The Stock Market for the Rest of Us
Hey, thanks for coming to the WeSeed blog, but you need to know this before you go any further: We’ve moved. Our new URL (that’s fancy-boy speak for our web address) is now weseed.com/blog. We’ve got the same fun stuff — articles, pictures, the occasional video, etc. But the new URL is where we’ll be posting from now on. Come on by and check it out!
There are many eternal questions*: Why are we here? Is there a God? What's the connection between WeSeed and Blue Oyster Cult?
Thanks to our new About Us section, you can find the answer to at least one of the above questions.
On this updated page, we feature: a video that tells about WeSeed and our philosophy (thanks, Steve!), some insight into the WeSeed pedigree, and some info about the WeSeed team.
*We also wonder: Who put the bomp in the bomp bah bomp bah bomp, and who put the ram in the rama lama ding dong? But we’re inquisitive like that.
By Debbie Virgo*
Along with increasing shares in various companies I currently hold in my Portfolio, I also made purchases in the following companies:
ADP (Purchased 50 shares at $40.85) – ADP, the company that handles millions of dollars of payroll checks, is currently down from where it was earlier in the month but still headed upward on the charts. Since the share price had dropped slightly, I found this opportunity to invest. Analysts are indicating that if you currently do not own ADP now is the time to invest. Also, the PEG Ratio, forward P/E, and the income statement looked good to me.
American Dental Partners (Purchased 50 shares at $15.00) – American Dental Partners has been in the market news recently, which triggered me to do a little research on this company. According to the charts, this company is on an upward climb and a strong buy. American Dental Partners also had a really strong PEG Ratio and their net income was up during their last earnings report. This stock price is anticipated to get up to $21.00 — I’m keeping my fingers crossed for higher!
Cracker Barrel (Purchased 50 shares at $36.34) – Cracker Barrel is reporting strong revenue earning for 2010. In doing some research, this company has a strong PEG ratio, forward P/E looks good, analysts rate this as a strong buy. I hope to hit the target share price of $48.00.
Cantel Medical Corp (Purchased 20 shares at $17.46) – The flu season is here and Cantel is the manufacturer of an FDA approved face mask. As if I needed more, they recently reported they had increased earnings and the company is rated as a strong buy. Their PEG Ratio and forward P/E look fairly good, as well.
Ebay (Purchased 50 shares at $24.91) – Christmas is coming, and I am hoping to make money! Ebay is anticipated to report an increase in their revenue for the third quarter. In taking a look at the key statistics as well as the analyst opinion, now is the time to invest in EBay since they have been in an upward climb and dipped a little in price.
Fortune Brands (Purchased 50 shares at $43.61) – Fortune Brands share price took a significant dip earlier in the year (wish I had purchased back then!), but the company has been trying to climb back. They are using various tactics to increase sales and earnings growth, and their PEG Ratio and forward P/E look good as well. This company is a risk considering their high loss in sales, but analysts are saying it is time to buy. Also, with the holidays approaching hopefully there will be an increase in the purchase of spirits — bottoms up!
General Dynamics (Purchased 50 shares at $67.32) – General Dynamics has been in the news recently for winning a big Navy contract. In taking a look at their statistics, this company seemed to have strong potential. Their net income has indicated some growth from April 09 versus July of 09. Hoping to exceed the high target of $80.00 per share!
Heinz (Purchased 50 shares at $40.57) – Over the last year, Heinz was headed for a lower share price. But since March it has started to go up. They are anticipating a growth in their earnings for 2010. The PEG Ratio is a little higher than what is cited to be good, but I’m going to take a chance on their continued share price growth.
Mercadolibre (Purchased 50 shares at $41.81) – I found out that the Mercadolibre is the Ebay of Latin America by using the Mini-Market tool! I definitely need to invest in this company for several reasons – I love Latin America, but I really like the looks of their PEG Ratio and Forward P/E. At this point they have outperformed where analysts had predicted their share price would be, which was 40.00. They also reported growth in their net income back in June 2009.
