Lehman Brothers
(NYSE:LEH) has been a strong performer this year, moving up over 28
percent off of its lows, but the company is still struggling to join
the likes of Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs as an elite investment
bank. While most investors still think of Lehman Brothers as a bond
house with potentially damaging exposure to mortgages, some are now
beginning to see the firm in a new light.
What makes Lehman
Brothers an attractive stock? Well, the firm's efforts to restructure
itself have produced tangible results while its stock price has moved
up relatively little. Specifically, the firm has made great progress in
its move to diversify from fixed income into stocks and bonds both in
the U.S. and broad. And the stock remains extremely undervalued - in
fact, LEH trades at one of the lowest price-to-earnings multiples of
any brokerage. And management knows the firm is undervalued. Mr. Fuld
said, "Whether the world catches on today or tomorrow, I've got plenty
of time for that. I like that we're not fully appreciated."
Lehman
Brothers also has far less risk than other brokers who have used cheap
credit to force otherwise unprofitable deals through their pipeline.
While the firm is working on restructuring their balance sheet to take
on more trading and deal risk, they still intend on making much safer
bets than the competition. The firm also makes more money overseas than
every other investment bank besides Goldman Sachs. These factors make
LEH a safe bet in the event of a downturn in the economy that would
materially hurt other firms' earnings.
In the end, Lehman
Brothers is a company that is working to convert itself from a
fixed-income firm to an elite investment bank like Goldman Sachs or
Morgan Stanley. If it is successful, it could mean significant share
appreciation from these levels. And the reduced amount of risk they are
taking on makes them a safer bet than other investment banks in the
event of a downturn in the economy. This makes LEH a stock
worth watching!
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