New Position: Avalon Holdings (AWX)


We viewed a recent pullback in the price of tiny Avalon Holdings (AWX), as an attractive entry point, and recently initiated a position.

We initally wrote about Avalon back in October, 2006, and found it an interesting and profitable combination of assets and businesses. The company currently owns 2 golf courses (Avalon Lakes Golf Course, Warren, Ohio, and Avalon Country Club, Sharon, PA) operates the Avalon Golf and Country Club at Squaw Creek in Vienna Ohio, and runs a waste management business, which accounts for more than 85% of operating revenue.

Strong Third Quarter
Revenue rose 9% to $12.1 million from the same quarter last year, and 20% to $35 million for the first nine months of 2007. Net income rose to 547K or $.14 per share vs, 501K and $.13 for the quarter, and to $1.262 million and $.33 per share vs. 984K and $.26.

The balance sheet remains strong with $6.741 million or $1.77 per share in cash, and just 232K in long term debt. Cash did decrease significantly from year end 2006, primarily due to cap ex related to improvements at the Sharon Country Club (acquired in October 2006).

Buyer beware, Avalon is a microcap, with little liquidity. Before taking a position in a company of this size, do your homework.


Avalon Holdings
Ticker: AWX
Price: $6.50
Mkt Cap: $24.7 million
Shares Out: 3.8 million (3.191 million Class A, 613K Class B)
Book Value/Share: $10.32 (no intangibles)
Avg Volume: 8800

*The author has a position in Avalon Holdings (AWX). This is neither a recommendation to buy or sell any securities. All information provided believed to be reliable and presented for information purposes only. The author will not trade any of the securities mentioned (buy, sell, short) for at least two weeks following the date of this post.

New Life in the Land of the Forgotten: Ranks of Tiny, Profitable Net/Nets Growing

Call us strange, but we believe that a little market volatility can be a good thing. It helps wipe away market excesses, such as those that were the end result of credit that was too easy for too long, and poorly designed and misunderstood securities which have bankrupted many. (Notice, we did not use the “S” word)

We’ve whined for months about the lack of interesting companies—those worth further research—trading below their net current asset value, but recently, the situation has been looking up (or down depending on your reference point). We are beginning to see more profitable net/nets. Most are deep into the microcap space, but beggers can’t be choosers.

The criteria for this weeks net/net list is as follows:
Company profitable on a trailing 12 month basis
P/E ratio less than 50
Market Cap greater than $20 million


Company: Bexil Corp
Ticker: BXLC
Price: $31.15
Market Cap: $27 million
NCAV: $37.8 million
P/E: 42


Company: Forward Industries
Ticker: FORD
Price: $2.71
Market Cap: $21.1 million
NCAV: $24.6 million
P/E: 46


Company: GSI Technology
Ticker: GSIT
Price: $2.30
Market Cap: $65.1 million
NCAV: $66 million
P/E: 12


Company: Eternal Technologies
Ticker: ETLT
Price: $.59
Market Cap: $27.8
NCAV:$48 million
P/E: 4


Company: Atlantic Coast Entertainment Holdings
Ticker: ACEH
Price: $18
Market Cap: $179.4
NCAV: $220 million
P/E: 5
*Currently does not have an operating business, primary assets are cash

Good to see some unfamiliar names. We are also seeing a few other interesting companies that are not curretnly profitable. Perhaps we'll feature these in a furture post.

*Of the companies mentioned, the author has a position in Eternal Technologies (ETLT). This is neither a recommendation to buy or sell any securities. All information provided believed to be reliable and presented for information purposes only. The author will not trade any of the securities mentioned (buy, sell, short) for at least two weeks following the date of this post.

Lazare Kaplan Update

As we reported in our 10/19 post, diamond company Lazare Kaplan announced in their proxy their intention- subject to shareholder approval- to buy out shareholders owning less than 101 shares in order to save the company an estimated $25000 per year in mailing, printing and other costs. We believed there was more to the story, namely that LKI's ultimate intention was to reduce shareholder roles to below 300, de-list, and in doing so, avoid both SEC filing and the prohibitive costs associated with Sarbanes Oxley compliance, while still trading publicly. That's where the real savings are for small companies such as LKI.

We hoped the company would address this on their recent earnings call. However, LKI's interpretation of the facts did not match ours. When describing the reverse and forward split, Chairman Maurice Templesman stated that once the transaction was complete, the company would have "750 shareholders of record for SEC reporting purposes, which is well above the number of shareholders for the company to continue to qualify as a public company".

Perhaps it's a matter of interpretation, or one of us does not have his facts straight, but we believe that following the reverse/forward split, the company will be well below 300 shareholders of record. This is what the prospectus had to say:

The Company has a stockholder base of approximately 2,500 stockholders, including approximately 1,709 registered stockholders.

