Archive for December, 2013

• The 2014 Buy List
  Eddy Elfenbein, December 31st, 2013 at 8:05 pm

  Here are the 20 stocks for the 2014 Buy List. It’s locked and sealed and I can’t make any changes for 12 months.

  For tracking purposes, I assume the Buy List is a $1 million portfolio that’s equally divided among 20 stocks. Below are all 20 positions with the amount of shares for each and the closing price for 2013. Whenever I discuss how the Buy List is doing, the list below is what I’m referring to.

  Company	Ticker	Price	Shares	Balance
  AFLAC	AFL	$66.80	748.5030	$50,000.00
  Bed Bath & Beyond	BBBY	$80.30	622.6650	$50,000.00
  CA Technologies	CA	$33.65	1485.8841	$50,000.00
  Cognizant Technology Solutions	CTSH	$100.98	495.1476	$50,000.00
  CR Bard	BCR	$133.94	373.3015	$50,000.00
  DirecTV	DTV	$69.06	724.0081	$50,000.00
  eBay	EBAY	$54.87	911.2448	$50,000.00
  Express Scripts	ESRX	$70.24	711.8451	$50,000.00
  Fiserv	FISV	$59.05	846.7401	$50,000.00
  Ford Motor	F	$15.43	3240.4407	$50,000.00
  IBM	IBM	$187.57	266.5671	$50,000.00
  McDonald’s	MCD	$97.03	515.3045	$50,000.00
  Medtronic	MDT	$57.39	871.2319	$50,000.00
  Microsoft	MSFT	$37.41	1336.5410	$50,000.00
  Moog	MOG-A	$67.94	735.9435	$50,000.00
  Oracle	ORCL	$38.26	1306.8479	$50,000.00
  Qualcomm	QCOM	$74.25	673.4007	$50,000.00
  Ross Stores	ROST	$74.93	667.2895	$50,000.00
  Stryker	SYK	$75.14	665.4245	$50,000.00
  Wells Fargo	WFC	$45.40	1101.3216	$50,000.00

  There are five new stocks and five stocks that I’m removing. The five new stocks are eBay ($EBAY), Express Scripts ($ESRX), IBM ($IBM), McDonald’s ($MCD) and Qualcomm ($QCOM).

  The five stocks I’m removing are FactSet Research Systems ($FDS), Harris ($HRS), JPMorgan Chase ($JPM), Nicholas Financial ($NICK) and WEX Inc. ($WEX).

  The average market cap is $80 billion. That ranges from a high of $312 billion for Microsoft ($MSFT) to $3 billion for Moog ($MOG-A).

  Thirteen of the twenty stocks pay dividends. The average yield is 1.35%.

  Only four stocks have remained on the Buy List for all eight years: AFLAC ($AFL), Bed Bath & Beyond ($BBBY), Fiserv ($FISV) and Medtronic ($MDT).

• The 2013 Buy List
  Eddy Elfenbein, December 31st, 2013 at 6:04 pm

  The 2013 trading year has come to a close, and it was a great year for Wall Street and our Buy List.

  For the year, our Buy List gained 36.42%. Including dividends, we gained 38.48%. This was the seventh year in a row in which we beat the S&P 500.

  The S&P 500 gained 29.60%. Including dividends, the index gained 32.39%. The dividend yield of our Buy List was 1.51%. For the S&P 500, it was 2.15%. The Buy List’s “beta” was 1.0067.

  All 20 stocks on the Buy List rose this year. The #1 performer was Moog ($MOG-A) which gained 65.59%. The worst was Oracle ($ORCL) which gained 14.83%.

  Over the eight-year history of our Buy List, our total compounded gain, including dividends, is 124.71%. For the S&P 500, the total return is 75.62%.

  I’ll restate the rules of the Buy List. I choose a portfolio of 20 stocks at the beginning of the year. After that, the Buy List is locked for the year and I can’t make any changes until the following year. For tracking purposes, I assume that the Buy List is a $1 million portfolio equally divided among the 20 stocks. You can check the performance of the Buy List anytime at our Buy List page.

  My goal is to show investors that by choosing stocks wisely and by sticking with high-quality stocks, they can beat the market—and that’s exactly what we’ve done.

