Hello Friends!  Thanks so much for stopping by and visiting my blog, Stock Picks Bob's Advice!  As always, pleased remember to consult with your professional investment advisers before making any investment decisions based on information on this website.

Before I get any further, I would like to wish all of my friends and readers a very Happy and Healthy 2009.  

With the New Year upon us already, I didn't want to let a moment pass before getting my year-end status online.

I last reviewed my holdings November 30, 2008  As I often explain here, I write about many different stocks as well as the stocks I actually own in my 'trading account'.  As part of my effort to be as transparent as possible I try also on a regular basis to offer all of you a summary of how my own portfolio is doing.

The following list shows my holdings as of December 31, 2008, with the names of the stocks, their symbols, the number of shares held, date of purchase, the cost basis, latest price (12/31/08), and the % gain (or loss).

Haemonetics (HAE), 50 shares,  10/27/08, $51.70, $56.50, 9.28%

Johnson Controls (JCI), 82 shares,11/20/08, $14.83, $18.16, 22.42%

PetSmart (PETM), 104 shares, 11/20/08, $15.58, $18.45, 18.44%

Rollins (ROL), 350 shares,  10/16/08, $14.69, $18.08, 23.09%

Sysco (SYY), 154 shares,  12/10/08, $22.72, $22.94, .97%

WMS Industries (WMS), 72 shares, 10/28/08, $20.12, $26.90, 33.68%

Currently I have $18,487.43 in a Fidelity Municipal Money Market account.  This is in addition to my $18,030.48 in equities described above. The account as of 12/31/08 had a total value of $36,517.91.

As of 12/31/08, my portfolio had $2,520.32 in unrealized gains.  For 2008, my account had a net of $42.76 of realized gains after accounting for the $(9,246.00) in net realized short-term losses and $9,288.76 in net long-term gains.

I continue to regularly add $200/month to the account which goes into the money market fund.  In 2008 I received $160.75 in ordingary dividends, $.44 in capital gain distributions as well as $118.33 in tax-exempt income for a total of $279.52 in income.  

Balancing this was the total of $(244.79) in margin interest paid during 2008.

Overall 2008 was essentially a wash for me in terms of realized activity.  However, what suffered the most was the loss of so much of my unrealized gains on my holdings.  Thus, my account value dipped during the year as it did with so many investors.

Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog and I look forward to many more entries going into 2009 and the future.

Yours in investing,

Bob

Hello Friends!  Thanks so much for stopping by and visiting my blog, Stock Picks Bob's Advice!  As always, please remember that I am an amateur investor, so please remember to consult with your professional investment advisers prior to making any investment decisions based on information on this website.

Many of my recent entries have been about my trades---some successful and some not----and I haven't been writing quite as much about the kind of stocks that I refer to as my vocabulary of investable companies.  These are companies that meet my fairly well-accepted criteria of consistent revenue and earnings growth, stable shares, positive free cash flow, and healthy balance sheet.  It was a relief yesterday when I saw an 'old favorite' of mine, Apogee Enterprises (APOG) make the list of top % gainers.  While I do not limit myself at this time to selecting stocks off these gainers lists, I do find them helpful in identifying companies that may have enough momentum to exhibit price appreciation in a prolonged fashion.

I first discussed Apogee on this blog back on September 20, 2007, when the stock was trading at $25.76.  As I write this entry, Apogee is trading at $10.10, up $.56 or 5.87% on the day.  However, the stock has declined markedly since my entry, actually down $(15.66) or (60.8)% since posting.  Not exactly a stellar pick from last year, is it?  I do not own any shares or options of this company.

Apogee is heavily involved in architectural glass, and associated products and services.  It does also have some exposure to the picture framing market and optical display business.  However, the construction slump that we have been experiencing in the United States has brought down shares of construction-related stocks like Apogee.

I would like to take you through some of the things about this company that I still find attractive even though the nature of the business itself, being associated with the building industry, concerns me.

First of all, the company jumped yesterday after they announced 3rd quarter 2009 results and maintained guidance on the rest of the year.  Revenues for the quarter came in at $240.4 million, up 14% from the prior year.  Earnings from continuing operations were $.63/share, up from $.26/share.   Net earnings, including discontinued operations, came in at $.63/share, up from $.38/share last year. 

