Brian Feroldi Profile picture
Jun 14, 2021 17 tweets 7 min read Read on X
High-return, low-risk stocks do exist

But many of them don't grab financial headlines

Here are 10 high-return, low-risk stocks (that most investors ignore):
What do I mean by “high-return”?

These stocks have CRUSHED the market:

📈Since IPO
📈Over the last 5 Years

They are all long-term winners that keep on winning
What do I mean by “low-risk”?

A combination of:

✅Financially Strong
✅Profitable
✅Consistent Organic Growth
✅High Returns On Capital
✅Wide moat
✅Great Management
✅Recurring Revenue
✅Diversified Customers/Suppliers
✅Low Disruption/Dilution/Volatility
1/ Accenture - $ACN

Consulting is BIG business and Accenture is the industry’s top dog

This company is so consistent that it’s boring to follow, but it’s worked out really well for shareholders
2/ Cintas - $CTAS

Managing employee uniforms is BORING

but this company sure does crank out consistent growth
3/ EPAM Systems - $EPAM

Need custom software? EPAM is the go-to choice for companies worldwide

Sticky clients, consistent growth, and founder-led!
4/ Intuit - $INTU

Tax software? Boring!

Payroll software? Boring

Budgeting software? Boring

But Intuit’s long-term returns sure haven’t been boring!
5/ Moody’s - $MCO

Rating bonds and providing financial data isn't an exciting business

But this business has a wide moat, is HIGHLY profitable, and has hugely rewarded shareholders
6/ MarketAxess - $MKTX

This platform allows bonds to be traded electronically

Boring? Yup!

But WOW is this a lucrative business
7/ Rollins - $ROL

Few investors dream about owning a pest control company

They might want to after they see Rollins’ consistent growth and great long-term returns
8/ Sherwin-Williams - $SHW

Buying a home? You need paint

Selling a home? You need paint

Remodeling a home? You need paint

No wonder this company’s growth is so consistent
9/ S&P Global - $SPGI

Another bond-ratings agency & financial analytics company

Boring? Yup! But a REALLY good business to be in
10/ Verisign - $VRSN

Domain name registration services? Boring!

But WOW has this been a great long-term investment
Enjoy this thread?

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Summary:

1: $ACN
2: $CTAS
3: $EPAM
4: $INTU
5: $MCO
6: $MKTX
7: $ROL
8: $SHW
9: $SPGI
10: $VRSN
Does a business have high return & low-risk potential?

Here's how to tell using $UPST as an example

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More from @BrianFeroldi

May 12
How to analyze an income statement, FAST.

Study these 7 infographics:

1: Income Statement Overview Image
2: Three Types of Analysis Image
3: Net Income vs Free Cash Flow Image
Read 8 tweets
May 11
The most powerful investing principles I've ever learned are counterintuitive.

That’s logical - if they were intuitive, I wouldn't need to learn them.

Here are 7 counterintuitive investing principles I had to learn the hard with (with visuals) Image
1: Don’t haggle

If a stock is trading at $21, I used to set a limit order for $20.50

But my orders usually didn't fill.

Haggling caused me not to BUY a few mega-winners.

Which is FAR MORE costly than slightly overpaying. Image
Think of it this way:

If stock checks all your boxes and goes from $20 to $200

Does it matter if you got in at $19.56 or $21.25?

If you think a stock has 10x potential from today's price, don’t haggle over pennies.

Just buy it.
Read 18 tweets
May 8
I bought my first stock 21 years ago.

Here are 21 harsh investing truths I learned the hard way:

1: The worst mistake is to sell a mega-winner early Image
2: Humans are pre-programmed to be bad at investing.

3: Your personal finances are 10x more important than your investments.

4: Handle volatility is 100x easier in theory than in reality.
5: Confidence in your strategy will rise and fall in lock-step with asset prices.

6: The best stocks put their owners through gut-wrenching volatility. The worst stocks do, too.

7: You're going to be wrong—a lot. Be humble.
Read 10 tweets
May 6
How to Read 10Ks Like a Hedge Fund

Here’s what metrics professional analysts focus on (using $MA as an example:) Image
1: Business overview.

Understand everything about how the business works, like:
- What is the business model?
- Who are the key suppliers, distributors, partners?
- Revenue quality?(Recurring? Recession proof?)
- What is the revenue split from products / services? Image
2: Risk Factors

Most of these are standard.

Identify the risks that are company-specific and make sure you understand them. Image
Read 14 tweets
May 5
"I actually spend more time looking at balance sheets than income statements."

- Warren Buffett, 2025 Shareholder Meeting

Here's exactly how to analyze a Balance Sheet in less than 2 minutes: Image
The balance sheet is one of the three major financial statements.

It shows a company’s:
▪️Assets: What it owns
▪️Liabilities: What it owes
▪️Shareholders Equity: It's net worth

At a fixed point in time Balance Sheet
That “at a point in time” part is key!

A balance sheet is a SNAPSHOT of a company’s net worth.

It is measured at the end of a quarter/year. Image
Read 11 tweets
May 4
The most confusing term in accounting:

Stock-Based Compensation

How does it work? Why is it controversial?

Here’s a complete overview (in plain English): Image
How can shareholders incentivize executives & employees to think & act like owners?

Stock-based compensation (SBC) has become the standard answer.

SBC pays executives and employees with stock instead of cash.
In theory, SBC aligns employee + owner incentives.

Employees make more money when the stock goes up and less (or nothing) when the stock goes down.

This makes employees care about the direction of the stock.
Read 17 tweets

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