  Here’s how each stock performed:

  Stock	Shares	12/31/2012	Beginning	12/31/2013	Ending	Profit/Loss
  AFL	941.2651	$53.12	$50,000.00	$66.80	$62,876.51	25.75%
  BBBY	894.2944	$55.91	$50,000.00	$80.30	$71,811.84	43.62%
  CA	2,274.7953	$21.98	$50,000.00	$33.65	$76,546.86	53.09%
  CTSH	676.7731	$73.88	$50,000.00	$100.98	$68,340.55	36.68%
  BCR	511.5613	$97.74	$50,000.00	$133.94	$68,518.52	37.04%
  DTV	996.8102	$50.16	$50,000.00	$69.06	$68,839.71	37.68%
  FDS	567.7947	$88.06	$50,000.00	$108.58	$61,651.15	23.30%
  FISV	1,265.3422	$39.515	$50,000.00	$59.05	$74,718.46	49.44%
  F	3,861.0039	$12.95	$50,000.00	$15.43	$59,575.29	19.15%
  HRS	1,021.2418	$48.96	$50,000.00	$69.81	$71,292.89	42.59%
  JPM	1,137.1390	$43.97	$50,000.00	$58.48	$66,499.89	33.00%
  MDT	1,218.9176	$41.02	$50,000.00	$57.39	$69,953.68	39.91%
  MSFT	1,871.9581	$26.71	$50,000.00	$37.41	$70,029.95	40.06%
  MOG-A	1,218.6205	$41.03	$50,000.00	$67.94	$82,793.08	65.59%
  NICK	4,032.2581	$12.40	$50,000.00	$15.74	$63,467.74	26.94%
  ORCL	1,500.6002	$33.32	$50,000.00	$38.26	$57,412.96	14.83%
  ROST	924.3853	$54.09	$50,000.00	$74.93	$69,264.19	38.53%
  SYK	912.0759	$54.82	$50,000.00	$75.14	$68,533.38	37.07%
  WFC	1,462.8438	$34.18	$50,000.00	$45.40	$66,413.11	32.83%
  WEX	663.3939	$75.37	$50,000.00	$99.03	$65,695.90	31.39%
  Total			$1,000,000.00		$1,364,235.66	36.42%

  Note that Fiserv split 2-for-1 on December 17.

  Here’s how the Buy List performed throughout the year:

  

• Home Prices Rise the Most in Seven Years
  Eddy Elfenbein, December 31st, 2013 at 11:33 am

  From Bloomberg:

  Home prices in 20 U.S. cities rose in October from a year ago by the most in more than seven years, signaling the real-estate rebound will keep bolstering household wealth in 2014.

  The S&P/Case-Shiller index of property prices in 20 cities climbed 13.6 percent from October 2012, the biggest 12-month gain since February 2006, after a 13.3 percent increase in the year ended in September, a report from the group showed today in New York. The median projection of 22 economists surveyed by Bloomberg called for a 13.5 percent advance.

  A dwindling inventory of foreclosed properties has helped restrict the supply of homes for sale, pushing up prices even as higher mortgage rate cool demand. The real-estate market will probably get its next boost from gains in employment that are lifting consumer confidence in the economic expansion.

  “Prices are mostly being supported by a slower rate of foreclosures, smaller share of distressed housing transactions and low levels of inventories,” Ryan Wang, an economist at HSBC Securities USA Inc. in New York, said before the report. “We’ll see a smaller increase in 2014, but low inventory levels should help prices recover a bit more.”

  The folks inside the Fed are certainly paying attention. What’s remarkable is that home values are rising as the average mortgage rate has jumped from 3.35% to 4.48% in the past year.

• The Final Day of 2013
  Eddy Elfenbein, December 31st, 2013 at 9:30 am

  Today is the final trading day of 2013. This has been a fantastic year for the stock market. Yesterday, the Dow made its 51st record close of the year. The market looks to open higher today as well.

  Outside of it being the end of the year, there isn’t much economic news or news on our stocks this week. Yesterday, Bed Bath & Beyond (BBBY) finally cracked $80 per share. I’m glad to see that Harris (HRS) will be leaving our Buy List on a high. The shares are up 70% from its April low.

  The next big event for Wall Street will be next week’s jobs report. After that, the fourth-quarter earnings season will begin. Until then, there will be a lot of year-end positioning.