As of September 14, 2007, approximately 1,644 registered holders of the Company’s Common Stock owned fewer than 101 shares of stock. On such date, these stockholders represented approximately 96% of the total number of registered holders of the Company’s stock, but owned only approximately 0.045% of the total number of outstanding shares of stock.

By our interpretation, following the split and buyout of small shareholders, there will be 65 registered shareholders. We believe that Templesman's 750 figure was referring to stockholders, not registered holders. If Charles Schwab, for example had 100 clients with positions in LKI, the shares are held in street name, and this represents 1 shareholder of record.

In any event, shareholders did approve the reverse/forward split, and it is set to occur on November 12th.

*The author has a position in Lazare Kaplan (LKI). This is neither a recommendation to buy or sell any securities. All information provided believed to be reliable and presented for information purposes only. The author will not trade any of the securities mentioned (buy, sell, short) for at least two weeks following the date of this post.

Losing Patience With Tootsie Roll (TR)

Sometimes, as value investors, we become enamored with a good story. For Tootsie Roll, the story was a strong brand, very solid profit margins, and aging owners. Unfortunately, the company continues to stagnate under the leadership and control of the Gordon family.

We knew they might be an issue, but believed that at their ages, Ellen, 76 serving as President, and CEO Melvin, 87, would seek an exit strategy. We believed they would sell out, perhaps to Hershey (HSY), or Wrigley (WWY). This might still happen, but as shareholders wait, sales stagnate, margins erode, and opportunities are wasted.

Shares are down about 25% this year, as the broader markets have rallied, despite the credit crunch and subprime mess. Sales were flat from 2005 to 2006, and net profit margins, still very healthy at 13.3% for 2006, fell from above 15% the prior two years.

Third quarter results, typically the make or break quarter for Tootsie Roll, were disappointing. Sales fell 2% from the same quarter last year ($182.9 million, $186.4 million), and net income fell 19%, from $29 million, to 23.4 million. Net margins dropped from 15.6% to 12.8%. Nine month numbers are not any better. Nine month 2007 sales fell 2% to $377.7 million from $385.2 million. Net income fell 25% to $43.5 million from $54.2 million, net margins to 11.5% from 14.1%. Ouch!

Once again, Ellen Gordon cited higher ingredient costs, as well as unfavorable foreign exhange rates (From Canadian manufacturing operations) among the reasons for the shortfall.

Perhaps the Gordon's should consider taking a pay cut until they can right this ship. Their compensation for 2006 was $10,401,400 according to the company's DEF14A filing. This included salary, bonus, and "other compensation". The following is taken directly from the 14A:

(

2) The All Other Compensation column reflects the following benefits:

· For each of Mr. Gordon and Mrs. Gordon $1,536,767 and for each of Messrs. Ember, Newlin and Corr between approximately $1,000 and $4,000, reflecting premiums paid by the Company under the split-dollar life insurance agreements in 2006. The Company is entitled to fully recover these and all prior premium payments upon the death of the insured(s) or otherwise under the terms of the agreements. See “Compensation Discussion and Analysis—Split Dollar Life Insurance Agreements” for a more detailed discussion of the split-dollar life insurance agreements.

· The shared use of Company aircraft by Mr. and Mrs. Gordon, to travel between corporate headquarters and other locations where they maintain both executive offices and personal housing, in the amount of $503,900 for each of Mr. Gordon and Mrs. Gordon. See “Compensation Discussion and Analysis—Perquisites” above for a discussion of the reasons why the Company provides these benefits. Although the Board of Directors has approved these expenditures for Company aircraft as reasonable business expenses because of the actual and potential benefits to the Company, such expenditures are considered compensatory perquisites to Mr. and Mrs. Gordon under an SEC interpretation. The amounts included above reflect the aggregate incremental cost to the Company of travel between these locations by the Gordons, based on the proportion of hours flown for this travel relative to all hours flown. This calculation of aggregate incremental cost includes the proportionate amount of all operating costs and fixed charges (other than depreciation) such as monthly management fees, pilot charges, fuel, maintenance, insurance and other fees. In 2006 the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Operating Officer also used Company aircraft for a minimal amount of personal travel, the incremental cost of which was $11,562 for each of Mr. and Mrs. Gordon, which usage has also been approved by the Board of Directors for security and other reasons.

· The shared use of a Company owned apartment when they are working at the Company’s headquarters in the amount of $60,993 for each of Mr. Gordon and Mrs. Gordon. The amounts in the table with regard to this item include one year of depreciation expense plus the out of pocket costs related to the apartment including real estate taxes, maintenance expenses, utilities and association fees. The Company believes that the cost of owning the apartment over time has been substantially offset by appreciation in the real estate.

