This rally came too early to be called a Santa Claus rally this year!! To have a quick flashback you will recall that we recommended increasing our holdings of stocks to take advantage of certain actions earlier in the year like Quantitative Easing (QE). Looking back, I agreed with the thoughts of many other investors and economists that it was time to move up in the risk spectrum. At that time, I believe QE would negatively impact bonds and favorably impact stocks. Our picks ranged from: 1. Dividend Stocks 2. Commodities 3. Large Cap 4. Our Usual --Down and Out Stock w/ Great Upside Potential.
Urb Lessons Learned: Keep some skin in the game on speculative stories that perform well.
This year I learned to trust my instincts but I wasn't consistent with my usual strategy of keeping a little bit of a well performing stock. The following stocks fit our Down and Out Stocks w/ Solid Upside, however we sold early and didn't keep any to enjoy this even more of the upside:
~ Boston Scientific (BSX): Bought this down and out and eventually accumulated this stock at a dollar cost average of $6.20s. Looking back we sold this stock around $7 and now it boasts an asking price of $7.82. Things that make you go hmmm.
~ Audiovox (VOXX): This consumer technology play was a solid call after it clear our down and out strategy with great upside. Consumers are coming back and they make the great Xmas devices that are on people's wishlist. Bought around 6.40s, sold around $6.8os because I got jittery and this stock now trades around $8.45!!! Wow
This reinforces my lesson learned in 2010, keep some in the game, you'll regret it less later!
Here is a look at other nice calls since our shift away from bonds:
~ American International Group (AIG): Gone from $30s to $50s and it looks like the upside is just beginning. This was part of our down and out call, no dividend so the upside needs to be significant
~ Collectors Universe (CLCT): Maintained our position here from levels that range from $ 4 to 9 bucks. This stocks boasts a healthy dividend payout of 32.5 cents a share and keeps the income stream coming in. Management has cash so the dividend looks solid. And the ride up to the $14-15 dollar level has given us nice appreciation.
~ Iron Mountain (IRM): This stock is a quiet surprise because its seen good upside very quickly. Roughly a 20+% move, this was a down and out stock that boasted good dividends.
~ Republic Services (RSG): Waste management has never looked so sexy. I personally think this stock was battered for tough reasons, which gave us a great entry point and this stocks has a dividend.
~ Oracle (ORCL): I don't write often about this stock because I have never sold it since in 1999 or 2000. Yes, I have loyally owned it for 10 years. I never owned a lot and perplexed as to why I never bought more but its now gives out a small dividend which allows me to reinvent in ORCL.
UNDERPERFORMERS for 2010
~ Radisys (RSYS): The reason why this stock is listed in the underperform section because it hasn't gone down but its basically DONE NOTHING! If you don't believe me, check out my dog and largest shareholder David Nierenberg's letter to RSYS: Letter
Note: Please read this letter. Nierenberg has asked RSYS to take a number of steps to improve the stock price. It appears that RSYS just announced one of those actions, however it comes on the heels of RSYS trimming its 4th Quarter Outlook.
STAY TUNED FOR 2011
Showing posts with label Boston Scientific. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Boston Scientific. Show all posts
Monday, December 20, 2010
Friday, October 01, 2010
Like its Dynamite
If you haven't heard the song Dynamite by Taio Cruz you have got to check it out. Great song and it describes how our picks have been lately. My goal is to hopefully post more but write less. In this turbulent market, I think we have the right strategy for investors: wait for huge discounts in stocks and don't be foolish... take gains where they make sense. I try to frequently summarize recent picks and give status updates on older picks:
American International Group (NYSE:AIG) - I am trying to track down the most recent post of AIG. If my tracker is finally up and running I will look to see when I bought the shares. AIG was a pick that practically hit me in the head. I had a hard time recommending this stock but to be honest I listened to Bill Gross awhile back who said buy what the US Government is buying. I will write more later, as to my opinion on why this would be the case with stocks that are basically owned by Uncle Sam.
Disclosure: I own share of AIG
Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX) - Not a stock for weak stomach. But this company has made an acquisition and bounced high recently on publication about their defibrilator devices. This is one where I would continue to buy on dips. Dollar cost average in and be patient and this company is in a restructuring mode.
Disclosure: I own shares of BSX
Exar Corp (NASDAQ:EXAR) - Appears to have found a nice floor around the 52 week low mark. This could have good upside from here. Moving nicely already.
