Rather than talk about what attributes make a company a good investment, this article will simply look at dirt cheap stocks by the numbers. It's an approach that value investing dean, Benjamin Graham, loved to utilize in finding undervalued investments. It's what Warren Buffett sometimes called picking up cigar-butts: businesses that are not necessary terrible or fantastic, but with a balance sheet that gives you a couple of good puffs left.

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Balance Sheet Safety
If a company's balance sheet is so sound that equity holders could still profit if the business went under, then Ben Graham is interested. Ingram Micro (NYSE:IM), an information technology products and supply chain business, appears to fit this mold; Ingram has a market cap of $3 billion. As of Oct.1, 2011, the balance sheet shows current assets of $8.1 billion and total liabilities of $5.4 billion. That gives Ingram a net current asset value of $2.7 billion, almost equal to the current market cap. Since net current assets are deemed to be highly liquid securities, Ingram's balance sheet suggests a degree of protection for equity holders. (For more, see The Intelligent Investor: Benjamin Graham.)

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Retailer Tuesday Morning (Nasdaq:TUES) currently has a market cap of $154 million and current assets of $326 million. Total liabilities equal $152 million for a net current asset value of approximately $180 million. The vast bulk of those current assets is inventory and in retailing the value of inventory can decline quickly; however, TUES is a seller of discounted merchandise that it receives at discount from other retailers, so the risk of inventory write-down is not as severe as full price retailer.

China Anyone
The sell-off in Chinese equities over the past year has left many for dead. While concerns about the validity of some Chinese small caps is a legitimate concern, there is value to be had for investors willing to look hard. Snack food company China Marine Food (Nasdaq:CMFO) looks like an ideal candidate. The company has a market cap of $44 million and current assets of $78 million against total liabilities of $7.3 million. Total equity stands at over $128 million and shares trade for around three times earnings. Fertilizer company Yongye International (Nasdaq:YONG) could be another Chinese gem. The company's market cap is about $200 million and comes along with $80 million in cash. Tangible equity stands at $316 million and the company sells for less than 2.5 times earnings.


The Bottom Line
Statistically cheap stocks can be a fertile hunting ground for deep value investors, as they can be a very easy way to pick up 25 to 50% gains in a short period of time. However, a business that looks cheap by the numbers may not be a cheap investment, but a dud. Those willing to look far and wide, however, will find ample opportunity. (For related reading, see The Value Investor's Handbook.)

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At the time of writing, Sham Gad did not own shares in any of the companies mentioned in this article.