A tradition unlike any other...
For the fifth time in the past six years, my portfolio underperformed the S&P 500, losing -0.5% vs. gaining 12.0%. It is my worst year vs. the S&P 500 since 2001.
And yet, I achieved some major goals this year: reducing my number of stocks held to 27; achieving a savings return of 20%; and increasing my net worth to an all-time high. (Finance is more than just picking stocks, no?) We're going to keep 2017 as boring as possible, and keep hammering away at limited number of winning investments.
Here's a look at all the stocks I've sold in the past year, from best to worst - based solely on 2016's performance, while mostly ignoring any intra-year volatility:
F5 Networks (FFIV)
Year-opening price: $96.96
Sold: Feb @ $96.98 (0%)
Year-closing price: $144.72 (49%)
Evidently, they finally figured their business out, after I sold.
Lululemon Athletica (LULU)
Year-opening price: $52.47
Sold: Apr @ $66.97 (28%)
Year-closing price: $64.99 (24%)
Too volatile/doesn't have a clear path for success.
Southern Copper (SCCO)
Year-opening price: $26.12
Sold: Apr @ $27.10 (4%)
Year-closing price: $31.94 (22%)
Owned for over 11 years. Good for a dividend, and not much else.
DuPont (DD)
Year-opening price: $66.60
Sold: Jan @ $65.12 (-2%)
Year-closing price: $73.40 (10%)
Sold on first trading day of 2016 due to pending merger with Dow Chemical. Returned 101% (12% annualized).
Boeing (BA)
Year-opening price: $144.59
Sold: Jun @ $127.08 (-12%)
Year-closing price: $155.68 (8%)
Flat revenues, suspect dividend.
American Express (AXP)
Year-opening price: $69.55
Sold: Jan @ $53.18 (-24%)
Year-closing price: $74.08 (7%)
Sold after lousy quarterly results; bounced back thereafter. Still not interested.
Qihoo 360 (QIHU)
Year-opening price: $72.81
Sold: Jan @ $72.15 (-1%)
Year-closing price: Jul @ $76.92 (6%)
Sold on first trading day of 2016 due to pending privatization at $77/share. Returned 22% (8% annualized).
McDonald's (MCD)
Year-opening price: $118.14
Sold: Sep @ $114.69 (-3%)
Year-closing price: $121.72 (3%)
Days are numbered for "fast food" as we know it.
Wells Fargo (WFC)
Year-opening price: $54.36
Sold: Aug @ $50.75 (-7%)
Year-closing price: $55.11 (1%)
Irreparably damaged goods. Not interested in financial stocks going forward.
American Software (AMSWA)
Year-opening price: $10.18
Sold: May @ $9.63 (-5%)
Year-closing price: $10.33 (1%)
Hasn't moved significantly in nearly a decade.
Ansys (ANSS)
Year-opening price: $92.50
Sold: Oct @ $91.73 (-1%)
Year-closing price: $92.49 (-0%)
Need more upside in a tech stock.
Coca-Cola (KO)
Year-opening price: $42.96
Sold: Sep @ $42.21 (-2%)
Year-closing price: $41.46 (-3%)
Not sure where it goes from here. Probably not the next "big tobacco".
Blackstone (BX)
Year-opening price: $29.24
Sold: Apr @ $27.74 (-5%)
Year-closing price: $27.03 (-8%)
Should be printing money; instead, a loser 2 years in a row.
Baidu (BIDU)
Year-opening price: $189.04
Sold: Jul @ $161.01 (-15%)
Year-closing price: $164.41 (-13%)
Irrelevant outside of their local market.
Veolia Environnement (VEOEY)
Year-opening price: $23.59
Sold: Dec @ $16.65 (-29%)
Year-closing price: $16.95 (-28%)
Great assets, lousy management and execution.
