Little-known MTS Is a Buy for Growth

Article Excerpt

MTS SYSTEMS CORP. $27 (Nasdaq symbol MTSC; Aggressive Growth Portfolio, Manufacturing & Industry sector; Shares outstanding: 16.9 million; Market cap: $456.3 million; Price-to-sales ratio: 1.0; WSSF Rating: Average) makes equipment and software that manufacturers use to test the mechanical behaviour of materials, machines and structures. This helps them reduce errors and costs. Testing systems account for 80% of MTS’s revenue. The remaining 20% comes from making sensors that improve the performance of automated industrial machinery. Small company flies under the radar As part of our three-pronged approach to investing, we advise you to downplay stocks that are in the broker/media limelight. (The other two prongs are to focus on well-established companies and to spread your money across the five main economic sectors.) MTS operates in a narrow, highly technical field, so it attracts little attention from analysts. MTS has a long history of increasing its revenue and earnings. Revenue grew 39.4%, from $330.3 million in 2004 to $460.5 million in 2008 (MTS’s fiscal…