Audiovox (NADSAQ:VOXX) - Moving above recommend price.
Theravance (NASDAQ:THRX) - This one was a really solid call. It ripped up from recommended level after positive news based on FDA comments.
I also written recently about these stocks and continue to see solid upside going forward:
Iron Mountain (NYSE:IRM) Up very nicely from recommended price. I watched this closely and there was a chance to buy this stock at an even further discount around the $20.80 and above. Doing well so far.
Comcast - Note there are two tickers for this company. Its up over the recommended price. I will write more about the difference in a new post.
Long-Term Stocks:
I love these names and they continue do very well:
Enterprise Partners (EPD)
Radisys (RSYS)
Disclosure: I own shares of RSYS
Collectors Universe (CLCT)
Disclosure: I own shares of CLCT
Visa (V)
Disclosure: I own share of V
American International Group (NYSE:AIG) - I am trying to track down the most recent post of AIG. If my tracker is finally up and running I will look to see when I bought the shares. AIG was a pick that practically hit me in the head. I had a hard time recommending this stock but to be honest I listened to Bill Gross awhile back who said buy what the US Government is buying. I will write more later, as to my opinion on why this would be the case with stocks that are basically owned by Uncle Sam.
Disclosure: I own share of AIG
Boston Scientific (NYSE:BSX) - Not a stock for weak stomach. But this company has made an acquisition and bounced high recently on publication about their defibrilator devices. This is one where I would continue to buy on dips. Dollar cost average in and be patient and this company is in a restructuring mode.
Disclosure: I own shares of BSX
Exar Corp (NASDAQ:EXAR) - Appears to have found a nice floor around the 52 week low mark. This could have good upside from here. Moving nicely already.
Audiovox (NADSAQ:VOXX) - Moving above recommend price.
Theravance (NASDAQ:THRX) - This one was a really solid call. It ripped up from recommended level after positive news based on FDA comments.
I also written recently about these stocks and continue to see solid upside going forward:
Iron Mountain (NYSE:IRM) Up very nicely from recommended price. I watched this closely and there was a chance to buy this stock at an even further discount around the $20.80 and above. Doing well so far.
Comcast - Note there are two tickers for this company. Its up over the recommended price. I will write more about the difference in a new post.
Long-Term Stocks:
I love these names and they continue do very well:
Enterprise Partners (EPD)
Radisys (RSYS)
Disclosure: I own shares of RSYS
Collectors Universe (CLCT)
Disclosure: I own shares of CLCT
Visa (V)
Disclosure: I own share of V
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Portfolio Spring Cleaning...
It is technically still spring, right? I know judging from the mid 50 degree weather here in Chicago that this seems about right! Although I have been really busy I am starting to understand my investing habits a little. I think I tend to get more interested in the markets when volatility begins to pick up. This could be it or maybe I am finally drinking my own Kool-Aid and using the volatility to find deeply discounted bargains. Well, lets hope its the latter because I have been tuning in alot more lately. I continue to write about the extraordinary run that we've been on lately. It started earlier in the year when one of our largest holdings was liquidated due to a buyout of Burlington Northern Santa Fe (NYSE: BNI). I felt good here because we owned this position for almost two years, and held strong (thanks to the dividend) through the downturn and watched the company get bought out by Berkshire Hathaway.
Next, we've seen positive moves in the stocks we screened so diligently during the market downturn and decided to keep. I've gone with a concentrated portfolio and this has served well since the market stabilized. Besides BNI, my concentrated portfolio includes:
Radisys Corporation (NASDAQ: RSYS) - Largest Position
BNI - Second largest, liquidated
Collectors Universe (NASDAQ: CLCT) Now second largest position.
Visa (NYSE: V) - Liquidated most of this position for a nice gain; Still retain a minor position
Boston Scientific (NYSE: BSX) - New, small position
I'll keep beating the drum on RSYS as it went from $4 to now $10. It was a rough ride but we should be seeing some upside as they outsource their production model and grow with new products.
Collectors Universe is easily my second largest holding and has been on an outright tear and we owe thanks to new management cutting costs and reimplementing the dividend. This has brought investors searching for yield running to this stock. It has seen a run also from $4 to now roughly $14 bucks. A recent increase in the dividend yield now it paying out a whooping 30c a share!!! This healthy dividend allows me to continue to grow ownership in the country.
