Description

Staples, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates office products superstores. It operates in two segments, North American Delivery and North American Retail. The company offers a range of office supplies, business technology products, facility and breakroom supplies, computers and mobility products, and office furniture under the Staples, Quill, and other proprietary brands. It also provides print and marketing, as well as technology services. The company sells its office products and services directly to businesses and consumers through its Staples.com, Staples.ca, and Quill.com Websites; and retail stores, as well as Staples Business Advantage contracts. As of January 28, 2017, it operated approximately 1,583 retail stores in 46 states and the District of Columbia in the United States, and 10 provinces and 2 territories in Canada, as well as in Argentina, Australia, and Brazil; 78 distribution and fulfillment centers in 25 states in the United States and 7 provinces in Canada, as well as in China, Argentina, Brazil, Taiwan, and Australia. The company was founded in 1985 and is based in Framingham, Massachusetts.

Statistics (YTD)

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TotalReturn:

'Total return is the amount of value an investor earns from a security over a specific period, typically one year, when all distributions are reinvested. Total return is expressed as a percentage of the amount invested. For example, a total return of 20% means the security increased by 20% of its original value due to a price increase, distribution of dividends (if a stock), coupons (if a bond) or capital gains (if a fund). Total return is a strong measure of an investment’s overall performance.'

Applying this definition to our asset in some examples:
  • Looking at the total return, or performance of % in the last 5 years of Staples, we see it is relatively smaller, thus worse in comparison to the benchmark SPY (86.7%)
  • Looking at total return, or performance in of % in the period of the last 3 years, we see it is relatively lower, thus worse in comparison to SPY (74.9%).

CAGR:

'The compound annual growth rate isn't a true return rate, but rather a representational figure. It is essentially a number that describes the rate at which an investment would have grown if it had grown the same rate every year and the profits were reinvested at the end of each year. In reality, this sort of performance is unlikely. However, CAGR can be used to smooth returns so that they may be more easily understood when compared to alternative investments.'

Applying this definition to our asset in some examples:
  • Looking at the compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of % in the last 5 years of Staples, we see it is relatively smaller, thus worse in comparison to the benchmark SPY (13.4%)
  • Compared with SPY (20.6%) in the period of the last 3 years, the annual return (CAGR) of % is lower, thus worse.

Volatility:

'In finance, volatility (symbol σ) is the degree of variation of a trading price series over time as measured by the standard deviation of logarithmic returns. Historic volatility measures a time series of past market prices. Implied volatility looks forward in time, being derived from the market price of a market-traded derivative (in particular, an option). Commonly, the higher the volatility, the riskier the security.'

Using this definition on our asset we see for example:
  • The 30 days standard deviation over 5 years of Staples is %, which is smaller, thus better compared to the benchmark SPY (17.2%) in the same period.
  • During the last 3 years, the volatility is %, which is smaller, thus better than the value of 15.3% from the benchmark.

DownVol:

'Risk measures typically quantify the downside risk, whereas the standard deviation (an example of a deviation risk measure) measures both the upside and downside risk. Specifically, downside risk in our definition is the semi-deviation, that is the standard deviation of all negative returns.'

Using this definition on our asset we see for example:
  • The downside volatility over 5 years of Staples is %, which is lower, thus better compared to the benchmark SPY (11.8%) in the same period.
  • Compared with SPY (10.3%) in the period of the last 3 years, the downside volatility of % is lower, thus better.

Sharpe:

'The Sharpe ratio was developed by Nobel laureate William F. Sharpe, and is used to help investors understand the return of an investment compared to its risk. The ratio is the average return earned in excess of the risk-free rate per unit of volatility or total risk. Subtracting the risk-free rate from the mean return allows an investor to better isolate the profits associated with risk-taking activities. One intuition of this calculation is that a portfolio engaging in 'zero risk' investments, such as the purchase of U.S. Treasury bills (for which the expected return is the risk-free rate), has a Sharpe ratio of exactly zero. Generally, the greater the value of the Sharpe ratio, the more attractive the risk-adjusted return.'

Applying this definition to our asset in some examples:
  • Looking at the ratio of return and volatility (Sharpe) of in the last 5 years of Staples, we see it is relatively lower, thus worse in comparison to the benchmark SPY (0.63)
  • During the last 3 years, the Sharpe Ratio is , which is lower, thus worse than the value of 1.19 from the benchmark.

