Gem of a Stock Shines in Weak Market
With the domestic auto sector generating big losses and companies offering to buy out employees from the workplace, it’s great to find a business that’s thriving selling its products to vehicle manufacturers.
The company I’m referring to is Amerigon Incorporated (NASDAQ/ARGN) and I’ve written about it before in this column.
Amerigon has developed a proprietary “Climate Control Seat” (CCS) product for sale to automotive and truck original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).
The company’s CCS product is designed to provide cooling and heating to seat occupants through an active thermoelectric-based temperature management system. Amerigon is also developing more efficient thermoelectric devices (TED) with twice the efficiency of today’s devices. It has development contracts with several partners to expand the market for TED-based automotive and non-automotive products.
Based in Farmington Hills, Michigan, Amerigon maintains sales and technical support centers in Los Angeles, Detroit, Japan, Germany and England.
In its latest quarter, the fourth quarter of 2007, the company reported that its revenues grew to almost sixteen and half million dollars, up from revenues of fifteen million dollars generated in the same quarter in 2006.
Net income for the fourth quarter was $1.8 million, or $0.08 per diluted share, as compared to net income of $1.0 million, or $0.05 per diluted share.
For all of 2007, Amerigon’s revenues grew to more than sixty-three and a half million dollars, up from more than fifty and a half million dollars in 2006.
Net income for the year was a solid $7.4 million, or $0.33 per diluted share, up from 2006 net income of $3.5 million, or $0.16 per diluted share.
The company finished 2007 with cash and short-term investments of just over twenty-five million dollars, total assets of fifty-six million dollars and zero bank debt.
Going forward, Amerigon expects its revenues in 2008 to grow between 30% and 40%, with strong increases in profitability.
In an industry that’s suffering from killer competition and a weak economic environment, it’s great to see a small company selling a great product that’s in demand. Amerigon is fairly pricey on the stock market, but the company has a bright future ahead. It also makes for a great takeover candidate.