Visa was a classic buy during the downturn as we began accumulating a large amount of shares at roughly the IPO price. This was a no-brainer as the downside risk could not have been much lower than the levels that analysts had expected for a public offering. So at one point V was my fourth largest position behind RSYS, BNI and CLCT, because I had a conviction that V wouldn't slip much further. After a nice return, I sold most of V but retained a small portion which I still hold.
URB Update: Visa is experiencing some downside risk in their stock due to some recent legislation. The CEO recently spoke about the amendments passed in the Senate and the affects they could have. Being in the industry I need to better understand what's in the potential amendment but it seems like there could be some additional regulation around the "interchange" or swipe fees that are paid by merchants. I do believe this could have the most impact in their bottom line because this is how they make their money on a per transaction basis. I think investors are concerned with this and with the fact that a major part of the amendment is limiting the fees around debit and even credit transactions. This part would only impact V if their issues see a significant decrease in volume.
My recommendation is to wait for this legislation to play out. V and other networks will not be impacted as much as issuers are. Keep the stock if you own it and use the dividend to accumulate more of a position. I will be keeping the small position that I own, however for the tracking portfolio I will take some profits.
Boston Scientific - I like this sector but my research shows that there may be too much risk involved in holding this stock. I may look to stay in this sector by finding a stronger company that offers a dividend.
I am exhausted but here are the stocks that I am still watching:
Next, we've seen positive moves in the stocks we screened so diligently during the market downturn and decided to keep. I've gone with a concentrated portfolio and this has served well since the market stabilized. Besides BNI, my concentrated portfolio includes:
Radisys Corporation (NASDAQ: RSYS) - Largest Position
BNI - Second largest, liquidated
Collectors Universe (NASDAQ: CLCT) Now second largest position.
Visa (NYSE: V) - Liquidated most of this position for a nice gain; Still retain a minor position
Boston Scientific (NYSE: BSX) - New, small position
I'll keep beating the drum on RSYS as it went from $4 to now $10. It was a rough ride but we should be seeing some upside as they outsource their production model and grow with new products.
Collectors Universe is easily my second largest holding and has been on an outright tear and we owe thanks to new management cutting costs and reimplementing the dividend. This has brought investors searching for yield running to this stock. It has seen a run also from $4 to now roughly $14 bucks. A recent increase in the dividend yield now it paying out a whooping 30c a share!!! This healthy dividend allows me to continue to grow ownership in the country.
Visa was a classic buy during the downturn as we began accumulating a large amount of shares at roughly the IPO price. This was a no-brainer as the downside risk could not have been much lower than the levels that analysts had expected for a public offering. So at one point V was my fourth largest position behind RSYS, BNI and CLCT, because I had a conviction that V wouldn't slip much further. After a nice return, I sold most of V but retained a small portion which I still hold.
URB Update: Visa is experiencing some downside risk in their stock due to some recent legislation. The CEO recently spoke about the amendments passed in the Senate and the affects they could have. Being in the industry I need to better understand what's in the potential amendment but it seems like there could be some additional regulation around the "interchange" or swipe fees that are paid by merchants. I do believe this could have the most impact in their bottom line because this is how they make their money on a per transaction basis. I think investors are concerned with this and with the fact that a major part of the amendment is limiting the fees around debit and even credit transactions. This part would only impact V if their issues see a significant decrease in volume.
My recommendation is to wait for this legislation to play out. V and other networks will not be impacted as much as issuers are. Keep the stock if you own it and use the dividend to accumulate more of a position. I will be keeping the small position that I own, however for the tracking portfolio I will take some profits.
Boston Scientific - I like this sector but my research shows that there may be too much risk involved in holding this stock. I may look to stay in this sector by finding a stronger company that offers a dividend.
I am exhausted but here are the stocks that I am still watching:
- Energy Partners
- Legg Mason
- Becton Dickinson
- CapitalSource
- Theravance
- ViaSat
- ADC Telecommunications
- Solar Capital
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Back to Business...
If you haven't been paying attention lately it has definitely been back to business on Wall Street. Quietly the markets have roared up and surpassed the levels before the great recession of our times, started. We are roughly hovering around Dow 11000 and I am still interested because good companies are recovering and making money. If you go back in time, you will remember that I mentioned the good times will begin to roll again however we need to be better stop pickers this time around. In the past few years, we could afford to buy almost anything and watch it go up. Now we've learned that this is no longer the case a good pickers will be rewarded. I am not a great stock picker so I will say good and that is why I went through that cleansing period. I said if you don't see a stock as a long term hold and can't bear waiting for it to recover through the difficult times then get rid of it. And that what we did, now I would have loved to go back and hold on to my Microsoft holdings but besides that I was pleased with my focused results.
