gorilla Glass 2, etc. They also have big dreams for the future: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZkHpNnXLB0&feature=youtu.be
Succinctly, right now, only Corning has the best glass in the world for smartphones and other touch screen devices. This could change, and isn't necessarily a durable competitive advantage for the long-run, but for the mid-term...
Did you also know that Corning is trading for less than book value? That once you subtract its debt, it has a net cash position of $4Billion? (The market cap is $20B) That it is currently trading at a P/E ratio of about 8? And that it is paying a dividend of over 2%? Everyone should know that.
Did you also know that they have several partnerships with other companies that are harder to value?
Samsung Corning Precision Materials Co., Ltd (50% ownership) - $3.4 billion; Dow Corning (50% ownership) - $1.25 billion; Other - $245 million *courtesy Henry W. Schacht
So, why is this company trading so cheaply? Well, apparently they are currently losing money on a glass project for Samsung LED TV's, their earnings guidance wasn't that great for the next couple of quarters, and people are scared of companies who supply Apple.
Nevertheless, here is a great company, which has been around for a long time, with some great products that is poised for a future where we use more and more glass.
I like companies selling at a discount that also have a tremendous upside. How tremendous? Well, just last year the stock was trading at $23.00@share. Today it is hovering around $13.50.
I'm not all in, but I am in.
Disclosure: Plan to go long GLW on Monday February 6th.
