REVISIT - MY TOP 5 BUY / HOLD STOCKS TO BUY (3/31/2020)

All rights reserved - Core Position Trading, LLC - 2020
	REVISIT - TOP 5 STOCKS
FOLLOW UP BLOG POST - STOCK PICKS AND SHOWDOWNS
DISCLAIMER: 100% for entertainment. I'm not recommending these stocks as a purchase. The research jump links in this blog post are ones that I use to start my stock investing research. Always do your own due diligence and never risk more money then you are willing to lose. Think of it like this blog post as seeing the world thru my eyes.
What stocks I picked and what was the expectation
March 31, 2020 I posted "My Top 5 Buy / Hold stocks to Buy" ... for which I posted 5 stocks that I would would for my Buy and Hold portfolio. I gave reasons for each stock and posted what the stock was trading for at the time of the posting. Let's re-visit those stock picks and I'll give you my commentary about if I still would BUY/HOLD/SELL
The Blog post link (this post has not been edited)
The original blog post was posted on the UCPTD Chart Breakdown blog site - because some might forward this email/link I have moved this blog post to my CPT Dashboard Blog site UNEDITED ... I have not edited the post and in fact can still be read at the UCPTD Chart Blog site.
https://cptdashboard.blogspot.com/2020/07/my-top-5-buy-hold-stocks-to-buy-posted.html
What Stocks and where were they trading?
Stock 1	Stock 2	Stock 3	Stock 4	Stock 5
BMY	MSFT	GS	IDA	BABA
$55.74	$157.71	$154.59	$87.79	$194.48
Where are they now and thoughts
Some might think picking stocks when the markets were clubbered and then trumpeting the results when the markets rally back which we pretty much knew would happen ... well, I'd say this, did they? and did Wall Street buy them up like I always say Wall Street does with the great stocks ... well, had I bought these 5 stocks (which I do have positions in 1 or all at the time of posting) I would have ridden these companies back up as Wall Street bought them back up ... buying great companies is a pillar of my investment strategy.
BMY	MSFT	GS	IDA	BABA
$58.11	$214.32	$196.83	$87.87	$261.58
View Chart-BMY	View Chart-MSFT	View Chart-GS	View Chart-IDA	View Chart-BABA
How much time has passed since posting this?
Posted:	3/31/2020	Current	7/9/2020
Days since
100	It's been about a little over 3 months since I posted this Top 5 Stocks to Buy / Holdstock breakdown.
Were they profitable during this time frame?
BMY	MSFT	GS	IDA	BABA
4.25%	35.89%	27.32%	0.09%	34.50%
Per Share Profit or Loss?
$2.37	$56.61	$42.24	$0.08	$67.10
	Bristol-Myers Squibb Company
GAIN/LOSS	4.25%	I'M A BUYER ON DIPS
What I said then
Bristol Myers makes my list because of its strong pipeline of mature and new drug line. With its purchase of Celgene last year BMY went from a 2nd place runner in the 'next big thing cancer drug' to Merck ... to now having that drug with the 4 drugs Celgene had and with more drugs on the FDA's approval desk, BMY will be seen as a growth stock where prior to the Celgene purchase it was a mature Big Pharma, nice dividend but no growth ... BMY is in my portfolio and I see it retesting it's all time highs of $73x ... it pays a nice dividend ... this is an easy pick for me.
What I think today
I still believe in the company's story and its future ... now whether the stock price moves higher from here I'm not sure but I am willing to stay with it for now. ... so nothing has changed with my opinion.
The stock has moved HIGHER since posting. Would you sell it?
With BMY moving higher some 0.042518837459634% since this posting I would let my shares ride and see how this plays out for a longer term before considering selling my shares.This being a long term Buy / Hold ... I would only outright Sell if I thought the story for Bristol-Myers Squibb Company had changed or the percentage gain was over 100% or the percentage loss equaled -15%. These are my paramiters for which I would sell a stock based on the % for a long term stock hold.
What the main reason you bought this stock?