· The following amounts contributed by the Company for the benefit of the named executive officers in 2006 under the Company’s pension plan, profit-sharing plan and EBP: $24,991 for each of the named executive officers with respect to the pension and profit sharing plan; $220,993, $209,235, $102,127, $154,434 and $147,522 for Mr. Gordon, Mrs. Gordon, Mr. Ember, Mr. Newlin and Mr. Corr, respectively, with respect to the EBP; and $147,000, $204,000, $197,000 for Mr. Ember, Mr. Newlin and Mr. Corr, respectively, with respect to the CAP.

· Amounts with respect to the costs of personal use of automobiles provided to each of the named executive officers other than Mr. and Mrs. Gordon and, for them, amounts with respect to their shared use of an automobile and driver based on all direct costs of maintaining and operating the automobile and the proportionate cost of the portion of an employee’s time used for driving.

By the way, the Gordon's total compensation for 2006 represented 15.78% of company net income.

What's a Shareholder to do?
Shareholders are evidently voting with their feet, given Tootsie Roll's stock price decline. They see little recourse, as the Gordon's control about 80% of the companies Class B shares, (this class has superior voting rights), and 40% of the common shares. Perhaps a continued slide in company operating performance and stock price will force the Gordon's to act as they see their fortune decline. We hope it does not take that. This could be a great company.

*The author has a position in Tootsie Roll Industries (TR). This is neither a recommendation to buy or sell any securities. All information provided believed to be reliable and presented for information purposes only. The author will not trade any of the securities mentioned (buy, sell, short) for at least two weeks following the date of this post.

Remembering Milton

Today, we take a break from our typical research, in order to pay tribute to a great man, my grandfather Milton, who would have been 100 years old today. This is the follow up to our June 16 piece: Remembering Clyde. Both Clyde and Milton played a large role in my life, and Cheap Stocks is dedicated to their memories: Two extraordinary men who exerted influence they never comprehended. (If anyone still wonders where my pen name Clyde Milton comes from, mystery solved.)

My grandfather was an Englishman, through and through. The son of a potter in Trenton New Jersey, his dry sense of humor, the jokes he told, the scotch he drank, and his calm demeanor-nothing rattled him-all pointed to his English roots. Times were generally tough during his youth-the Great Depression left its mark on nearly everyone who experienced it.

Like many in his generation, he came through it fine. Milton worked hard to put himself through college-The University of Pennsylvania-and graduated at age 25 with a degree in architecture. He was very talented, and had genuine skill as an artist; paintings from his Penn days adorn our walls. (I often wish that his talents had been passed down to yours truly.) He ultimately became President of a well-respected NJ architectural firm, a position he held until forced retirement at age 65.

My grandfather was a quiet man…usually. Other times, he could talk your ear off. But his calm presence was very soothing. I never saw him get mad. Never saw him blue, or down. He whistled constantly, and the trials and tribulations of life never seemed to get to him…(another trait that skipped yours truly!) He dealt with some tough issues, but seemed to always come through it smiling. Although he did not talk about it, his faith was strong.

The Englishman was also stubborn at times. When he built his house in the late 30’s, all the houses on his block were numbered in the 300’s. This made no sense to him given the numbering of houses on parallel streets in the neighborhood. He believed his street should have naturally been the 500 block. So what did he do? He changed the number on his house to 523, while his neigbors houses were all in the 300’s!

Stubborness was one thing, respect was another. While Grandpop liked his scotch, his parents were opposed to drinking. When he learned one day in the late 1950's that his father was heading down to his shore cottage to do some repairs, Milt remembered that there were liquor bottles in a kitchen cabinet. Out of respect for his father, Milton, a 50+ year old successful businessman, ran out of his office like a bat out of hell in order to head his father off, and dispose of the alcohol! All of this, out of respect for his parents and their beliefs.

My grandfather had the foresight in 1956 to do something that has impacted many in my family to this day. It was then that he purchased a small cottage on Long Beach Island, a skinny strip of sand off the NJ coast that is still a huge part of our lives. More than 50 years later, that cottage is still in the family, and has been the site of some amazing family time over the years. We’ve laughed there, we’ve cried there, we’ve forged bonds and strengthened family ties, and been the beneficiaries of a gift that fewer and fewer extended families have these days….we remain close, and genuinely care about one another.

Grandpop would no doubt be proud to know that what was once one house in the family on this little island, has now grown to three. LBI is our home in the summer, and we flock to it like moths to a light. It is our refuge, our place to find peace, to laugh, to love, to enjoy one of God’s beautiful creations. The times we’ve had there, the relationships we’ve built, and the wonderful memories that are continually made are all a result of my grandfather taking a chance more than 50 years ago, and putting $11,000 on the line. He loved that little cottage, that little island, and I’d like to think that the old Englishman would be smiling if he knew how much we loved it as well. He would laugh if he knew that my son is named after (middle name) our little LBI beach town.