• Morning News: December 31, 2013
  Eddy Elfenbein, December 31st, 2013 at 6:30 am

  China Debt Swelling Adds Urgency to Xi’s Fiscal Repair Job

  Latvia to Join Euro Zone: What You Should Know

  American-Style Start-Ups Take Root in India

  At 20 Years, NAFTA Didn’t Close Mexico Wage Gap

  Gold With Silver Heading for Worst Year Since ’81 on Asset Sales

  Congress Letting 55 Tax Breaks Expire at Year’s End

  Wells Fargo to Pay $591 Million to Fannie Mae

  Deutsche Telekom’s New CEO Faces Twin Tests

  Crocs Rally Has Legs, Supported by Blackstone’s $200 Million

  Updating Facebook’s Profile: It’s Getting Older

  Apollo’s Failed Deal for Cooper Sows Doubt on Future Indian M&A

  JPMorgan’s Mistake Was Not Hiring Chinese Princelings Fast Enough

  UPS Holiday Season Fiasco: A Failure of Strategic Planning

  Jeff Carter: Networks Are Not New

  Roger Nusbaum: The Best Financial (and Life) Advice I Ever Got

  Be sure to follow me on Twitter.

• Morning News: December 30, 2013
  Eddy Elfenbein, December 30th, 2013 at 7:07 am

  Eurozone Set for Volatile 2014 as It Tackles Banks

  France’s Constitutional Council Okays “Millionaire Tax” Despite Rich’s Refusal

  Tokyo’s Nikkei Index Soars 57% in 2013, Best in Four Decades

  Mixed Messages on Mountain of Debt Confuse China’s Markets

  Won at 5-year High Vs. Yen to See Strong 2013 Amid Weak Asia Forex

  Hong Kong, China to Sign Cross-Border Funds Deal

  Why Economic Growth Alone Won’t Fire Up Oil in 2014

  Bitcoin Gang Gets 67 New E-Currencies; Value Grows to $13 Billion

  Regulators Reviewing Volcker Rule Provision

  SEC Pushes U.S. Insurers for Details on ‘Captives’

  Crocs, Inc. Announces Financial Partnership with Blackstone, Expands Share Repurchase Plan, Announces CEO Retirement

  Vestas 400% Gain Can’t Suppress Buy Ratings at 3-Year High

  On Defensive, JPMorgan Hired China’s Elite

  Joshua Brown: My ‘Wolf of Wall Street’ Review

  Jeff Miller: Weighing the Week Ahead: How Should Investors Judge the Prospects for 2014?

  Be sure to follow me on Twitter.

• Johnny Cash: Don’t Think Twice It’s Alright
  Eddy Elfenbein, December 27th, 2013 at 9:14 pm

• CWS Market Review – December 27, 2013
  Eddy Elfenbein, December 27th, 2013 at 9:01 am

  In last week’s CWS Market Review, I unveiled the 20 stocks for next year’s Buy List. This week, I want to discuss the changes we’re making in greater detail.

  The five new stocks are eBay ($EBAY), Express Scripts ($ESRX), IBM ($IBM), McDonald’s ($MCD) and Qualcomm ($QCOM). Remember that the new Buy List goes into effect at the start of trading on Thursday, January 2. For tracking purposes, the Buy Prices will be the closing prices on Tuesday, December 31. I’ll have complete details on the blog.

  I want to remind investors that good stocks often appear as dented merchandise. The question we should ask is, how severe and lasting is the damage? With each of the new buys, my analysis tells me the issues are manageable and the prices are well worth it.

  Whenever I release my Buy List changes, I often get people asking me if I’ve completely lost my mind. Last year, for example, many readers questioned my selection of Microsoft ($MSFT). They told me all the mistakes the company had made, but what’s interesting is that very few people mentioned the price. Sure, any company can have problems. But as investors, we’re always looking at the impact those problems have on share price. Fortunately for us, MSFT has been a 40% winner this year.

  Now let’s look at our five new buys.

  Our Five New Buys for 2014

  In less than 20 years, eBay ($EBAY) has grown to become the largest marketplace in the world. It’s a truly phenomenal business. The online auction house will generate revenue of $16 billion this year. I’m not a pure value investor and I think there are times where it’s worthwhile to pay a premium for growth; eBay is a good example ($CTSH is another). Wall Street expects eBay to earn $3.14 per share next year, which means the stock is going for about 17 times earnings. That’s above the market, but it’s not a gigantic premium. I like the current valuation. eBay’s revenues will rise about 15% this year, and the Street sees another 14% increase next year. Bottom line: You’re getting a strong brand for a good price.

