Q2 results were just reported and Disney said its quarterly profit fell due to a $91 million bad-debt charge on a payment it was due from Lehman Brothers and the combination of higher expenses and less successful films at its studio entertainment division However, the more important thing to note is that they have done really well in their cable networks and theme parks business which is a great thing. That Disney has been able to stabilise its focus on a diverse portfolio of businesses has been becoming clear since 2005. They probably make less mistakes today with their investments bec...
The accompanying table presents an updated version of the ETFI Highly Defensive PerformIdex, which is expanded to 40 companies with market caps of at least $10B from the industry groups listed below. This defensive growth index is heavily weighted in consumer staples and healthcare and is now structured to include companies based in Europe, in addition to the United States and Canada.
Compared to the previous version, this index has a lower beta and higher average market cap and adds European companie
I've been looking around for stocks, my friends. I haven't bought one in a while and I'm itching to do so. But I don't want to just buy for the sake of buying. No way, not in this market. One of the many stocks I've been keeping my eye on as of late is DreamWorks Animation (NYSE: DWA).
As an owner of Marvel (NYSE: MVL) stock, I recognize the potential, speculative value of buying a company that is a closer play on Hollywood than, say, a Disney (NYSE: DIS) is, ahead of the release of a big tentpole production by said co
Ladies and gentleman, this fund investor grew tired of watching his family's portfolio get pummeled by double-digit percentage points and decided to become a stockholder. So, I snapped up a tiny position in Walt Disney Co. (NYSE: DIS).
Before now, I avoided individual equities for several reasons, including that I was prohibited from owning them because of my previous job. I also felt uncomfortable owning stocks since I write about so many of them. My financial planner also discouraged us from taking positions in i...
Population growth is the lifeblood of all civilizations and societies. It is a carried promise of further development and prosperity in a nation. The U.S. is in fact in the midst of a mini baby boom and there are long term opportunities here for the looking. A record number of babies were born in the USA in 2007, according to early federal data that some demographers say could signal an impending baby “boomlet.”
In 2007, 4.315 million births were reported by the National Center for Health Statistics, giving us a glimpse of the growing lengthening trend in the US. This number would be a new
"I've always been a big fan of putting into the market on a regular basis regardless of what is happening in the overall market," explains Chuck Carlson, long considered one of the advisory industry's leading experts on dividend reinvestment plans.
Here, the editor of The DRIP Investor offers a 10-stock "autopilot" portfolio that is diversified among 10 high quality dividend-paying stocks and requiri
Well, the market was in the dumps yesterday and is even worse today. So this may be a good time to check on my list of stocks for those looking for equities that are stable enough to ride out this bearish storm.
TheStreet.com's Jim Cramer says this consumer-products titan has weathered the storm and should enjoy lower inputs.
General Mills (NYSE: GIS) (Cramer's Take) hits another 52-week high. This company has been one of the great standout performers this year, just a juggernaut, even though it is a gigantic buyer of grains and a huge user of cardboard boxes and plastic wrapping. Plus, it needs gasoline t...
The Kelly Letter bought Disney (DIS) at $15 in March 2003. It reached a high of $36 in May 2007 and is now hovering around $30.
We continue holding Disney because we think its mastery of animation makes it very hard for competitors to break into its industry. This is often called a wide moat, as in the river surrounding a castle in old times. The wider the moat, the harder it was for enemies to cross and attack. Disney, with its wide moat of animation skills, deep library of content, and powerful brand, is tough to attack.
Disney is actually quite the king of online media. Well, at least it was, before News Corp. and CBS (CBS) spent $2B in 2 years to accelerate their efforts. But the bulk of Disney’s $1B+ digital sales come from ticket sales at its themed parks, as well as merchandising. However online advertising figures prominently, and video advertising growing quickly.
The standard for comparison will be the Standard & Poors 500 Index, which closed on June 30, 2008 at 1,280.00. The following are the five stocks with closing prices from July 1.
"Companies dependent on consumer spending have been under a cloud on Wall Street," cautions Chuck Carlson, the industry's leading expert on dividend reinvestment plans.
"However, Disney (NYSE: DIS) is one of those consumer-dependent stocks where conventional wisdom may not be correct," he adds in his The DRIP Investor.
"With $4-per-gallon gasoline, one would think that the high cost of travel would take some steam out of the firm's theme park attendance. However, recent results on this front were decent, and the firm's other businesses
"Companies dependent on consumer spending have been under a cloud on Wall Street," cautions Chuck Carlson, atop expert on high quality stocks and dividend reinvestment plans.
"However, Disney (NYSE: DIS) is one of those consumer-dependent stocks where conventional wisdom may not be correct," he adds in his The DRIP Investor. Here, he looks at what he calls a "solid value."
"With $4-per-gallon gasoline, one would think that the high cost of travel would take some steam out of the firms theme park attendance. However, recent results on this front were decent, and the firms other businesses h
After seeing the interest in yesterday's Serious Money: Five stable stocks for troubled times, I decided to track the stocks on a quarterly basis to see how they hold up over time (otherwise, what would be the purpose of discussing them in the first place?).
I said that all five have shrewd, conservative management teams and have been in the right place,
We all remember the Disney movies when we were younger. Starting with Mickey Mouse, Disney has been defining the culture of America's youth since its inception. The youth of America grew up on Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Sleeping Beauty, The Lion King, Aladdin, and the Beauty and the Beast, among many other cartoon classics. With each of these movies came the marketing, licensing, and strong brand promotion that led Disney to be one of the greatest media company's in the world. If we look at Disney in the past, its movies' themes and values have always been in accordance with...
Portfolio results thru 8/8/08
- Portfolio at www.updown.com - started 1/11/08
9.8% return includes dividends and commission.
Started socialpicks on 6/30. some stocks here are not in...
Stock update and watch list 7/29/08
- Due to difficulties understanding the socialpicks system regarding changing rating from buy to hold and thus resetting the performance, I wanted to sum...
Ladies and gentleman, this fund investor grew tired of watching his family's portfolio get pummeled by double-digit percentage points and decided to become a stockholder. So, I snapped up a tiny position in 
Well, the market was in the dumps yesterday and is even worse today. So this may be a good time to check on my list of stocks for those looking for equities that are stable enough to ride out this bearish storm. 
The Kelly Letter
The market is looking sad again today, so I thought I would spot-check 
"Companies dependent on consumer spending have been under a cloud on Wall Street," cautions 
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