I’m sure he would be proud of how his family has blossomed. When he passed away, there were two great-grandchildren. Now there are 13 and 1 more on the way! He would have been proud of how his children have conducted their lives, and how their children have grown up.

I was fortunate to spend a summer with him in that little beach cottage in the summer of 1986. I worked there that summer, kept an eye on him, and made sure he was well fed. Too well fed, I later found out. Grandpop was diabetic, and his blood sugar skyrocketed the summer I spent with him. Thankfully, there was no long-term effect of our "debauchery", and I am fortunate to have experienced a summer with my grandfather.

As grandchildren, we found in him a sense of peace, and of calmness. We have very fond and distinct memories of our grandfather. Long walks on the beach, the daily Grandpop "death float" in the ocean, the little jokes repeated over and over, his presence in our homes, at our ballgames, in our lives. He was Grandpop, we loved him dearly. How I wish he could have been present at his grandchildren's weddings, at the their children's christenings, and all of the other events he truly lived for.

When he passed away at 84, we celebrated his life. This weekend we will celebrate it once again....on Long Beach Island, the place he loved so dearly. We miss you Grandpop. You meant a great deal to all of us, you influenced us all, and we are blessed to have had you in our lives. Happy birthay.

4Kids Entertainment Finally Rolls Out Chaotic (KDE)

After several delays over the past several months, 4Kids Entertainment unveiled its Chaotic trading card game and website on 10/24.

We were drawn to KDE initially because of its solid balance sheet ($106 million in cash, no debt) and fact that it traded (and still trades) at less than twice net current asset value. We viewed the Chaotic rollout as a major "potential" catalyst; "potential" because of the frequent release delays prior to our initial position. The hope is that Chaotic lives up to its potential as a Webkinz-like phenomemon. Of course, its way to early to tell whether that will be the case.

For more, see our initial 7/4 KDE post.

4Kids Entertainment
Ticker: KDE
Price: $15.94
Cash & S/T Invest: $106 million
Market Cap: $211 million
NCAV: $117 million

*The author has a position in 4Kids Entertainment (KDE). This is neither a recommendation to buy or sell any securities. All information provided believed to be reliable and presented for information purposes only. The author will not trade any of the securities mentioned (buy, sell, short) for at least two weeks following the date of this post.

(Bizarre)Lazare Kaplan International (LKI): Going Private?

Diamond company and perennial net/net Lazare Kaplan International recently issued its latest proxy. Like most proxies, the items to be voted on at the November 8th annual shareholders meeting are fairly routine. That is, with the exception of the third item.

The company is asking shareholders to vote on the following company sponsored proposal:

“To consider and vote on a proposal to amend the Company’s Certificate of Incorporation to effect a reverse stock split immediately followed by a forward stock split of the Company’s shares of common stock..”
There’s nothing strange about a reverse stock split, it happens fairly often. But what Lazare Kaplan is proposing is a bit different. The company wishes to initiate a 1 for 101 reverse split, buy out any shareholders with less than 1 share post split, followed by an immediate 101 for 1 forward split. Say what?

Lazare says that this will allow the company to buy back stock from any shareholder that currently holds less than 100 shares. The company cites savings of $25,000 per year by eliminating the $11.50 annual fee associated with each company shareholder for transfer agent fees, and printing/postage costs associated with mailing shareholder reports. All this effort for $25,000 in annual savings? We think there’s more to this story.

Setting itself up to go Private?
According to the company, as of September 14th, 2007 there were 1709 shareholders of record, 1644 of which held less than 101 shares, which means that 96% of the registered shareholders own just .045% of the outstanding shares. If Lazare can buy these shareholders out, that will leave just 65 shareholders of record, well below the 300 threshold necessary to de-list, avoid SEC filing and SarBox, while still being able to trade on the Pink Sheets (a situation we’ve covered in several previous posts).

While we believe there are indeed cost savings in eliminating shareholders with small lots, we believe the real reason for the split is to “go dark”. We’re not sure why they just don’t acknowledge that in the proxy. Perhaps they don’t want to draw more interest and attention, and actually increase shareholder roles. We believe that there’s sometimes value to be had in these situations, and Lazare may want to keep its true intentions close to the vest.

For our part, we are still long Lazare Kaplan, and might just have to attend the shareholder meeting and ask the question.

Lazare Kaplan Intl
Ticker: LKI
Price: $7.55
Mkt Cap: $62.4 million
NCAV: $70 million
Mkt Cap/NCAV:1.12
Book Value/Shr: $11.30
Price/Book: .67

*The author has a position in Lazare Kaplan (LKI). This is neither a recommendation to buy or sell any securities. All information provided believed to be reliable and presented for information purposes only. The author will not trade any of the securities mentioned (buy, sell, short) for at least two weeks following the date of this post.