No the steakburgers are not really $300, actually you can get a double steakburger with fries for a very reasonable $4. The $300 price tag I'm referring to is the newly 1-20 reverse stock split. Starting Monday the 21st of December 2009 Steak n Shake will trade in the $250-$300 per share range. Steak n Shake just released their full year and fourth quarter results for 2009 earlier in the week which you can find here. In his annual letter to share holders Biglari points out that he will focus Steak n Shakes future growth through the purchase of other equities other than just the restaurant business. In a nut shell this is no longer just a hamburger chain but a investment holding company. As I mentioned in my last update that Steak n Shake ($SNS) has taken a 10% stake in Freemont Michigan Insuracorp ($FMMH) a small insurance company located in the town of Freemont, Michagan. Biglari will look for undervalued companies which he will purchase through his new investment vehicle Steak n Shake. As stated in his annual shareholder letter, they "aim to grow long-term cash flows, not reported earnings. Their view on reported earnings is that they are not real until converted to cash." Wall Street always focuses on earnings and this is what you often see in the media. In the long run a company must earn money however what should be focused on is the free cash flow. Earnings can be manipulated and often can show a distorted picture while cash flow is more transparent. It will be interesting to see the transformation take place over the coming quarters and next few years.
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Author currently long SNS
