2014 is here and I wanted to share with everyone how I did with my stocks for last year. I have been researching the stock market for a couple of years now and only started to invest in the market on August 27th 2013.
Please keep in mind that these returns are representative of a four month period only.
I would also like to point out that I am not an expert, and I am not offering stock advise. I am only want to show everyone how my stocks performed so you can decided if investing in the stock market is right for you.
I strongly suggest that you do your own research before purchasing stocks. Only purchase stocks that make sense to you and only when you are comfortable with risks associated with buying stocks.
After several years of making little to no money with mutual funds at my bank I invested $30,435.85 to see how I would do on my own. In for months I gained 9.85% and $2998.23. Not too bad. Here is the break down.
| Name▲▼ | Symbol▲▼ | Last price▲▼ | Change▲▼ | Shares▲▼ | Cost basis▲▼ | Mkt value▲▼ | Gain▲▼ | Gain %▲▼ | Day’s gain▲▼ | Overall return | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caterpillar Inc. | CAT | 89.82 | -0.05 (-0.06%) | 50.00 | 4,312.10 | 4,491.00 | +178.90 | +4.15% | -2.50 | 4.15% | |
| VF Corp | VFC | 62.11 | -0.27 (-0.43%) | 40.00 | 1,935.50 | 2,484.40 | +548.90 | +28.36% | -10.80 | 28.36% | |
| Stanley Black & Decker… | SWK | 80.38 | +0.20 (0.25%) | 10.00 | 832.20 | 803.80 | -28.40 | -3.41% | +2.00 | -3.41% | |
| McDonald’s Corporation | MCD | 96.54 | +0.13 (0.13%) | 10.00 | 977.00 | 965.40 | -11.60 | -1.19% | +1.30 | -1.19% | |
| Tim Hortons Inc. | THI | 61.45* | -0.02 (-0.03%) | 20.00 | CA$1,054.80 | CA$1,229.00 | +CA$174.20 | +16.51% | -CA$0.40 | 16.51% | |
| Colgate-Palmolive… | CL | 64.18 | -0.12 (-0.19%) | 20.00 | 1,152.00 | 1,283.60 | +131.60 | +11.42% | -2.40 | 11.42% | |
| The Coca-Cola Company | KO | 40.46 | -0.20 (-0.49%) | 30.00 | 1,138.50 | 1,213.80 | +75.30 | +6.61% | -6.00 | 6.61% | |
| The Clorox Co | CLX | 91.49 | +0.33 (0.36%) | 20.00 | 1,652.80 | 1,829.80 | +177.00 | +10.71% | +6.60 | 10.71% | |
| Deere & Company | DE | 90.66 | +0.40 (0.44%) | 20.00 | 1,680.00 | 1,813.20 | +133.20 | +7.93% | +8.00 | 7.93% | |
| Illinois Tool Works Inc. | ITW | 83.74 | +0.55 (0.66%) | 20.00 | 1,443.20 | 1,674.80 | +231.60 | +16.05% | +11.00 | 16.05% | |
| Johnson & Johnson | JNJ | 91.85 | +0.82 (0.90%) | 20.00 | 1,740.00 | 1,837.00 | +97.00 | +5.57% | +16.40 | 5.57% | |
| JPMorgan Chase & Co. | JPM | 58.66 | +0.45 (0.77%) | 20.00 | 1,023.00 | 1,173.20 | +150.20 | +14.68% | +9.00 | 14.68% | |
| Kimberly Clark Corp | KMB | 104.35 | +0.51 (0.49%) | 10.00 | 931.40 | 1,043.50 | +112.10 | +12.04% | +5.10 | 12.04% | |
| Medtronic, Inc. | MDT | 58.34 | +1.10 (1.92%) | 10.00 | 519.80 | 583.40 | +63.60 | +12.24% | +11.00 | 12.24% | |
| Northrop Grumman… | NOC | 113.58 | +0.35 (0.31%) | 20.00 | 1,891.00 | 2,271.60 | +380.60 | +20.13% | +7.00 | 20.13% | |
| PepsiCo, Inc. | PEP | 82.24 | +0.14 (0.17%) | 20.00 | 1,581.60 | 1,644.80 | +63.20 | +4.00% | +2.80 | 4.00% | |
| The Procter & Gamble… | PG | 80.45 | -0.09 (-0.11%) | 20.00 | 1,557.20 | 1,609.00 | +51.80 | +3.33% | -1.80 | 3.33% | |
| Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. | WMT | 78.65 | -0.26 (-0.33%) | 20.00 | 1,457.80 | 1,573.00 | +115.20 | +7.90% | -5.20 | 7.90% | |
| The Walt Disney Company | DIS | 76.11 | -0.16 (-0.21%) | 20.00 | 1,218.80 | 1,522.20 | +303.40 | +24.89% | -3.20 | 24.89% | |
| Marathon Oil Corporation | MRO | 34.52 | -0.39 (-1.12%) | 25.00 | 859.25 | 863.00 | +3.75 | +0.44% | -9.75 | 0.44% | |
| Unilever N.V. (ADR) | UN | 39.39 | -0.09 (-0.23%) | 20.00 | 762.60 | 787.80 | +25.20 | +3.30% | -1.80 | 3.30% | |
| Unilever plc (ADR) | UL | 40.26 | -0.05 (-0.12%) | 20.00 | 773.60 | 805.20 | +31.60 | +4.09% | -1.00 | 4.09% |
| Cash – Deposit / Withdraw | $290.88 | $290.88 | ||||
| Portfolio value: | +35.37 (0.11%) | $30,432.85 | $33,721.96 | +$2,998.23 | +9.85% | +$35.37 | 9.85% | |||
The highlights
VF Corp. VFC preformed amazingly well with a 28% increase and a 4:1 stock split on December 23rd. I am a big fan of VFC and I have purchased another 30 shares. I anticipate another 20-30% return this year for VFC and with the stock split the price has become reasonable for investors with limited resources.
