Should You Buy Financial Engines Right Now?
The Dynamic Wealth Report
March 18, 2010
by Robert Morris, Editor
The struggling IPO market got a big boost this week. Financial Engines
(NASDAQ: FNGN), an investment advisory and asset management firm, soared
in its opening debut.
It was the hottest IPO in six months.
The shares gained 44% in their first day of trading!
Here’s what happened…
On Tuesday, the company issued 10.6 million shares at $12 per share. The
stock opened at $15 and traded as high as $17.36 before closing at
$17.25. And, nearly 10 million shares traded hands. (Investors are
clearly scrambling to get their hands on shares of FNGN.)
The question on everyone’s minds now is, “Should I buy FNGN at these
prices?”
That’s a great question.
But, before I give you my answer, let me tell you a little bit about the
company.
FNGN has an elite heritage.
The company was co-founded by William Sharpe, winner of the 1990 Nobel
Prize in Economics. Sharpe is also the developer of the Sharpe ratio… a
measure of risk/reward used by nearly all professional investors. (Sharpe gives the business a ton of credibility.)
Here’s what they do.
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FNGN provides investment advisory services to over 760 retirement
plans. These plans have a whopping 7.4 million participants and over
$500 billion in assets. The company also manages $25.7 billion for
391,000 individual investors.
The company’s services are a big hit with customers.
FNGN locks in customers initially with multi-year contracts. However,
when the contracts expire, the vast majority of customers are renewing. The company’s
client retention rate is a mind-boggling 96%. (Clearly,
they must be doing something right.)
What I really like about FNGN is their business model. It’s a money
making machine!
The company’s fees are calculated using a percentage of the assets
they’re managing. The more assets under management… the higher the fees.
Plus, the business is scalable… this means they can add large numbers of
new accounts without driving up expenses. When you combine an increasing
asset base with relatively constant expenses, you get… increasing
profitability!
The key is to keep bringing in more assets.
And, FNGN has developed an ingenious way to do just that.
They’ve partnered with some of the largest 401(k) providers in the
industry. Companies like Fidelity, Vanguard, and T. Rowe Price offer
FNGN’s services. (Nothing like having industry heavyweights market your
business for you.)
All you need to do is look at the company’s numbers to see that the
business model is working.
Over the past five years, FNGN has steadily increased revenue each and
every year. And, last year revenue jumped an impressive 19% to $85
million. More importantly, the company posted their first ever profit…
$5.7 million.
Now, getting back to the big question… should you buy FNGN today?
The short answer is no. You probably don’t need to chase the shares on
the IPO.
You see, hot IPOs tend to generate a high level of excitement. Investors
often get caught up in the moment and feel they must buy shares right
away.
But, here’s the interesting thing.
History shows investors are usually better off waiting for the
excitement to wear off. Most hot IPOs will fall below their offering
price within the first three years. And, in the currently weak IPO
market, we’re seeing this happen much more quickly.
Take a look at the last hot IPO… A123 Systems (NASDAQ: AONE).

AONE shot up 50% on its IPO. The shares priced at $13.50, opened at $17,
and closed at just over $20 per share. As you can see, the shares
ultimately traded as high as $28.20… a gain of 109%… before promptly
falling back to earth.
Here’s the kicker…
You can now pick up AONE for less than $15 a share.
That’s not quite below the offering price (not yet anyway). But, it’s
much cheaper than what you would have paid if you chased it on the IPO.
So, what’s an investor do?
Here’s a good strategy for buying a hot IPO.
Decide how much money you want to invest in the stock. Use some of it…
maybe half or a third… to buy some shares right away. That way if the
shares skyrocket, you’re in the game.
Then, watch the shares closely. If they pull back, you can invest the
remaining amount at a lower price.
By using this strategy, you can participate in an IPO rally and lower
your overall purchase price. Take a closer look at FNGN for your own
portfolio. And, if you decide to buy it, feel free to use my hot IPO
buying strategy.
The Financial Select Sector SPDR (XLF) ETF broke out of
a five-month sideways range yesterday. Financial stocks are rising after
the Fed said it will keep interest rates low indefinitely. XLF set a new
52-week high yesterday of $15.97. And, it’s now more than doubled in the
past year.
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