This week’s Danger Zone pick has since rebounded and might have investors thinking now is the time to buy. Unfortunately, the fundamentals of this company reveal a different story. Growing losses, misleading non-GAAP metrics, and significant competition land Imperva Inc. (IMPV) in the Danger Zone this week.
Most investors are not aware of how many corporate managers destroy shareholder value because accounting rules allow them to erase their mistakes from financial statement. A little-known accounting trick called an “asset-write down” allows managers to simply remove assets and shareholders’ equity from the balance sheet as if they never existed.
Investors must beware companies that report artificially high profits due to asset-write-down loophole.