The Walt Disney Company. DIS was another great stock which provided an increase of 24.89%. With the additions of Pixar and Lucas Arts I anticipate another decent year. Unfortunately due to limited finances and the desire to fill my portfolio into more sectors, I have no immediate plans to purchase more stock. I will most likely regret this decision I am sure.
Northrop Grumman – NOC was another amazing stock which provided and increase of 20.13%. I anticipate this stock will continue to do well.
Tim Hortons Inc – THI is the only stock I purchased on the Canadian stock market. In Canada, Tim Hortons is expanding at an exceptional rate. Canadians love the coffee so I feel this stock is a good long term hold. At one point this stock was up over 24% but recently fell back a little. I expect this stock will show a decent return this year and is worth looking at.
Reasonable Performers
The following stocks were up more than 10% and I expect all of them to continue to increase. I put KMB and CL on my list to buy more if I can.
- Illinois Tool Works (ITW)
- JPMorgan Chace & Co (JPM)
- Medtronic Inc (MDT)
- Kimberly Clark Corp (KMB)
- Colgate-Palmolive (CL)
- The Clorox Co (CLX)
Here are some of the under performers that I think should be watched. Coca-Cola (KO), Pepsi (PEP), Johnson & Johnson (JNJ), Procter & Gamble (PG) and Wal-Mart Stores (WMT). These stocks are traditionally great performers but have been flat. I think that some fairly easy gains can be had by picking up some additional stocks if money comes available.
The disappointments
Stanley Black & Decker (SWK). Down -3.41%. The government shut down did not help this stock in any way. I was up 18% until that point but the stock fell back and never recovered. There are a number of factors going into why this happened but I feel strongly that some decent money can be made picking up this stock at $80.38 a unit. The financials look solid and SWK pays a decent dividend. Well worth looking at if you have need of a stock in the industrial machinery sector.
McDonald’s Corporation (MCD). Down -1.19%. This stock is another disappointing performer with plenty of upside. MCD ran into problems with some other fast food companies over employee wages which has temporarily hurt the stock price but this juggernaut of a company will not be down for long. MCD is expanding into new markets like China and India and with the emphasis on healthier menu options is sure to help the recovery. With excellent financials (Though down from last year) and a great dividend this stock will definitely correct itself. In the fast food sector this stock is a great option.
2014 Additions
- American Express (AXP) 25 shares at $89.74
- Pitney Bowes (PBI) 30 shares at $23.85
- VF Corp (VFC) 30 shares at $61.66
- Abbott Laboratories (ABT) 40 shares at $38.64
- Nike (NKE) 25 shares at $78.03
- Stryker Corporation (SYK) 25 shares at $74.84
- AFLAC Incorporated (AFL) 30 shares at $66.15
I have some additional money going into Tax Free Savings, RRSP along with some GIC holdings that I am transferring into this account which I am contemplating the following stocks. The * are in front of the stocks I am most likely to purchase. Though no guarantee as I need to do a little more research.
*GE, WFC, MO, PG, IBM, QCOM, *ORCL, MSFT, *INTC, CSCO, GOOG, AAPL, GLW, HPO, POLARIS, *BAC, *BUD, *BF.B, BEAM
If you have any thoughts I would be interested in hearing from you!