Sortino:

'The Sortino ratio measures the risk-adjusted return of an investment asset, portfolio, or strategy. It is a modification of the Sharpe ratio but penalizes only those returns falling below a user-specified target or required rate of return, while the Sharpe ratio penalizes both upside and downside volatility equally. Though both ratios measure an investment's risk-adjusted return, they do so in significantly different ways that will frequently lead to differing conclusions as to the true nature of the investment's return-generating efficiency. The Sortino ratio is used as a way to compare the risk-adjusted performance of programs with differing risk and return profiles. In general, risk-adjusted returns seek to normalize the risk across programs and then see which has the higher return unit per risk.'

Applying this definition to our asset in some examples:
  • Compared with the benchmark SPY (0.92) in the period of the last 5 years, the ratio of annual return and downside deviation of of Staples is smaller, thus worse.
  • Looking at downside risk / excess return profile in of in the period of the last 3 years, we see it is relatively lower, thus worse in comparison to SPY (1.76).

Ulcer:

'Ulcer Index is a method for measuring investment risk that addresses the real concerns of investors, unlike the widely used standard deviation of return. UI is a measure of the depth and duration of drawdowns in prices from earlier highs. Using Ulcer Index instead of standard deviation can lead to very different conclusions about investment risk and risk-adjusted return, especially when evaluating strategies that seek to avoid major declines in portfolio value (market timing, dynamic asset allocation, hedge funds, etc.). The Ulcer Index was originally developed in 1987. Since then, it has been widely recognized and adopted by the investment community. According to Nelson Freeburg, editor of Formula Research, Ulcer Index is “perhaps the most fully realized statistical portrait of risk there is.'

Applying this definition to our asset in some examples:
  • Compared with the benchmark SPY (8.46 ) in the period of the last 5 years, the Ulcer Index of of Staples is lower, thus better.
  • Compared with SPY (3.52 ) in the period of the last 3 years, the Ulcer Index of is lower, thus better.

MaxDD:

'A maximum drawdown is the maximum loss from a peak to a trough of a portfolio, before a new peak is attained. Maximum Drawdown is an indicator of downside risk over a specified time period. It can be used both as a stand-alone measure or as an input into other metrics such as 'Return over Maximum Drawdown' and the Calmar Ratio. Maximum Drawdown is expressed in percentage terms.'

Which means for our asset as example:
  • Looking at the maximum drop from peak to valley of days in the last 5 years of Staples, we see it is relatively lower, thus worse in comparison to the benchmark SPY (-24.5 days)
  • Looking at maximum reduction from previous high in of days in the period of the last 3 years, we see it is relatively smaller, thus worse in comparison to SPY (-18.8 days).

MaxDuration:

'The Drawdown Duration is the length of any peak to peak period, or the time between new equity highs. The Max Drawdown Duration is the worst (the maximum/longest) amount of time an investment has seen between peaks (equity highs) in days.'

Which means for our asset as example:
  • Compared with the benchmark SPY (488 days) in the period of the last 5 years, the maximum days under water of days of Staples is lower, thus better.
  • Compared with SPY (87 days) in the period of the last 3 years, the maximum time in days below previous high water mark of days is lower, thus better.

AveDuration:

'The Average Drawdown Duration is an extension of the Maximum Drawdown. However, this metric does not explain the drawdown in dollars or percentages, rather in days, weeks, or months. The Avg Drawdown Duration is the average amount of time an investment has seen between peaks (equity highs), or in other terms the average of time under water of all drawdowns. So in contrast to the Maximum duration it does not measure only one drawdown event but calculates the average of all.'

Using this definition on our asset we see for example:
  • Looking at the average days below previous high of days in the last 5 years of Staples, we see it is relatively lower, thus better in comparison to the benchmark SPY (119 days)
  • Compared with SPY (20 days) in the period of the last 3 years, the average days below previous high of days is lower, thus better.

Performance (YTD)

Historical returns have been extended using synthetic data.

Allocations ()

Allocations

Returns (%)

  • Note that yearly returns do not equal the sum of monthly returns due to compounding.
  • Performance results of Staples are hypothetical and do not account for slippage, fees or taxes.