  Express Scripts ($ESRX) is a pharmacy benefit management company. It’s a very large outfit with more than 30,000 employees and a market value of $56 billion. Last year, Express Scripts bought Medco Health Solutions which had been spun-off by Merck ten years ago. Large deals like that are usually hard to digest and ESRX has been a market laggard recently. The stock got dinged a few weeks ago when it missed earnings by a penny per share. The shares have rebounded lately, but it’s still a very solid buy. Truthfully, I’ve wanted to add ESRX to the Buy List for many years, but I’ve always thought it was too expensive. The price action over the last two years tells me I was right. Now’s our chance. This is a strong company and it could be a breakout winner next year.

  Few companies have taken as much abuse as IBM ($IBM) has recently. The stock gradually drifted lower over the last year. What else can be said about Big Blue? It’s one of the largest multinational tech companies in the world. IBM is involved in just about every facet of business technology. Without exaggeration, IBM makes some of the largest and smallest technologies on the planet. Their earnings have been pretty good. IBM said their goal is to earn $20 per share by 2015. They’re aiming to return $70 billion to shareholders by then ($50 billion in buybacks, $20 billion in dividends). I know that investors are skittish of stocks with high nominal share prices. Try not to let that scare you away from IBM. Even if you only pick up a few shares, IBM is a outstanding company.

  McDonald’s ($MCD) is probably the unlikeliest of the five new buys. It’s not the kind of stock I’m usually drawn to, but the valuation and generous dividend yield made me a believer. Again, it’s a strong brand name trading at a discounted value. Make no mistake: McDonald’s is working through some problems, but it’s nothing they can’t handle. Wall Street hates MCD right now which is one of the reasons why I like it. As of Thursday’s close, the stock yields 3.3%. They’ve increased the dividend every year since 1976.

  Qualcomm ($QCOM) is good value play in the tech sector. The company has no debt and it generates tons of cash. The shares are currently going for less than 14 times next year’s earnings. I’ve also been very impressed with QCOM’s management.

  The Five Stocks We’re Deleting

  Now let’s run through the five stocks being deleted. Note that I am referring to these stocks as “deletions” not as sells – I don’t believe there’s a pressing need for investors to ditch any of these five positions.

  FactSet Research Systems ($FDS) has been one of my favorite Buy List stocks. There aren’t many companies whose earnings trend is as smooth as FDS’s. Unfortunately, I think the price here is just too much. The stock is going for 23 times trailing earnings. I wouldn’t mind adding FDS again to a future Buy List. Actually, this time was the stock’s second visit to our Buy List.

  Harris ($HRS) has been a wonderful investment for us. The communications equipment stock is up over 42% on the year for us, and it just hit a new all-time high. My concern is that the business environment for HRS will be much more challenging over the next few years (government spending in particular). I have little doubt that Harris can handle these challenges well, but for now, I’d prefer to focus on companies with better prospects.

  JPMorgan Chase ($JPM) was a difficult call for me. We’ve done well with JPM and I still think the bank is a good value. However, the headline news and behavior of Jamie Dimon were just too much to bear. Ideally, I’d like to see JPM break itself up. I think that would be a huge benefit for investors, and I would certainly be interested in any of the Baby JP’s. I hope to see another big dividend increase in 2014.

  Nicholas Financial ($NICK) was the easiest decision to make. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m not a fan of the “buy under” deal they made, but there doesn’t seem to be anything we can do. The buyer, Prospect Capital ($PSEC) seems to be a well-run closed-end fund with a rich dividend. The buyout is scheduled to take place in April at $16 per share. One benefit is that trading in PSEC is far more liquid than trading in NICK.

  WEX Inc. ($WEX) was one of our more unusual stocks this year. The company provides payment processing info for vehicle fleets. WEX got off to a horrible start and was down 10% by early May. After that, the stock rallied dramatically off its low. The company posted good earnings, and the last report was particularly strong. This is a good company, but I think the price is a bit rich here.

  Some of the other finalists for the 2014 Buy List were AbbVie ($ABBV), Target ($TGT), CVS Caremark ($CVS), Citigroup ($C), DaVita ($DVA), Transocean ($RIG) and Triumph Group ($TGI).

  I’ll send out the next issue of CWS Market Review on Wednesday, January 1. The market is closed that day, but I’ll give you final results on the Buy List. I’ll also give you the Buy Below prices for our new Buys.

  The Second-Best GDP Report in the Last 30 Quarters

  On Thursday, the S&P 500 rose for the fourth day in a row. The index closed at yet another all-time high. Through Thursday, the Buy List is up 36.07% on the year compared with 29.16% for the S&P 500 (not including dividends).

