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“Hyper-X” Weapons and “The Next Cold War”

What's the Hypersonic Engine Maker teased by Michael Robinson's Nova-X Report?

By Travis Johnson, Stock Gumshoe, August 9, 2018

Hello, one and all … I took a little longer to recuperate from my fundraising bike ride than anticipated, but I’m back, hale and hearty and ready to steer the Thinkolator toward some mysterious teaser stocks.

The one that pops to the top of the list for us today is pitched by Michael Robinson in ads for his Nova-X Report, which is his “entry level” growth/tech stock newsletter.

The order form sums up the story nicely:

“YOU CAN HELP AMERICA WIN THE HYPERSONIC ARMS RACE

“And Turn Our Nation’s ‘Number One Defense Priority’ into $38,770 in Fast Profits!”

… and continues…

“Whoever controls Hypersonic technology… controls the world.

“The total cash pouring into Hypersonics will be in the trillions!

“And amazingly, at the center of all this is the tiny Alabama defense contractor that’s developing the engines and components for this Hypersonic revolution.

“This company has $67.6 billion racked up in new contracts right now.”

So the ad is mostly a long pitch about hypersonic breakthroughs — developing engines, primarily for missiles, that will reach Mach 5 and beyond, making conventional ICBMs and nuclear missiles appear pretty obsolete… and making for a weapon that’s currently indefensible.

This is something that has been a R&D priority for most of the major space-going nations for years, so part of the fear is that Russia and China, both of which are also very active in developing hypersonic capabilities, will beat the US when it comes to developing hypersonic weapons.

And, of course, we’re expected to get rich from investing in this “tiny Alabama defense tech company” — so let’s dig through the clues and see if we can identify which stock Robinson is talking about.

“Surprisingly, at the center of Operation Hyper-X – at the center of this revolutionary technology itself – is a tiny Alabama defense tech company most people have never heard of.

“This tiny company has been quietly ramping up this technology.

“It sits in the middle of rural Virginia, about 88 miles southwest of Washington D.C.” ….

“I recently learned that $11 million was just spent to expand the facility.

“So this outfit out of Alabama can get their game-changing engines rolled out faster.

“Their technology is about to bring the U.S. back to military greatness, locking in America as the world’s most advanced military superpower today, tomorrow, and possibly forever.”

So that’s not a lot of clues, but I did sift through the ad and feed what I found into the Thinkolator — I won’t make you sit through the whole foofaraw, but can jus tell you what the Thinkolator came up with after a bit of chewing: This is almost certainly Aerojet Rocketdyne (AJRD).

Aerojet and Rocketdyne are both California aerospace companies that were merged together a few years ago, they are specialists in propulsion and were both part of the cold war defense buildup and the space race over the past 75 years… so what’s this Alabama business?

Well, Huntsville is, for both cost and political reasons, now the center of rocket development for NASA, and Aerojet Rocketdyne is in the process of moving most of their defense-related work to Alabama — though they’ll continue to have a large presence outside Sacramento, and they do have locations around the country.

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That $11 million facility expansion in Virginia is in Orange, and it was announced a few years ago, and Aerojet Rocketdyne does work with pretty much all the big defense and space contractors. They are not the only rocket engine company out there, and not every large contractor relies completely on Aerojet Rocketdyne for their rocket engine technology, but from what I can tell they seem to be the strongest “pure play” in the US.

And the other clues do match, at least roughly — including a hint that they had revenue of about $1.7 billion last year, and that they are roughly a $2 billion company (though after a very strong earnings report, they’re closing in on $3 billion).

Aerojet had a pretty quiet year until this quarter, with a couple disappointments along the way and even an accusation of accounting shenanigans from a short seller, but there’s been some more optimism recently — both because of the talked up “Space Force” that President Trump wants to develop, which would likely increase the number of rocket engines needed and increase military and space funding in general, and because AJRD finally had a really strong blowout quarterly earnings report about ten days ago, driving the shares up close to 20%.

As it was back in October when I last looked at the stock, Aerojet Rocketdyne is probably a reasonable bet for those looking to play higher defense and space spending, though, like it was a year ago, it’s on the expensive side and trades at a pretty substantial premium to the larger defense industry players like Boeing (BA), Northrop Grumman (NOC), Lockheed Martin (LMT) or Raytheon (RTN). AJRD has roughly doubled since the 2016 election, making it one of the stronger defense industry stocks during that time — of those big four players, only Boeing has outpaced Aerojet’s near 100% gain (most of the others have pretty closely tracked the S&P 500’s ~30% gain).

I don’t have any great insight into hypersonic flight, though it’s a fascinating technology — and a frightening one on a military level, which has been discussed in arms control circles for several years (the US, Russia and China are widely thought to be at risk of causing a massive hypersonic arms race, and there had been hopes a few years ago that it could be stopped with some early testing bans between those three countries — but given the current diplomatic climate, that doesn’t seem particularly likely).