Dividend investing		and	Sector Diversification
	Microsoft Corporation
GAIN/LOSS	35.89%	I'M HOLDING
What I said then
Microsoft (MSFT) is going to be a TOP 5 stock pick for most every blogger picking great stocks to purchase in a down market ... why, simple, they own the desktop operating business and are making such gains in the cloud that some are saying MSFT could overtake Amazon Web Services (AWS) as the leader in the space ... now whether that happens or not how do we know ... but what is amazing is the growth this company keeps reporting and mind you ... this is a company that used to be considered in the investing world as a no growth, tech 'utility' stock because its dividend is/was one of the strongest in the world yet for a bit it wasn't growing ... now? its crazy how Wall Street loves Microsoft and how on dips they keep buying it up. Its dividend is solid as a rock and they have so much cash on the sidelines ... it's really starting to rival Apple's stockpile which is over $200 Billion last I checked. ... MSFT always has a place in my portfolio and you can write some good covered calls on it as it has very active volume and good option premiums ... and if a trade goes against me ... not losing any sleep holding a falling MSFT (now, things change and as of this writing this is the case for me ... IF things were to change with the company I want have a plan, execute the plan ... as in I NEVER fall in love with a stock even though ... with Microsoft, it's hard not too.
What I think today
I still believe in the company's story and its future ... now whether the stock price moves higher from here I'm not sure but I am willing to stay with it for now. ... so nothing has changed with my opinion.
The stock has moved HIGHER since posting. Would you sell it?
With MSFT moving higher some 0.358949971466616% since this posting I would consider selling my shares to lock up the gains.This being a long term Buy / Hold ... I would only outright Sell if I thought the story for Microsoft Corporation had changed or the percentage gain was over 100% or the percentage loss equaled -15%. These are my paramiters for which I would sell a stock based on the % for a long term stock hold.
What the main reason you bought this stock?
Growth investing		and	Dividend investing
	The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.
GAIN/LOSS	27.32%	I'M HOLDING
What I said then
Being diversified means buying great stocks across sectors and for me, Goldman Sachs (GS) is my financial sector 'go-to' and the reason is GS is a staple in most portfolio's for its solid business and solid dividend. GS also has good premium's should you want to write covered calls and with an All Time High of $267x ... if I were to buy some now at $155ish ... that would be both a great stock appreciation move as well as collecting its sweet $5 annual dividend along the way. GS at the time of this posting has a book value of $205 ... with its stock trading some $45 cheaper ... Wall Street will probably come in and bid GS up to at least its book valued ... well, that's how I see it. Goldman is an old school Wall Street staple in the finance sector and if you ask me, I'd rather own it then any of the banks ... if you want to be in the finance sector but NOT want the risk of owning 1 stock ... check the ETF XLF which is the ETF that tracks the financial sector ... the XLF has options as well.
What I think today
I still believe in the company's story and its future ... now whether the stock price moves higher from here I'm not sure but I am willing to stay with it for now. ... so nothing has changed with my opinion.
The stock has moved HIGHER since posting. Would you sell it?
With GS moving higher some 0.27323888996701% since this posting I would let my shares ride and see how this plays out for a longer term before considering selling my shares.This being a long term Buy / Hold ... I would only outright Sell if I thought the story for The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. had changed or the percentage gain was over 100% or the percentage loss equaled -15%. These are my paramiters for which I would sell a stock based on the % for a long term stock hold.
What the main reason you bought this stock?
Dividend investing		and	Sector Diversification
	IDACORP, Inc.
GAIN/LOSS	0.09%	I'M A BUYER ON DIPS
What I said then
This is my dividend utility stock 'go-to' ... IDA Corp (IDA) has done nothing but grow its business (although they have missed earnings recently - see yahoo summary) Wall Street continues to buy them up and with this recent downturn I've used this opportunity to pick up some more shares, adding what I think is great long term value to my portfolio. They pay $2.68 a share in annual dividend but if you notice they keep increasing it and that's what makes it a 'go-to' for me. I have no problem buying and holding IDA. Now, if you want utility sector exposure but not the risk of owning just 1 stock ... check the XLU - the ETF for the Utility sector. Here's IDA's company profile if you're interested in what they do - IDACORP, Inc. engages in the generation, transmission, distribution, purchase, and sale of electric energy in the United States. The company operates 17 hydro power generating plants located in southern Idaho and eastern Oregon; three natural gas-fired plants in southern Idaho; and interests in three coal-fired steam electric generating plants located in Wyoming, Nevada, and Oregon.
