On the stock market since 2010, it operates in the everyday-essentials business. It has 26,100 employees. Now — the numbers.
This is an established company with proven profits.
That much dependence is a risk in itself: if this one line weakens, the whole company feels it directly.
An average decline of 9% a year over the last 4 years — the most striking risk in this picture. Red columns mark years that ended in a loss.
If every debt were paid off today, $3.1B would still be left in the vault — a solid cushion for hard times.
The stock trades 33% below its peak. The market has trimmed its expectations for the company.
The net profit margin is 18% — still a thick cushion, though costs have been eating into it lately.
Over the last 3 years, sales grew about 44% a year on average.
There is $3.5B in the vault; even if every debt were paid off, $3.1B would remain.
Over the last 12 months, executives reported 19 sells against just 5 buys. Not an alarm bell by itself, but a number worth watching.
Since the drop from its peak, buyer appetite hasn’t come back.
On our five-subject report card, TAL sits in the middle of the class: some subjects shine, others don’t. The grade moves as the numbers move.
The takeaway: TAL is an established business that has proven its profits for years. The real debate isn’t the quality of the business — it’s whether the price paid for the stock is too high.