If we review the Morningstar.com  "5-Yr Restated" financials on APOG, we can see the picture of steady revenue growth from $490.8 million in 2004 to $881.8 million in 2008 and $937.7 million in the trailing twelve months (TTM).

Earnings have similarly increased during this period from a loss of $(.20)/share in 2004 to $1.67/share in 2008 and a dip to $1.66/share in the TTM. 

The company also pays a dividend and has been increasing it annually from $.24/share in 2004 to $.28/share in 2008 and $.30/share in the TTM.  Outstanding shares have been very stable with 28 million shares reported by Morningstar in 2004, and 29 million in the TTM.

Free cash flow has been positive and generally increasing with $5 million in 2006 growing to $31 million in 2008 and only dipping slightly to $23 million in the TTM.  The balance sheet appears adequate with $6 million in cash and $244 million in other current assets resulting in a current ratio of 1.46.

The valuation of this stock has become even more compelling now with the discounted stock price.  Per Yahoo "Key Statistics", this is a small cap stock with a market capitalization of only $280.81 million.  The trailing p/e is reported at 5.93 (!), with a forward p/e expected at 8.71 (fye 01-Mar-10).  The PEG works out to a very attractive 0.39.  (Generally I have found stocks with PEG ratios between 1.0 and 1.5 to be 'acceptable'.)

Currently, the company pays a small but increasing dividend but with the decrease in the stock price this works out to an attractive 3.6% yield.  The last stock split was back on February 18, 1997, when the company split its stock 2:1.

Looking at the point & figure chart on APOG from StockCharts.com, we can see that the stock price peaked back in July, 2007, at $29.  The stock experienced growing weakness through August, 2008, when it managed to reach a level of $21, then broke down completely in September of this year, dipping as low as $5.50/share.  The stock appears to be showing some recent strength but it would need to trade above $15.50, at least per this chart, to suggest some technical evidence of breaking-out above resistance.

Two additional stories from Yahoo also suggest an effort by management to continue to support the price of this stock.  First of all, was this story from October 8, 2008, when the company announced an increased dividend, and this story also from October 8, 2008, when the company announced an increase in its share repurchase authorization.

Thus, I find myself once again writing about this small Minneapolis-based firm.  I enjoy writing up stocks from the Midwest regardless of how many inches of snow we may have received last night! 

But seriously, even though I do not own any shares, they reported a great quarter in the face of a dismal construction environment, have a terrific longer-term track record of increasing revenue, earnings, and even their dividend, and have compelling valuation numbers.  On the downside is the ever-present reality of the awful building and home-construction market.  In addition, I have been a bit wary of stocks trading at just-above $10, and I have had problems as well with these very small-cap companies.  But this may well represent a good opportunity in this stock, and it deserves another mention on my blog!

Thanks so much for stopping by and visiting!  If you have any comments or questions, please feel free to leave them right here on the website or email me at bobsadviceforstocks@lycos.com.

Yours in investing,

Bob

Hello Friends!  Thanks so much for stopping by and visiting my blog, Stock Picks Bob's Advice!  As always, please remember that I am an amateur investor, so please remember to consult with your professional investment advisers prior to making any investment decisions based on information on this website.

For the last several years I have been selecting stocks in the same general fashion.  I check the lists of top % gainers first---generally avoiding stocks under $10---a strategy I picked up from the IBD CAN SLIM approach---and screen these stocks further.

Before deciding on any of these stocks, I generally look at the latest quarterly report hoping to find a company reporting growing revenue and growing earnings and possibly even beating analysts' expectations and raising guidance on future results.  (For Ecolab (ECL), the information is here.)

If this looks good, I generally head over to the Morningstar.com page and check on the "5-Yr Restated" financials.  I continue to look for steady revenue growth, earnings growth, possibly dividends with maybe some dividend growth, stable or declining outstanding shares, positive free cash flow and possibly growing free cash flow, and a balance sheet which shows more current assets than current liabilities.  (Ecolab's (ECL) "5-Yr Restated financials.)

From there, I usually refer to the Yahoo.com finance page and research the "Key Statistics" on the stock, hoping to find a relatively low p/e, acceptable PEG ratio, and possibly a short ratio over 3.0. (Ecolab's "Key Statistics"). 

Often I will utilize my Fidelity.com site to check the Price/Sales ratio relative to the company's peers, and the same with the Return on Equity for a look both at valuation and profitability. 

