February 2015 List of Buys

Here are my total list of buys for the month of February:

Company	Shares	Price/Share	Cost Basis
Coca-Cola (KO)	3.5697	$42.02	$150
Mattel (MAT)	3.6114	$27.69	$100
McDonalds (MCD)	0.7986	$93.91	$75.00
Microsoft (MSFT)	9.4007	$42.55	$400
Microsoft (MSFT)	2.3568	$42.43	$100
Microsoft (MSFT)	2.3015	$43.45	$100
VFC Corp. (VFC)	2.8641	$69.83	$200
Walmart (WMT)	2.1612	$83.75	$181.00
Total			$1306.00

• Can't go wrong with adding KO. A couple of bucks more than I would like to pay per share, however it's a better investment than keeping my money in a savings account.
• I know many investors don't care much for Mattel for a many reasons. The dividend yield is now 6% and I am hoping they will be able to sustain that. They keep drifting lower so I may add more here. This is probably my number 1 speculation play.
• This month I had a total of (3) buys for Microsoft. The only technology exposure that I have at the moment is AAPL and MSFT. I feel like these are the only two I will keep in that industry for a long time. I continue to like MSFT in the low 40's.
• Nothing wrong with adding a little VFC once in a while. This company keeps on trending upward. What's not to like?
• I like WMT at the moment and they seem to be bringing in a ton of new Neighborhood Market stores in place of the Express small sized stores. I am going to keep a close eye on WMT in the upcoming months.

What do you think of my list of buys for February?

To Sell or Not to Sell..

ARCP has been a thorn on my side..

• ARCP is still lingering through its accounting and management problems.
• They cut the dividend and I have no clue when it will be coming back.

 

 I also have to consider........

 

Will interest rate increases affect this company in the short term.

 

 

Some people might say if ARCP keeps selling off, scoop up some more shares.



I say there may be no quick fix and it could take a while for them to get their books in order.

 

Now what should I do?



I'm still holding onto my shares at a small unrealized loss.

The company's dividend suspension was disheartening but it may come back.               

I will only see a small loss if I sell now. (Approximately $155)

So the question I ask everyone is should I Hold, Sell, or Buy in this situation. What would you do?

 

 

 

These Two Dividend Stocks Should Not Be Ignored!

Microsoft (MSFT)
Market Cap 359.9B
P/E ration (ttm) 17.7
Dividend Yield 2.83%

• With a recent dip after earnings, the stock looks reasonable priced compared to the broader market
• The new management team is pushing new software which could help promote some growth
• Microsoft has been acquiring small start ups like Sunrise, Revolution Analytics, and Hockey App
• Cloud and device sales have continued to gain momentum, which has led to successfully replacing the revenue lost from the Windows operates system

Dunkin' Brands (DNKN)
Market Cap 4.88B
P/E ration (ttm) 29.75
Dividend Yield 2.27%

• DNKN has announced it will be introducing a new beverage platform. This will include new fruit and coffee smoothies.
• A sight drop in quarter over quarter numbers is disappointing (Q4 EPS of $0.46, misses by $0.01. Revenue of $193.21M was a solid +5.5 Y/Y increase.
• Dunkin declares they will be increasing the dividend by 15.2%. This will bring it up to $0.265/share quarterly dividend. (ex-dividend is March 5th)
• Baskin-Robbins reports +9.3% increase in U.S. comparable sales growth in Q4.

 How do you feel about these two companies at the moment?

 

2014 and 2015 Goals Review

I finally got a chance to look over my goals for last year. Here are the results:

2014 Goals:

• Pay off my student Loan (Unsuccessful - $988 Left)
• Pay off all credit card debt (completed 8/7/2014)
• Have a net worth of $22,000 (includes Savings, Checking, 401k, and broker accounts) (completed 9/7/2014)
• Receive $100 in interest from my savings account for the year (Unsuccessful - Received $62)
• Receive $225 in dividends from stocks during the year of 2014 (Unsuccessful - Received $205)
• Increase my yearly income by 5% or $34,257 (Completed 12/16/14)

Half of my goals were completed successfully for 2014.

• I could have paid off my student loan in full since I only owed $988 but I decided the 3.4% interest rate was low enough to hold a balance
• I was short $38 for my Interest earnings goal
• I was short $20 for my dividend earnings goal

Even though I did fail in some of my goals, I wasn't far off at all. I am now putting these behind me and have a new set of goals for 2015.

2015 Goals:

• Have a net worth of $50,000 (includes Savings, Checking, 401k, and broker accounts) 
• Receive $1000 in dividends from stocks during the year of 2015
• Save 37% of my net income from all sources. (Annual Average)

January 2015 List of Buys

Here are my total buys for the month of January:

 

Company	Shares	Price/Share	Cost Basis
Microsoft (MSFT)	1.2163	$41.11	$50
Microsoft (MSFT)	1.2300	$40.65	$50
McDonalds (MCD)	.2770	$90.24	$25
McDonalds (MCD)	.2699	$92.62	$25
Pepsi (PEP)	.1030	$97.06	$10
Starbucks (SBUX)	.1222	$81.84	$10
Starbucks (SBUX)	.1253	$79.78	$10
Starbucks (SBUX)	.2852	$87.65	$25
YUM (YUM)	.6850	$72.99	$50
VFC Corp. (VFC)	.3497	$71.49	$25
VFC Corp. (VFC)	.7254	$68.93	$50
Viacom (VIAB)	.3671	$68.10	$25
Unilever (UL)	1.2775	$39.14	$50
Total			$405.00

What do you think of my list of buys for January?