This is the fifth year that I am posting my stock picks for the year. There is a lot of foolishness in doing so because each year that I have made such suggestions, including 2009 when I owned all of the picks, it is assumed that I would hold all of the positions without responding to market conditions, or changes in the specific company. No adding to, or cutting a position. This is not the real world.

It is not possible for everything to remain static. For example, you might find that you hold a stock that made a great run through three quarters, beyond your wildest expectations, and decide it has passed a point where the metrics cannot support anything close to the price. Under normal circumstances you might sell it, except you cannot. By the end of the year the profit you might have realized fades away and you end up reporting on something that is not a true measure of your objective strategy. Nevertheless, once again I will stick with this approach because this seems to be how its done in every publication's annual picks. This year there are eleven.

Continue reading Chasing Value: 2011 Stock Picks -- 5 of 11

Chasing Value: 2011 Stock Picks -- 5 of 11 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 05 Jan 2011 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Chasing Value: 2010 Picks Q3 Update -- ADM, BRK, EZPW, GE, HD

Chasing Value: 2010 Picks Q3 Update -- ADM, BRK, EZPW, GE, HD originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 07 Oct 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

During my tenure at BloggingStocks I have expressed my opinion often about the contribution that dividends make to your overall return. Most shrewd investors, and especially "my pal Warren," know this and understand why I re-emphasize the point when I make my annual selections.

By now I hope you have had a chance to peruse my picks for 2010. If not the links below will give you another opportunity.

Continue reading Chasing Value: 2010 Dividends for Ten Stock Picks

Chasing Value: 2010 Dividends for Ten Stock Picks originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 31 Dec 2009 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The first four picks were all from the contenders list, but here I reach back to earlier in the year, when in May, I wrote about why I thought Williams Companies Inc. (WMB) would outperform four other, more popular stocks.

I compared it to Apple Inc. (AAPL), Google Inc. (GOOG), Microsoft Corp. (MSFT) and Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK.B).

During the past seven months this turned out to be true for half the period, but Apple came on strong and passed it by the second review.

Continue reading Chasing Value: 2010 -- #5 Williams Company

Chasing Value: 2010 -- #5 Williams Company originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 30 Dec 2009 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The 5 data points were price-to-sales (P/S), price-to-book (P/B), price-to-cash flow (P/CF), dividend yield and return-on-equity (ROE). I did look at other things but these were the subject of my initial focus.

Continue reading Chasing Value: 10 Stock Picks for 2010

Chasing Value: 10 Stock Picks for 2010 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Tue, 29 Dec 2009 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading Serious Money: Williams second to Apple; still leads Berkshire, Google & Microsoft

Serious Money: Williams second to Apple; still leads Berkshire, Google & Microsoft originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 31 Aug 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Continue reading After the rally comes the tally

After the rally comes the tally originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 11 May 2009 14:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

This week I have been evaluating the Williams Companies Inc. (NYSE: WMB), a stock that I think would make a good core holding for anyone seeking a dependable dividend, growth potential, and relatively low risk given its current price.

The price was $13.77 when I started the series and $13.00 when I myself bought in.

After the first three posts, I hope the case has been made, but we will continue nevertheless looking at Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL), Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) , Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT), and Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRK.B) for more supporting evidence.

Continue reading Serious Money: Better than Apple, Google, Microsoft & Berkshire Hathaway, Part 4

Serious Money: Better than Apple, Google, Microsoft & Berkshire Hathaway, Part 4 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Thu, 30 Apr 2009 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Over the past three years, I have found occasion to recommend these stocks and to pan them when their prices became ridiculous, not always with perfect timing. This week I have been expressing my preference for one over the rest, the Williams Companies Inc. (NYSE: WMB).

Part 3 continues to compare Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL), Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) , Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT), and Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRK.B) to Williams using a variety of common criteria.

Continue reading Serious Money: Better than Apple, Google, Microsoft & Berkshire Hathaway, Part 3

Serious Money: Better than Apple, Google, Microsoft & Berkshire Hathaway, Part 3 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 29 Apr 2009 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

If I write about Apple Inc. (NASDAQ: AAPL), Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG), Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT) or even one of my favorites Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (NYSE: BRK.B). I know that readership will be higher than if I write about less popular names.

Most recently this happened when I wrote about Williams Companies Inc. (NYSE: WMB) and to my disappointment interest was not high. Maybe it was the header: Chasing Value: Williams has the pipes and it's not blowing smoke -- go back and read it.

Continue reading Serious Money: Better than Apple, Google, Microsoft & Berkshire Hathaway, Part 1

Serious Money: Better than Apple, Google, Microsoft & Berkshire Hathaway, Part 1 originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 27 Apr 2009 14:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.