Finally, I like to check the "point & figure" chart from StockCharts.com to see if in my own amateur perspective, the chart looks as encouraging as possible and the stock price isn't instead in some sort of 'free fall.' (Ecolab's "point & figure" chart).

My timing of my purchases is still directed by sales of my own holdings as they reach appreciation targets or a sale of one of my minimum of 5 holdings which directs me as well to find a replacement and purchase a new stock.

The size of my purchases is now defined by the size of my other holdings.  If I am purchasing a stock that is not one of the five minimum, then I purchase shares that amount to 125% of the average value of my other holdings.  On the other hand, if this purchase is done 'under duress' that is, made mandatory by my own need to own at least five positions, then that 1-5 position purchase is much smaller, at 50% of the value of the remaining holdings.

What I have changed is not my reference to the top % gainers lists, but rather my willingness to not feel bound to that list and to instead purchase a stock that generally otherwise fits my criteria and is a 'high quality' company much like Sysco (SYY), which except for some recent accounting questions raised by Barron's is a great company to own and a company that I recently chose to purchase shares.

I use Ecolab (ECL) as another example.  It is a similar company to Sysco (SYY), and I suspect they actually compete in the hospital market.  However, Ecolab concentrates on cleaning supplies and Sysco has a greater emphasis on restaurant supplies and food.  I do not currently own shares in Ecolab (ECL) but I do own shares in Sysco (SYY).

Anyhow, I wanted to clarify my slight nuanced change in my stock selection criteria.  This blog and my own strategy is absolutely a 'work in progress' and I am glad you chose to come along on this journey.

If you have any comments or questions, please feel free to leave them on the blog or email me at bobsadviceforstocks@lycos.com.

Yours in investing,

Bob

Hello Friends!  Thanks so much for stopping by and visiting my blog, Stock Picks Bob's Advice!  As always, please remember that I am an amateur investor, so please remember to consult with your professional investment advisers prior to making any investment decisions based on information on this website.

I had a busy, if relatively unprofitable, day today.  Yesterday I wrote about my sale of a portion of Johnson Controls (JCI) at a gain, a sale that gave me a 'buy signal' to be adding a new position to my portfolio.  Being at 5 positions, I am well under my maximum of 20 holdings, and partial sales at appreciation targets trigger a buy in my investment strategy of responding to the stock market by paying attention to the actions of my own holdings.

What I didn't count on was the severe volatility of this market and the fact that picking up stocks on the top % gainers list simply does not lend itself as well to my own strategy as it has in the past.  I cannot explain the market activity but to point out that we can see surges in various industry groups as different strategies appear to be employed.  One day we observe commodity stocks moving higher, the next day financials, and today we had a lot of energy and commodity-related stocks on the rise.

DryShips (DRYS) made the list of top % gainers today and I thought I would try my hand at this stock that has been hit hard recently and has been moving higher along with some of the commodities the past few days.  In reality, employing my 8% loss limit on positions 6-20 in my portfolio really precludes me from buying a stock like DRYS which is swinging in 20% price moves the last few days.  I learned this today.

Nevertheless I purchased 306 shares of DRYS (a number calculated by determining the value of 125% of the average of my remaining 5 holdings) at $11.1856 this morning, only to watch the shares dip and passing my own 8% loss limit within hours of my purchase, I sold these same shares at $10.1522 for a loss of $(1.0334) or (9.24)% since purchase.  DRYS did rebound later in the day to close at $10.71, up $1.26 or 13.33% on the day.  But I was no longer a shareholder by that time.

It is difficult to do so much learning as an amateur in public!  But I would like to share with you my experiences so perhaps some of you may avoid my same errors.

After a similar experience the other day with Buckle (BKE), I really started asking myself if there was something very wrong with my stock selection approach.  Clearly in the current market environment, investors are quick to sell large gains and this activity results in a lack of 'follow-through', something in the past that hadn't been a problem.  Momentum has been very fickle.

But Johnson Controls (JCI) had worked.  So what was the difference?

In today's market, the stocks that appear to have some staying power as the market rallies are similar companies of what I would call 'high quality' types with the steady revenue growth and earnings and the like that I write about frequently on this blog.  But the over-done spikes in stock prices that are the result of either short-covering or simply market 'fads' for the moment are not the stuff to make an investment today.