  There wasn’t much news this past week, but I wanted to mention last Friday’s GDP report. The government revised higher GDP growth for the third quarter up to 4.1%. That’s the second-best GDP number in the last 30 quarters (see chart below). Of course, it’s just a start, but if the economy can average around 4% for the next, say, three years, then we can finally make a serious dent in our sagging labor market.

  

  The GDP report also confirms many of the other indicators we’ve seen, such as the stronger ISM reports, outperforming cyclical stocks and the spread between 2-year and 10-year Treasuries. The ISM report for November was the best report in over two years. Next Thursday, we’ll get the ISM report for December, and I’ll be very curious to see if the strong trend continues.

  Fourth-quarter earnings season is set to begin in just two weeks. According to numbers from S&P, earnings for Q3 hit an all-time record. Much of the increase in EPS was driven by share buybacks which reduces the number of outstanding shares. For Q4, Wall Street expects earnings of $28.35 (that’s an index-adjusted number). At the start of the year, analysts were expecting Q4 earnings of $29.63. AS far as reductions go, that’s more modest than what we saw for earlier quarters this year. If profits come in line, that will come out to full-year earnings for 2013 of $107.40. That means the S&P 500 is currently going just a bit over 17 times earnings.

  Despite the quiet week for trading, I wanted to comment on a few stocks. Does anyone else remember eighteen months ago when Bed Bath & Beyond ($BBBY) crashed 17% in one day? I do. That certainly cleared out a lot of traders. On Thursday, the stock broke out to a new all-time high and came within a few pennies of touching $80 per share. Good stocks bend, but they don’t break.

  BBBY’s next earnings report, which will be for their fiscal Q3, is due to come out on January 8. The company has given us a range of $1.11 to $1.16 per share. For the full year, they expect earnings to range between $4.88 and $5.01 per share. I think they’re probably being a tad conservative. I expect BBBY to top $5 per share without much difficulty. This is an excellent company. BBBY is a buy up to $83 per share.

  How about the rebound in Oracle ($ORCL)? It’s about time! ORCL had a tough year in 2013, but I think it will beat the market soundly in 2014. Oracle remains a buy up to $39 per share.

  Before I go, I want to raise a few Buy Below prices. Fiserv ($FISV) has been on a roll after its split. I’m bumping up my Buy Below to $61 per share. Moog ($MOG-A) is closing in on being a 70% winner on the year. I’m raising our Buy Below by $3 to $71 per share. Lastly, I’m going to raise DirecTV’s ($DTV) Buy Below to $72 per share.

  That’s all for now. The trading year ends next Tuesday. On Wednesday, the stock market will be closed for New Year’s Day. On Wednesday evening, I’ll send out our year-end issue which will run down how well our Buy List did. I’ll also include the Buy Belows for the new stocks. The important ISM report comes out on Thursday. Be sure to keep checking the blog for daily updates. I’ll have more market analysis for you in the next issue of CWS Market Review!

  – Eddy

• Morning News: December 27, 2013
  Eddy Elfenbein, December 27th, 2013 at 7:13 am

  Fastest Japan Inflation Since ’08 Stokes Wage Pressure

  China Moves to Cool Bitcoin Trade but Heat Lingers

  Foreigners Unload Turkey Bonds as Probe Tarnishes Erdogan Growth

  France’s ‘Culture Tax’ Could Hit YouTube and Facebook

  10-Year Treasury Yield Touches 3%

  Fewer Than Forecast File for Unemployment Benefits

  U.S. Holiday Sales Rise 3.5% on Discounts SpendingPulse Says

  GM to Recall Around 1.5 Million Vehicles in China

  Textron Combats Jet Slump With $1.4 Billion Buyout of Beechcraft

  Microsoft’s Nokia Deal Said to Face China Limits on Patent Fees

  Audi Plans $30.3 Billion in Investments to Challenge BMW

  Amazon Sets Record Sales In Holiday Season 2013; Here Is A Glimpse Into What Customers Bought Most

  Realistic Financial Resolutions for 2014

  Cullen Roche: CBOE SKEW Index Spikes to Bearish Levels

  Marc Chandler: Why, Abe?

  Be sure to follow me on Twitter.

• The 10,000-Point Rally
  Eddy Elfenbein, December 26th, 2013 at 3:39 pm

  

  The Dow got as high as 16,482.37 today. The low for the Dow on March 6, 2009 was 6,470.00. That means the index has gained 10,012.37 points.