What I think today
I still believe in the company's story and its future ... now whether the stock price moves higher from here I'm not sure but I am willing to stay with it for now. ... so nothing has changed with my opinion.
The stock has moved HIGHER since posting. Would you sell it?
With IDA moving higher some 0.000911265519990868% since this posting I would let my shares ride and see how this plays out for a longer term before considering selling my shares.This being a long term Buy / Hold ... I would only outright Sell if I thought the story for IDACORP, Inc. had changed or the percentage gain was over 100% or the percentage loss equaled -15%. These are my paramiters for which I would sell a stock based on the % for a long term stock hold.
What the main reason you bought this stock?
Dividend investing		and	Sector Diversification
	Alibaba Group Holding Limited
GAIN/LOSS	34.50%	I'M TAKING SOME PROFITS
What I said then
Alibaba BABA needs no introduction ... they are China's version of Amazon and outside of AMZN's AWS it might offer more services ... BABA does not compete in China with AMZN so it has a serious competitive edge with China's very large consumer customer ... BABA being worth $500 Billion, some think it will be one of the Trillion dollar babies at some point once we get past this virus situation ... I haven't a clue but Wall Street likes them and some things you might not know about BABA ... they have the Paypal of China called AliPay ... BABA is not a one trick pony and I would suggest anyone thinking of adding a consumer stock to a portfolio consider Alibaba ... they don't pay a dividend as of this posting ... it wouldn't surprise as the news of China's production going higher since the virus outbreak they will have news that companies like Alibaba are back to normal ... I'm a buyer of BABA under $200 but do know this stock comes with massive swings in its shares price ... you can't handle that, don't touch. Its a CHINA company that trades on the NYSE ... so where many believe China companies have suspect numbers (reporting) BABA does not. Please be sure to do your due diligence if you are planning on buying BABA shares after reading this ... because it's not for everyone. - I do not own any BABA shares at the time of this posting.
What I think today
I still believe in the company's story and its future ... now whether the stock price moves higher from here I'm not sure but I am willing to stay with it for now. ... so nothing has changed with my opinion.
The stock has moved HIGHER since posting. Would you sell it?
With BABA moving higher some 0.345022624434389% since this posting I would let my shares ride and see how this plays out for a longer term before considering selling my shares.This being a long term Buy / Hold ... I would only outright Sell if I thought the story for Alibaba Group Holding Limited had changed or the percentage gain was over 100% or the percentage loss equaled -15%. These are my paramiters for which I would sell a stock based on the % for a long term stock hold.
What the main reason you bought this stock?
Growth investing		and	Growth investing
Final thoughts and what's coming!
These stocks are some of my favorite and it didn't' surprise me to see many of them bounce back like I thought they would ... I'm a little disappointed with IDA and BMY as I thought they would rally more ... but they are great dividend paying stocks and for me, Buy and Hold portfolio staples ... BABA and MSFT did exactly as I thought and GS rallied right back to that BOOL VALUE of $200 like I said it would back in March 2020 ... next TOP 5 Stocks will focus on THE BEST Covered Call Stocks I've played and Why ... we always try to do things with a purpose ... we Buy Great companies, hope they go higher but more importantly we try to SELL PREMIUM on them to collect that EXTRA dividend!. -- Until next time!
Disclaimer - Yes - at the time of this posting I do have a position in this equity. By posting this I am by no means recommending this equity and am not front running for its performance. I have risked my own money and am accountable for the trade results.
Remember, the content of this site is for informational and educational purposes only. If you invest using information contained here, do so at your own risk. Please read the full disclaimer posted below and visit cptdashboard.com for my privacy policy.
Trading stocks and options have risk. Required reading prior to placing money at risk with options is the ODD which is posted below. "The Characteristics & Risks of Standardized Options" Prior to buying or selling an option, investors must read a copy of the Characteristics & Risks of Standardized Options, also known as the options disclosure document (ODD). It explains the characteristics and risks of exchange traded options.
- http://www.optionsclearing.com/about/publications/publication-listing.jsp
Image credits - stockcharts.com | barchart.com | foolcdn.com | yahoo.com | earningswhispers.com
© 2020 Core Position Trading, LLC and the CPT Dashboard - All Rights Reserved				Disclaimer