Power Growth investors always aim to spot this top hidden asset

Article Excerpt

Research spending is a great hidden asset. Companies (like Adobe and ACI Worldwide on this page) mostly write off their research costs as they spend that money, and this depresses the current year’s earnings. Standard accounting practice treats research spending as a regular expense like rent. But successful research—the kind that leads directly to profit-boosting products—is more like an investment with tax-deferral benefits. The company writes off those investments in the current year, and is only liable for taxes on the benefits as they appear in future years. Information on corporate research spending is freely available, yet many investors pay little attention to it. Investors recognize that research can lead to new or improved products or services. But the payoff for these improvements, if any, will come from long-term sales and profit gains as well as dividends. dividends. …