What is Lumen Technologies Predictability Rank?
1 (5)
Warren Buffett said many times that the companies he likes are:
1. Simple businesses that he understands
2. that have predictable and proven earnings and
3. with economic moat
4. those can be bought at a reasonable price.
It is hard to quantify "simple businesses that he (Buffett) understands", so we will focus on the other three characteristics instead. In GuruFocus Research: What worked in the market from 1998-2008? Part I: Introduction of Predictability Rank, we will show that the businesses that have predictable and proven earnings are usually also simple businesses that an average person could understand.
GuruFocus conducted a back test study of Warren Buffett's strategy of "buying good companies at fair prices" for the years from 1998-2008.
Lumen Technologies Predictability Rank Calculation
In our database there are 2403 stocks that have been traded from Jan. 2, 1998 to Aug. 31, 2008. We have the complete 10-year financial data and trading prices of these companies for this period. We rank the predictability of these companies based on the consistency of their revenue per share and EBITDA (earning before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization) per share over the past ten fiscal years, and study the correlation between the stock performances and the predictability of the business.
Our study may be subject to these biases and assumptions:
Dividend yields are not counted for investment returns
Effects of price changes due to spin-offs may not be fully adjusted
Study is subjected to survivorship bias due to de-listing, bankruptcy, LBO, M&A, etc.
The correlation between business predictability and investment returns of a company is showed below.
Correlation Between Business Predictability and Investment Returns
| Predictables | Non-Predictable | All stocks |
|---|
| Total Number of stocks | 570 | 1833 | 2403 |
| Total Lost Money | 61 | 830 | 891 |
| Total Lost More Than 50% | 18 | 412 | 430 |
| Total Lost More Than 90% | 4 | 86 | 90 |
| Average Gain | 260.6% | 100.0% | 138.1% |
| Median Gain | 150.0% | 13.0% | 39.0% |
| Maximum Gain | 2852.0% | 11483.0% | 11483.0% |
| Maximum Loss | -100.0% | -100.0% | -100.0% |
| Annualized Average Gain | 12.7% | 6.7% | 8.4% |
| Annualized Median Gain | 8.9% | 1.1% | 3.1% |
For the 570 predictable companies, we have seen strong correlation between the predictability of businesses and the stock performances over the past 10 years, regardless of the valuation of business at 1998. Accordingly, we have ranked the business predictability from 5-star to 1-star, as shown in this table.
| Predictability Rank | 5-Star | 4.5-Star | 4-Star | 3.5-Star | 3-Star | 2.5-Star | 2-Star | 1-Star (non-predictable) | Average among all |
|---|
| % Out of All 2403 Stocks |
3.3% |
2.9% |
3.7% |
3.3% |
3.3% |
3.7% |
3.3% |
76.3% |
100% |
| % that are in Loss (10y) |
3% |
10% |
8% |
9% |
11% |
18% |
16% |
45% |
37% |
| Average Gain (10y) |
364.6% |
330.9% |
278.0% |
235.1% |
243.5% |
227.8% |
154.8% |
100.0% |
138.1% |
| Median Gain (10y) |
238.5% |
193.5% |
171.0% |
159.0% |
132.5% |
113.5% |
87.0% |
13.0% |
39.0% |
| Maximum Gainer |
2228.0% |
2547.0% |
2452.0% |
2852.0% |
2432.0% |
1892.0% |
1807.0% |
11483.0% |
11483.0% |
| Maximum Loser |
-82.0% |
-53.0% |
-67.0% |
-100.0% |
-83.0% |
-100.0% |
-78.0% |
-100.0% |
-100.0% |
| Annualized Average Gain |
15.4% |
14.6% |
13.2% |
12.0% |
12.2% |
11.7% |
9.1% |
6.7% |
8.4% |
| Annualized Median Gain |
12.1% |
10.6% |
9.8% |
9.3% |
8.2% |
7.3% |
6.0% |
1.1% |
3.1% |
For detailed information about each predictability rank, please go to GuruFocus Research: What worked in the market from 1998-2008? Part I: Introduction of Predictability Rank
Also read:
Part II: What worked in the market from 1998-2008? Part II: Role of Valuations
Part III: Intrinsic Value, Discounted Cash Flow and Margin of Safety
Lumen Technologies (Lumen Technologies) Business Description
Traded in Other Exchanges
Address
100 CenturyLink Drive, Monroe, LA, USA, 71203
With 450,000 route miles of fiber, including over 35,000 route miles of subsea fiber connecting Europe, Asia, and Latin America, Lumen Technologies is one of the United States' largest telecommunications carriers serving global enterprises. Its merger with Level 3 in 2017 and divestiture of much of its incumbent local exchange carrier, or ILEC, business in 2022 has shifted the company's operations away from its legacy consumer business and toward enterprises (now nearly 80% of revenue). Lumen offers businesses a full menu of communications services, providing colocation and data center services, data transportation, and end-user phone and internet service. On the consumer side, Lumen provides broadband and phone service across 37 states, where it has 4.5 million broadband customers.
Executives
| James Fowler |
director |
100 CENTURYLINK DRIVE, MONROE LA 71203 |
| Christopher Stansbury |
officer: EVP and CFO |
C/O ARROW ELECTRONICS, INC, 9201 EAST DRY CREEK ROAD, CENTENNIAL CO 80112 |
| Kathleen E Johnson |
director, officer: President & CEO |
55 GLENLAKE PARKWAY, NE, ATLANTA GA 30328 |
| Quincy L Allen |
director |
6600 NORTH MILITARY TRAIL, LEGAL DEPARTMENT, BOCA RATON FL 33496 |
| Ashley Haynes-gaspar |
officer: EVP and Customer Exp Officer |
100 CENTURYLINK DRIVE, MONROE LA 71203 |
| Kevin P. Chilton |
director |
1201 LAKE ROBBINS DRIVE, THE WOODLANDS TX 77380 |
| Laurie Siegel |
director |
C/O VOLT INFORMATION SCIENCES, INC., 1133 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS, 15TH FLOOR, NEW YORK NY 10036 |
| Peter C Brown |
director |
909 WALNUT STE 200, KANSAS CITY MO 64106 |
| Scott Trezise |
officer: EVP, Human Resources |
100 CENTURYLINK DRIVE, MONROE LA 71203 |
| Shaun C Andrews |
officer: Exec VP & Chief Mktg Officer |
100 CENTURYLINK DRIVE, MONROE LA 71203 |
| Sham Chotai |
officer: EVP, Product and IT |
10201 TORRE AVENUE, SUITE 350, CUPERTINO CA 95014 |
| Michael James Roberts |
director |
ONE MCDONALD'S PLAZA, OAK BROOK IL 60523 |
| Steven T Clontz |
director |
781 THIRD AVENUE, KING OF PRUSSIA PA 19406-1409 |
| Martha Helena Bejar |
director |
C/O POLYCOM, INC., 6001 AMERICA CENTER DRIVE, SAN JOSE CA 95002 |
| Hal Jones |
director |
1150 15TH STREET, NW, WASHINGTON DC 20071 |
Quick Browse
Personalize
Premium Gurus 
Create New Portfolio
Portfolio Contest
LUMN has been successfully added to your