Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Recent Sell (MAT)

Sold Mattel (MAT) 27 Shares @ 23.13/Share
Total Proceeds - $624.51

Today I had to make the tough call of selling off a company that I feel doesn’t have much going for them. Recently I thought about adding shares to Mattel, in order to average down my cost basis. I ended up just selling all 27 shares because I feel like this money can be used in a better investment. There has been talk of a dividend cut or freeze and I don’t think that has been priced in yet. Trying to catch a falling knife is always a bad idea and has a certain level of risk that I am not willing to take. At the same time I am unsure of what I will be doing with the funds from the sell. RetireBeforeDad just wrote a great article on why he sold Mattel.

If you get a chance please vote on my newest poll on the right labeled “Which Company do you think will Experience the Most Growth in 2015”? 

13 comments:

  1. I was tempted to buy into MAT but just couldn't ever do it. I'm not sure how they will be able to handle the technology and incorporate that into their toy offerings. Could be a good play for someone but I can't blame you for getting out of this one and moving on to other opportunities. You can always circle back to it if you want.

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    1. PIP,
      Hasbro (HAS) has done a great job adapting to the digital age. They also have been involved with movies like Battleship and now the Disney deal with Frozen and Star Wars is huge. I wish I would have just put money into Hasbro instead of trying to go for the cheaper of the two. It's not a huge loss, but I don't want to keep losing out on possible gains with another company. Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  2. You can't win them all. We can conduct all the research in the world and predict the future with our pretty line graphs and magic numbers but reality will always overrule us.

    I voted for starbucks on your poll. Even after a horrible marketing campaign (Racetogether) Starbucks stock just shook it off whereas other similar stock would have crashed. Hopefully SBUX will drop 70% by summer.

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    1. BDI,
      This is so true in the investing world. I can't complain about this minor loss because the rest of my portfolio has been doing above average compared to the S&P. Mattel (MAT) and Viacom (VIAB) are the two laggards. I intend to keep Viacom for the long haul. I have been watching Starbucks like a hawk but the trend continues upwards. The slight pullback yesterday was almost enough for me to pull the trigger at $95, but I am hoping for something like $90 for SBUX. I guess we will see what happens. Thanks for voting on the poll. It seems like SBUX and AAPL are tied at the moment.

      Delete
  3. This could be a good call. Getting out before the dirt hits public.
    Good luck finding a new investment. Focussing on Aristocrats helps me to sleep well. Maybe this works for you too!

    Best wishes, DfS

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    1. DFS,
      I couldn't agree with you more about focusing on aristocrats. I am watching a few staples in my portfolio such as WMT, KO, and PEP. I think WMT is probably the better value at the moment but I am still a little skeptical about their small dividend raise. Still I think this is a solid long term pick. Thanks for stopping by!

      Delete
  4. DM,
    Thanks for the mention. I'm feeling better about this sale every day :)
    -RBD

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    1. RBD,
      No problem. I feel the same way you do about Mattel (MAT). Now I just have to figure out where I should allocate the funds from the sale. Thanks for the great write up on the Mattel sale.

      Delete
  5. Thanks for sharing. I have been looking at HAS a bit more closely in the last couple of months. Looking forward to seeing your plans with the sale proceeds.

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    1. DGJ,
      Hasbro (HAS) is an interesting pick right now. They have a lot going for them in the short term. I am going to continue sitting on the sidelines for now. I don't see Hasbro (HAS) as a common stock among other portfolios but it definitely deserves a second look. Thanks for stopping by!

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  6. Up nearly $3 a share since the sell. I was surprised when you did not buy more.

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    1. Now up over $4 per share since the sell.

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  7. Anonymous,
    I agree that I may have made a bad choice for selling (MAT) too early here. I am till unsure whether the dividend is safe at 6% but I should have waited and held onto my shares. I would be surprised to see if they can get back up to $30/share. I almost bought more shares but I didn't want to catch a falling knife either. I made the wrong call here and I am surprised to see they have rebounded nicely. Oh well, can't change the past. I made a similar mistake when I sold off (SNE) too early. I am learning from my mistakes. Thank you for the update!

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