Instead of sitting completely on my hands as a sale would usually dictate, I instead thought about some of the highest 'quality' companies that have been 'beaten-up' in the market but represent to me companies that may well have terrific longer-term prospects and are simply selling at a steep discount to probably real valuation.  O.K. I confess, I believe the market we are in is best served by a touch of 'value investing' in here....more along the lines of GARP investing, where well-known 'quality' growth stocks are selling at discounted levels.  Stocks like Fastenal (FAST), General Electric (GE), Walgreen (WAG), Ecolab (ECL), and Sysco (SYY) came to my mind.  These are the 'archetypes' of my investment strategy. 

I chose to pick up some shares of Sysco (SYY), a company I have admired for many years, a company whose trucks dominate the road, providing food for many a restaurant and supplies for hospitals and institutions.  This company wasn't going to go away and was selling for a song in the market.  At least that was my take today.  I wanted something 'safe' after getting my fingers burnt publicly more than once in a short period of time.  I needed some sort of foundational stock for my portfolio that would anchor my holdings.  I would sell if it hit an 8% loss like any other stock, but I had my doubts of much downside risk at these levels.

This afternoon I purchased 154 shares of Sysco (SYY) at $22.668.  I was down a few cents on this purchase by the close as SYY closed at $22.39 on the day, up $.17 or .77%.  It was a sedate purchase after my violent ride on DRYS.  Something I needed I guess :).

Let's take a brief look at a few of the things I like about Sysco.

First the chart, a point & figure graph from StockCharts.com:

You can see from this chart that the stock is now trading at levels not previously seen since about 2002.  Technically, there is little evidence that the stock has bottomed or has now turned higher.  It looks like there is more on the downside.  But some of the valuation numbers suggest otherwise.

Looking through some of the headlines on Sysco, we can see that just last month the company raised its dividend by 9%.  Not exactly a pessimistic outlook by that move I would say.

Also last month, the company reported 1st quarter 2009 results.  Revenue climbed 5% to $9.88 billion from $9.41 billion and earnings came in at $276.8 million or $.46/share up from $267 or $.43/share last year.

Reviewing the Morningstar.com "5-Yr Restated" financials on Sysco (SYY), we can see a pretty picture of steady revenue growth with the company reporting $26.1 billion in 2003 increasing to $35 billion in 2007 and $37 billion in the trailing twelve months (TTM).

Except for a dip in 2006, earnings have steadily increased from $1.37 in 2004 to $1.81/share in 2008 and $1.84/share in the TTM.  Dividends have also been increasing steadily from $.50/share in 2004 to $.85/share in 2008 and $.88/share in the TTM.  Meanwhile shares outstanding, which were listed at 662 million in 2004 have been steadily reduced each year to 611 million in 2008 and 608 million in the TTM.

Free cash flow is postive and growing with $611 million in 2006 and $1.08 billion in 2008 with $1.00 billion reported in the TTM.

The balance sheet appears solid with $346 million in cash and $5 billion in other current assets as compared to the $3.4 billion in current liabilities and the $3.4 billion in long-term debt.

Finally, in terms of valuation, looking at Yahoo "Key Statistics" we find that the company is a large cap with a market capitalization of $13.46 billion.  The trailing p/e is only 12.20, with a forward p/e (fye 28-Jun-10) estimated at 10.46.  The PEG works out at a very reasonable level of 0.95.  The company pays a dividend of $.88/share with a forward yield of 4%. 

Finally, the stock last split in December, 2000, when it reported a 2:1 stock split.

O.K., I got chicken.  I stayed away from the high-fliers and bought something I could really sink my teeth into.  Seriously.  Something I see when I go out to eat at a restaurant. 

They are a steady grower, they deserve a spot in most everyone's portfolio from my view.   And I have a hard time hanging onto these $10 stocks anyhow that move violently up and down as I am trying to limit my losses in some rationale fashion.  DryShips is an outstanding value in here I shall not dispute that fact.  But maybe I am getting too old for those kind of stock moves and need something more dependable (?) like a Sysco (SYY).  Sort of a 'comfort stock' you could say.

Anyhow, that's my update for today.  Excuse me for publicly chasing and dumping a stock once again.  I am changing my rules for the time being.  I shall check but not limit myself to the top % gainers list.  It is about time I gave myself a bit of flexibility on this.  However, I shall continue to try to manage the stocks that are in my portfolio in the same disciplined (?) fashion.