Monday, February 23, 2015

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?

Thursday, February 19, 2015

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?
     
     

     

    Sunday, February 15, 2015

    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?

     

    Thursday, February 12, 2015

    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)

    Thursday, February 5, 2015

    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?