Fortress Investment Group upbeat despite loss

It's been a year since Fortress Investment Group (NYSE: FIG) went public. At that time, the offering got a nice reception. After all, investors were hungry for hedge fund and private equity operators.

Of course, that's no longer the case. And the stock of Fortress has gone from $34 to a low of $9.50.

Well, this week, the firm announced its fiscal Q4 results. There was a net loss of $29.3 million, or $0.43 per share and pre-tax distributable earnings were down 43% to $78 million, or $0.18 per share. Revenues were also lackluster – falling 22% to $196 million. Although, with a large amount of assets under management (roughly $33.2 billion), Fortress saw a 43% spike in management fees.

With the roiling credit and equity markets, it's tough to complete deals. As a result, there hasn't been much opportunity to realize gains.

Despite all this, the Fortress conference call was upbeat. Keep in mind that the company focuses on asset-based investments, which tend to have less leverage and lower valuations. Besides, as major banks repair their balance sheets, there should be opportunities for players like Fortress to get some choice deals.

Interestingly enough, Fortress thinks that the second half of 2008 will be quite active. And, if the company can scoop up some transactions at compelling valuations, it could position itself nicely for the next couple years, when things get back to normal.

Tom Taulli is the author of various books, including The Complete M&A Handbook and The Edgar Online Guide to Decoding Financial Statements. He also operates DealProfiles.com.