My main holdings continue to be:
Radisys - my largest position with is up fairly nicely. Since the hitting lows in the 4s this stock along with many others has rebounded and is roughly in the 9-10 range.
Collector's Universe my second largest position is poised and looking very strong. It has surprised be and scared me a bit by bouncing off of levels in the 4s and surprising coming in around $14 lately. I followed the advice of the greats and really read through their filings and statements when things were bad. As I've written in the past, they have a good representation of outside investors who have kept the company honest. They shedded non-performing parts of the business...the gem grading business if I recall and maintained their bread and butter...authentication of stuff. They also instituted expense saving processes and cut the dividend which hurt and sent investors scrambling away. But reading through the filing showed me they could continue to make the payments but wanted to reserve the cash to make it through the storm. And that they did, and when they reannounced a short while ago that they were bringing back their 25c dividend things were rolling for this company. Earnings looked good and I was buying more shares through my dividend reinvestment program. Now my holdings are going up even more and they are soaring. They just announced an increase in dividends which is bringing in more investors and we are loving it. Dividends have been increased to 30c and this company looks to be in a great position. I will need to be careful here but we are easily profitable on this trade and making steady dividends each quarter.
Burlington Northern - This is no longer a holding as we made a healthy return after the company was bought out and taken private.
I watching the usual suspects in my watch portfolio:
Legg Mason (LM)
Boston Scientific (BSX)
...and a few new ones:
ViaSat (VST)
Theravance (THX)
Keep u posted, Peace
My main holdings continue to be:
Radisys - my largest position with is up fairly nicely. Since the hitting lows in the 4s this stock along with many others has rebounded and is roughly in the 9-10 range.
Collector's Universe my second largest position is poised and looking very strong. It has surprised be and scared me a bit by bouncing off of levels in the 4s and surprising coming in around $14 lately. I followed the advice of the greats and really read through their filings and statements when things were bad. As I've written in the past, they have a good representation of outside investors who have kept the company honest. They shedded non-performing parts of the business...the gem grading business if I recall and maintained their bread and butter...authentication of stuff. They also instituted expense saving processes and cut the dividend which hurt and sent investors scrambling away. But reading through the filing showed me they could continue to make the payments but wanted to reserve the cash to make it through the storm. And that they did, and when they reannounced a short while ago that they were bringing back their 25c dividend things were rolling for this company. Earnings looked good and I was buying more shares through my dividend reinvestment program. Now my holdings are going up even more and they are soaring. They just announced an increase in dividends which is bringing in more investors and we are loving it. Dividends have been increased to 30c and this company looks to be in a great position. I will need to be careful here but we are easily profitable on this trade and making steady dividends each quarter.
Burlington Northern - This is no longer a holding as we made a healthy return after the company was bought out and taken private.
I watching the usual suspects in my watch portfolio:
Legg Mason (LM)
Boston Scientific (BSX)
...and a few new ones:
ViaSat (VST)
Theravance (THX)
Keep u posted, Peace
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
SCRABBLE...
Currently, we are in a market that is swinging up and down. So instead of guessing which letter to put in your portfolio I would suggest an alphabet soup of stocks that are being snapped up by veteran investors. Here are a few on my short list:
Boston Scientific (BSX)
CIT Group (CIT)
Becton Dickinson (BDX)
Corrections Corp of America (CXW)
Citrix (CTXS)
Wells Fargo (WFC)
Republic Services (RSG)
Boston Scientific (BSX)
CIT Group (CIT)
Becton Dickinson (BDX)
Corrections Corp of America (CXW)
Citrix (CTXS)
Wells Fargo (WFC)
Republic Services (RSG)
Saturday, August 15, 2009
What's in My New Fave Five Portfolio
Well if I had my T-Mobile Sidekick I would be dialing up these stocks in my Fave Five list. After reading my previous post you see that I am looking to build a base with longer term plays that will offer protection and growth. Stocks like TIP, EPD, and GE are for the long road because they protection you from inflation, provide a nice dividend, and offer large cap value...respectively.
I became to write about clarity and the activity that I am seeing in the markets allows me to return to my screening process. A process that allows me to rely on quantitative data analysis and less on my emotions. Here are my picks and the my views of what the data tells me.