There are clearly some growing expectations build into Aerojet Rocketdyne shares right now, so there’s some risk if the valuation comes back down… and these smaller defense contractors are always at risk for “lumpy” earnings as huge projects wax and wane… but it’s an interesting little supplier with some serious history in the aerospace industry, with strong technology and participation in many of the more important missile and engine-related projects that the government is funding now — including the still pretty small hypersonic R&D business.

I’m sure you could do worse… it’s not going in my portfolio at the moment, and they’re not going to have $60 billion in revenue anytime soon or turn your $1,000 into $38,700 in short order, as Robinson implies, but I expect they’ll do well as defense budgets continue to grow, and they’re also small enough to be acquired by one of the bigger defense firms if any of them decide to look for a rocketry edge. I don’t know if Glasshouse was correct in their recent claims that AJRD was getting frisky with its accounting, so that’s a possible risk as well.

So with that, dear readers, I’ll leave you to your cogitation — think AJRD fits in your portfolio? Looking deep into the future for the first hypersonic flight to get you to London in an hour? Think this is all boloney? Let us know with a comment below… thanks for reading!

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vivian lewis
August 9, 2018 5:32 pm

welcome back, saddle sores and all. And aggressive about defense stocks to boot

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P.K. Sykes
Member
August 9, 2018 5:34 pm

The following is from the Sept. 27, 2017 issue of Aviation Week…

“FORT WORTH, Texas—Lockheed Martin is ramping up development of hypersonic system technology as observers report the first sightings of a demonstrator vehicle believed to be linked to the Skunk Works’ planned SR-72 high-speed aircraft project.
“Although I can’t go into specifics, let us just say the Skunk Works team in Palmdale, California, is doubling down on our commitment to speed,” says Orlando Carvalho, executive vice president of aeronautics at Lockheed Martin, speaking at the SAE International Aerotech Congress and Exhibition here.”

Access the full story at the Aviation Week web site: http://aviationweek.com/technology/amid-sr-72-rumors-skunk-works-ramps-hypersonics

The article offers a high probability review of Hypersonics the US already has developed.

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StockMidas
August 9, 2018 6:16 pm

Comprehensive recount Travis, thx …

Aerojet Rocketdyne Holdings, Inc. (AJRD) is one of the more attractive opportunities touted by the pundits lately soliciting subscriptions. Operating in an industry that attracts continued attention on account of world affairs.

Trades on NYSE with market cap of $2.7 Billion with trading volume of 704k. As said valuation is questionable with forward P/E of 27, PEG Ratio of 4.93 and Price to Book of 12.

Technically sound with + 100 upwards momentum since crossing into “Golden Cross zone” a week ago, trading above the three major MA’s and bullish MACD crossover. But valuation remains a concern …

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saint stephen
August 9, 2018 6:32 pm

I like this guy’s newsletter. It’s a lot better than a couple of the guys in that newsletter family.

yukonjack
Member
yukonjack
August 9, 2018 6:38 pm

Maybe this is the old bait and switch routine…do I dump my floundering “God Key” stocks and replace with this? Is that $38, 000 profit etched in stone or quicksand? Or maybe it’s the deal where you invest $100K and are happy to get out with $38K after the stock tanks. If any of these guys actually knew anything, they would shut up, invest every dime they have in some of these “sure things” and in 10 years get an invitation to have lunch with Buffett as an equal.

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eleanorxduval
eleanorxduval
August 9, 2018 7:51 pm

What I don’t understand and I’m seeking enlightenment is why ARJD shot up with good earning but LMT and NOC who also had good quarters went down. Does ARJD have a significant upward momentum and foundation than LMT and NOC? If LMT is also in hypersonic, then what advantage does ARHD over LMT?

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Jared
Guest
August 10, 2018 9:31 am

Hi Travis. You hit the nail on the head with this one. AJRD was indeed touted to Nova-X Report readers. a couple of days before it spike. I bought a couple of ATM calls with a 9/21 expiry, b/c I didn’t have enough capital free for a significant position. It shot up. My call doubled. I took the money and ran. 🙂
I’ve been subscribed to Nova-X for about six months. Performance is pretty good. I just wish they would stop sending ads for other newsletters.

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Jerry
Member
Jerry
August 10, 2018 3:36 pm
Reply to  Jared

eventually hypersonic speed will be reality. This will inccrease space exploration and travel on Earth.

Sargam
Guest
Sargam
August 14, 2018 12:54 am
Reply to  Jerry

It may also increase risk of war.; nuclear and otherwise. Russia already claims it has functioning hypersonic weapons, and I thought China did too.

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kjlopez
kjlopez
August 17, 2018 2:03 am
Reply to  Jared

All the newsletters seem to do this. They have even started hawking newsletters for other sites. Money Morning/Map recently offered links to Rickards at Banyan Hill and to James Altucher at Choose Yourself.

