Monday, August 6, 2007

Eschelon Telecom Inc.

Eschelon Telecom Inc. is a NASDAQ listed security that has been trading in a range between $14.00 and $30.04 over the past year. With 18,074,960 shares outstanding, a recent price of $29.53 gives a total market capitalization of $534,476,562. While there are certainly larger companies, Eschelon Telecom Inc. has definitely earned its place in the pack. Last year, Eschelon Telecom Inc. created $-0.07 in earnings for every share outstanding.

Eschelon Telecom Inc. is currently priced by the market at 0.00 times last year’s earnings. Many trading multiples around the world are quite attractive these days, but don’t be fooled. A Price to Earnings ratio of 0 simply means that the security didn’t make any money last year.

With a share price under $50 a share and earnings per share below $1 a share, Eschelon Telecom Inc. is unlikely to be an interesting value proposition. Consistent earnings are the key to high valuations and this security is not on its way.

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