📖Philip Fisher

The Scuttlebutt Method

🌳 Advanced★★★★★

Investigate companies through industry contacts.

💬

Talk to customers, suppliers, competitors, and former employees to build a complete picture of the company. This scuttlebutt method reveals what financial statements cannot.

— Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits,1958

🏠 Everyday Analogy

Analyzing a business is like choosing a long-term partner. Temporary excitement matters less than durable character, capability, and consistency.

📖 Core Interpretation

Philip Fisher emphasizes durable business quality over short-term noise. A strong model, real competitive edge, and disciplined capital allocation matter more than quarterly excitement.
💎 Key Insight:Primary research reveals what financials hide.

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❓ Why It Matters

Without business-quality filters, investors drift toward stories rather than economics. Durable cash generation is what supports long-term valuation.

🎯 How to Practice

Use a checklist covering moat, management, unit economics, and capital allocation; track long-term cash generation instead of quarter-to-quarter noise.

⚠️ Common Pitfalls

Buying narratives instead of cash-generating economics
Overreacting to short-term operating noise
Ignoring management quality and capital allocation

📚 Case Studies

1
Motorola Early R&D Bet (1955)
Fisher evaluated Motorola’s heavy R&D in semiconductors and communications, seeing a pipeline of products and strong technical leadership.
✨ Outcome:Invested and held long term; Motorola became a multibagger as R&D translated into dominant positions in radios and early electronics.
2
Texas Instruments Semiconductor Leadership (1960)
Fisher studied TI’s R&D intensity in transistors and integrated circuits, focusing on management’s ability to commercialize lab advances.
✨ Outcome:Maintained investment; TI’s technological edge drove strong revenue and profit growth, validating Fisher’s emphasis on sustained, productive R&D spending.

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