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stabilpa
stabilpa
August 19, 2018 9:44 am
Reply to  kjlopez

Funny thing is, “Choose Yourself” was originally a self-help publication. Now, it’s become a monthly (crypto) stock tout that advertises Altucher’s (much more expensive) crypto-currency newsletter.

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vistamatym
August 10, 2018 2:35 pm

Hey Travis. I bought a boatload of pot stocks, and most are just sitting around doing zip except for Marimed. Is there any one or company I can consult with about dropping or adding some pot stocks? Thanks

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frankv
frankv
August 10, 2018 10:17 pm

So no thoughts on Canopy Growth or Auora ?

William Church
William Church
August 12, 2018 11:46 am
Reply to  vistamatym

Try Hemp Inc. (HEMP) It’s a super small micro stock but they have a great business model. Now that industrial hemp is legal to grow in the U.S. it should help the small farmer with an alternative crop. The stock is now around .03 cents which makes it a manageable risk. I bought 20,000 shares when it was .01 cent.
Check it out.

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Sargam
Guest
Sargam
August 14, 2018 12:59 am
Reply to  William Church

Yahoo Finance says this has been a 3 cent stock for at least the past 3 years. Completely flat.

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John Collins
Guest
John Collins
August 10, 2018 2:47 pm

I had already bought AJRD stock a week ago as I guessed it was AJRD he was writing about. I also read about China having tested something like this too. The race is on!

John Collins

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quincy adams
Guest
quincy adams
August 10, 2018 11:41 pm

One might expect the accounting department of a rocket company to pull their numbers out of thin air.

Blind Guide
Member
Blind Guide
August 12, 2018 7:25 pm
Reply to  quincy adams

Good one!

Blind Guide
Member
Blind Guide
August 12, 2018 11:41 am

Yep, you guessed it!

Magmahombre
Member
Magmahombre
August 17, 2018 2:39 pm

A major problem with Hypersonic flight is finding materials that withstand the temperatures (2500-3000C)due to friction with the atmosphere at hypersonic speeds and the ablation/erosion of the material, especially the leading edges. Ultra high temperature ceramic (UHTC) composite materials that solve these problems are the subject of much current research. Currently available UHTC materials are the limitation to speeds in excess of Mach 8-10. Interestingly, there a current cooperative/joint research program that is going on at two universities that has made important strides involveing one in the England and the other in China (University of Manchester in collaboration with Central South University (CSU), China), The program has fabricated a new carbide coating that is vastly superior in resisting temperatures up to 3,000 °C, when compared to existing convetial UHTCs. There is a news article describing this researc at: https://phys.org/news/2017-07-chances-hypersonic-materials-discovery.html#jCp. The new material is a zirconium carbide-graphite fiber composite. ZrC has a melting point of 3560C. Tantalum carbide and tantalum hafnium carbide both have higher melting points (3880 and 3942C respectively) would also be candidates but hafnium and tantalum much more rare and significantly more expensive than zirconium.

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rosalindr
Member
October 4, 2018 2:14 am
Reply to  Magmahombre

It sounds like companies developing these high speed materials might be a better investment now than trying to predict future power sources.

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mshadowfaxm
Member
mshadowfaxm
August 21, 2018 10:10 am

Is it true that the missiles being developed can fly at Mach 5,and if so ,does that render them nearly invisible?

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mshadowfaxm
Member
mshadowfaxm
August 21, 2018 12:38 pm

now THAT is scary!

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mshadowfaxm
Member
mshadowfaxm
August 21, 2018 10:17 am

great work stock gumshoe guys! you rock!

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saint stephen
September 15, 2018 12:38 pm

What is the new crypto Altucher is pumping?

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Nancy
Member
Nancy
December 27, 2018 2:40 am

Think you are on target! The details match. He referenced some other defense contractors at the end which are in the packet which he will include! He offers some market stock purchase selling timing guidance going beyond the ID of the company. But that info’s utility depends on whether it starts to take off! The longer term prospect looks good, but there are still unknowables!
Thanks for your smarts and dedication!

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attila00
Member
attila00
May 26, 2019 11:08 pm

Hypersonic is misleading; it simply means speeds above about Mach 3.0 while supersonic is only from 1.0 to 3.0. Most rockets have long ago gone hypersonic (even the V2). The news is really about propulsion systems that operate in this flight envelope. Typical jet engines melt down from temperatures developed in the compressor section. So thses hypersonic engines compress entirely with ram air pressure. That has some great advantages; high efficiency (high as 50%), simplicity (few moving parts), etc. Of course there are limitations, the most serious being the necessity of boosting the airframe to Mach 1 +. Variable geometry is a given. Some 25 years ago I proposed developing a scramjet mid stage to dramatically lower cost to orbit. NASA was quite uninterested. The fact that using mature technology off the shelf booster rockets for the first stage to get the scramjet started would eliminate most of the liquid oxygen and at the same time 60% of takeoff weight did not capture their imagination.
So why all the excitement today? It means dramatically greater range for low level defense penetration at minimum cost. But not to worry; we have several countermeasures already.

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