My FAVE FIVE for August with price points:
Interactive Brokers (NasdaqGS: IBKR) - This may be my favorite pick this month. I would be a heavy accumulator between $18.15 -18.60. Also any points when they dip below $19.12 I would start nibbling at the stock. I like the activity in the stock market which allows this company to garner more fees and I am bullish on the fact that they market themselves as a low cost fee servicer.
Americredit (NYSE: ACF) - I am pleased that this stock came up screen. At 16.94, I would be a buyer of this automobile finance contract purchaser and servicer. I believe 'Cash for Clunkers' will be a huge benefit to this company and the proof is in a recent discussion on CNBC with the AutoNation CEO. He directly attributed the program with bringing buyers with good credit scores into showrooms.
Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) This one is simple. Everyone and there mama is buying into BAC and I told you before I don't go against smart money. It came up on my screen and further research shows industry hedge fund smart guys like Peltz, Jana Hedge fund, Dan Loeb and my current favorite John Paulson are jumping on to this train. Take Paulson, my dog owns 168 Million shares. Hmmm, is that enough to make you think twice! I'm struggling with a price point but I'd love to see a small pullback to pick this stock up @ 15.96
Becton Dickinson (NYSE: BDX) - This one is simple. Even though I like Paulson, I am a bigger fan of Warren Buffet. He steered me right with Burlington Northern and now he's on board with BDX. Jump on the wagon @ $65.49
Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) - This was not uncovered by my screen but I like the activity around PFE. This was added at the last minute and switched with my honorable mention Boston Sci. As I was researching PFE, I learned that the management has indicated a plan to raise the dividend by 25% by the end of the year. I can dig that!
Honorable Mention Fave Fives:
Rait Financial (NYSE: RAS) - I have to give you a 'penny stock'. RAS hits my screen and should be picked up at $2! The only problem is that it took off the other day to the tune of 29%. Well you win some and you lose some.
Boston Scientific (NYSE: BSX) - This gets the dubious number six on my list. It got replaced by an older maybe more responsible friend PFE. But grab BSX @ $11.06.
I became to write about clarity and the activity that I am seeing in the markets allows me to return to my screening process. A process that allows me to rely on quantitative data analysis and less on my emotions. Here are my picks and the my views of what the data tells me.
My FAVE FIVE for August with price points:
Interactive Brokers (NasdaqGS: IBKR) - This may be my favorite pick this month. I would be a heavy accumulator between $18.15 -18.60. Also any points when they dip below $19.12 I would start nibbling at the stock. I like the activity in the stock market which allows this company to garner more fees and I am bullish on the fact that they market themselves as a low cost fee servicer.
Americredit (NYSE: ACF) - I am pleased that this stock came up screen. At 16.94, I would be a buyer of this automobile finance contract purchaser and servicer. I believe 'Cash for Clunkers' will be a huge benefit to this company and the proof is in a recent discussion on CNBC with the AutoNation CEO. He directly attributed the program with bringing buyers with good credit scores into showrooms.
Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) This one is simple. Everyone and there mama is buying into BAC and I told you before I don't go against smart money. It came up on my screen and further research shows industry hedge fund smart guys like Peltz, Jana Hedge fund, Dan Loeb and my current favorite John Paulson are jumping on to this train. Take Paulson, my dog owns 168 Million shares. Hmmm, is that enough to make you think twice! I'm struggling with a price point but I'd love to see a small pullback to pick this stock up @ 15.96
Becton Dickinson (NYSE: BDX) - This one is simple. Even though I like Paulson, I am a bigger fan of Warren Buffet. He steered me right with Burlington Northern and now he's on board with BDX. Jump on the wagon @ $65.49
Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) - This was not uncovered by my screen but I like the activity around PFE. This was added at the last minute and switched with my honorable mention Boston Sci. As I was researching PFE, I learned that the management has indicated a plan to raise the dividend by 25% by the end of the year. I can dig that!
Honorable Mention Fave Fives:
Rait Financial (NYSE: RAS) - I have to give you a 'penny stock'. RAS hits my screen and should be picked up at $2! The only problem is that it took off the other day to the tune of 29%. Well you win some and you lose some.
Boston Scientific (NYSE: BSX) - This gets the dubious number six on my list. It got replaced by an older maybe more responsible friend PFE. But grab BSX @ $11.06.
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