Yahoo (Purchased 50 shares at $17.00) – Yahoo has recently reported a 52-week high in their share price, which indicates over time that their share price is beginning to come back since it hit a real low back in November 2008. In looking at the stats, this company has a higher PEG Ration for the industry. But in looking at their Forward P/E I am hoping that I made a good decision to invest. Analysts are definitely recommending this company as a strong buy right now!
That’s all for this week…
*Debbie Virgo is an executive assistant at PEAK6, WeSeed’s parent company. Debbie is putting together a WeSeed Portfolio based solely on the companies that she knows and likes. So far, she’s doing pretty well.
The WeSeed Stock Pics College Contest is barely a week old, but already we have 3 stock savvy winners who each pocketed $100 and are now eligible for the grand prize of $3,000! We’re giving away prizes every week for the rest of the year so if you haven’t already, head over to the contest page on facebook to enter for yourself! And remember to enter every week!
The Stock Pics contest is all about making the connection between the real world and the stock market. All of the winners from this week got investment clues from the world around them, and then tested their theories on WeSeed. Here are the winning entries, click on the photos to see the full submissions:
WTMX’s Eric Ferguson is many things to many people: He’s a DJ, of course. Big Chipotle fan. Ummm…. “improving” golfer. Ryan Seacrest devotee.
But one thing no one will ever call him, it seems, is stock-picking genius.
As it turns out, Eric’s efforts in WeSeed are… well, he hasn’t lost money. But he’s not exactly raking it in, as you can see from checking out his Portfolio. As of today, he’s up a total of $49.50. He’s moved some stocks around — today, he owns Cracker Barrel, Callaway, and Vail Resorts. Will that improve his numbers? We’ll see.
Meanwhile, it seems that Kathy is the one with the magic touch when it comes to stocks. She’s up a whopping $529! Her pick of Whole Foods was definitely a winner. People seem to be going greener lately, and she seems to have gotten in at the right time. Her other picks (Lululemon and Coach) are doing well, too — but Whole Foods was the big winner.
As for Melissa, well… she’s down $18.50. But, remember, she’s new to this. So we’ll cut her a little slack. Her picks of Foot Locker, Hershey, and Regis will rebound. Right, Melissa?
By Joel Reese
WeSeed is many things: A site where you can learn about investing. A way to push past your fears about the stock market. A place to connect with your friends and exchange ideas. A creamy, chocolatey treat with a luscious caramel filling.
But in the long run, WeSeed is about taking control of your financial future. Because this is how you learn to work with your own money. And won’t you feel better about your money if you control it, rather than just handing it off to some guy your neighbor’s best friend recommended?
There’s only one thing you might say here: “Sure, but dude: I need money to invest. And I don’t have much of that.” And yes, that’s a problem.
But here’s the thing — if you’re smart with your money, you can put some away without even noticing it. It’s just a matter of budgeting.
Even that is a scary thing to some people. But we’ve found a site that makes budgeting easy: Money Under 30 has a budget worksheet that’s remarkably easy to understand and work with. You just figure out your expenses — which are conveniently broken down into categories like groceries, medical, transportation, etc. — and total them up. Then you subtract those from your income (provided that your income is more than your expenses, of course) and that’s your bottom line.
And here’s how you can make this work for investing: See Line K there, the one marked “Custom”? You could make that your investing budget. Take a few bucks from here and a few bucks from there, and you’ll be able to put some away for investing.
After you’ve found your way around the market via WeSeed, that is.
This post has moved, please go here to read about Molly mastering the stock market.
This post has moved. Please go here to review Caitlin’s investing tips part II
This post has moved. Please go here to read about the Weseed and WTMX.
Looking for some hints to help you win the WeSeed Stock Pics College Contest? And why wouldn’t you be—especially considering you could pocket $3,000, $1,000 or the weekly $100 Visa gift cards to help out with all those college costs!
Well, here’s the deal. If you’ll help us spread the word about WeSeed and the Stock Pics College Contest, we’ll return the favor by giving you a PDF with some really great tips, hints and examples to help give you an edge on the competition.
Sound good? Follow the link below and enter your Twitter info then click “Get hints!” You’ll automatically send a tweet about the contest (nothing over the top – you’ll see the actual tweet) and we’ll hand over the goods! It’s that easy! No data is stored anywhere; we’re just trying to spread the word about WeSeed!
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