This Day Today in Business & Investment History

by Fred Fuld III

Apple Computer (AAPL) was incorporated in 1977.

The first block of the blockchain of the decentralized payment system Bitcoin, called the Genesis block, is established by the creator of the system in 2009.

The Bell Telephone Company (T) was chartered in Massachusetts by Alexander Graham Bell and his associates in 1876.

The Bank of Italy changes its name to Bank of America National Trust and Savings Association (BAC), solidifying its national expansion beyond its Californian roots in 1928.

IBM Corporation (IBM) introduces the IBM 1401, a pioneering transistorized computer designed for business applications in 1960.

The New York Stock Exchange introduces the Decimalization Plan, shifting stock prices from fractions to whole dollar amounts in 1970.

Sony Corporation (SONY) releases the Sony Walkman TPS-L2, the first commercially successful portable cassette player in 1981.

Stocks Going Ex Dividend in December 2022

The following is a short list of some of the many stocks going ex dividend during the next month.

The following is a short list of some of the many stocks going ex dividend during the next month.

Many traders and investors use the stock trading technique called ‘Buying Dividends,’ also commonly referred to as ‘Dividend Capture.’ This is the strategy of buying stocks before the ex dividend date and selling the stock shortly after the ex date at about the same price, yet still being entitled to the dividend.

This technique generally works in bull markets and flat or choppy markets, but during bear markets, you may want to consider avoiding this strategy. In order to be entitled to the dividend, you have to buy the stock before the ex-dividend date, and you can’t sell the stock until on or after the ex date.

The actual dividend may not be paid for another few weeks. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has compiled a downloadable list of the stocks going ex dividend in the near future. The list contains many dividend paying companies, lots with market caps over $500 million. Some of the stocks have yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the ex-dividend date, the periodic dividend amount, and the annual yield.

Bank of America Corporation (BAC)12/1/20220.222.36%
Nike, Inc. (NKE)12/2/20220.341.29%
H&R Block, Inc. (HRB)12/5/20220.292.73%
Walmart Inc. (WMT)12/8/20220.561.49%
Public Storage (PSA)12/13/20222.002.69%
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (WWE)12/14/20220.120.60%
ConocoPhillips (COP)12/23/20220.701.89%
Xerox Holdings Corporation (XRX)12/29/20220.256.57%

The entire list of over 100 ex-dividend stocks will be emailed to all subscribers next week. If you are not a subscriber, you can sign up at the signup box below. Don’t miss out. Remember, it’s free!

Dividend Definitions

Declaration date: the day that the company declares that there is going to be an upcoming dividend.

Ex-dividend date: the day on which if you buy the stock, you would not be entitled to that particular dividend; or the first day on which a shareholder can sell the shares and still be entitled to the dividend.

Record date: the day when you must be on the company’s books as a shareholder to receive the dividend. The ex-dividend date is normally set for stocks at two business days before the record date.

Payment date: the day on which the dividend payment is actually made, which can be as long at two months after the ex date.

Don’t forget to reconfirm the ex-dividend date with the company before implementing this technique.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written; affiliate links are on this page.

How to Invest in Apple Without Buying Apple Stock Plus Get Free Diversification

by Fred Fuld III

Apple (AAPL) has dropped about 18.7% from its high over the last several months. If you think the stock has bottomed out, and may be on the rise, there is an alternative to just buying the stock outright.

No, I’m not talking about stock options. What I’m referring to is Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-A) (BRK-B). Do you realize that Apple makes up 47.6% of the Berkshire Hathaway portfolio?

So if you buy Berkshire, that means that almost half your funds are indirectly invested in Apple.

So what else do you get when you buy Berkshire, besides Warren Buffett’s expertise?

Here are some of the other stocks that make up a large portion of the portfolio:

Bank of America (BAC) 13.5%

American Express (AXP) 7.5%

Coca-Cola (KO) 7.2%

Kraft Heinz (KHC) 3.5%

Moodys (MCO) 2.9%

There are actually over 40 stocks in the Berkshire Hathaway portfolio, spread out over a lot of different industries, so it is well diversified.

I’m not recommending Berkshire as an investment because I think the bear market will continue (and I never make any stock recommendations anyway), but if you are bullish on Apple and you don’t mind a little stock market diversification, you might want to take a look at Berkshire, if not now then at some point when you believe the market has bottomed out.

 

Disclosure: Author owns AAPL and KO.

Stock Earnings Calendar for July

by Fred Fuld III

We are now entering into earnings season, a time when companies will be reporting and the stocks of those companies may experience more volatility than usual.

If you are interested in doing some earnings plays, the next few weeks will be the time to look for opportunities.

The following are some of the major companies that will be announcing their earnings.

July 14, 2021 before open

BAC, C, DAL, WFC

July 15, 2021 before open

MS, USB

July 20, 2021 after close

CMG, UAL

July 21, 2021 before open

JNJ, KO, VZ

July 22, 2021 before open

AA, LUV, T

July 23, 2021 before open

AXP, SLB

July 27, 2021 before open

GE, UPS

July 27, 2021 after close

AAPL, V

July 28, 2021 before open

MCD, PFE

July 28, 2021 after close

FB, PYPL

Of course, there are many other companies reporting for the month or July, and these dates and times may be subject to change.

Happy Trading and Investing!!!

Warren Buffett Sold 750,000 Shares of Apple, But It’s Still His Largest Holding

by Fred Fuld III

Famous investor and multi-billionaire Warren Buffett has sold over 750,000 shares of Apple (AAPL) during the latest reported quarter, however it is still the largest holding in his Berkshire Hathaway (BRKA) (BRKB) stock portfolio.

As a matter of fact, Apple makes up 26% of the Berkshire portfolio. He probably didn’t want to get too overweighted in the stock. He first started buying Apple shares near the beginning of 2016 at an average cost of about 150 per share.

Buffett also dumped shares of another stock, Wells Fargo (WFC). He liquidated over 31 million shares of the company, so now the stock makes up less than 9% of the Berkshire portfolio.

The Oracle of Omaha made no changes to the second and third largest holdings, Bank of America (BAC), and Coca-Cola (KO). Same with the fifth largest, American Express (AXP).

It is interesting to note that the above five mentioned stocks make up over 65% of the total Berkshire Hathaway stock portfolio.

If you want to see a list of all the stocks in Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway stock portfolio, you can go to the following link:

Warren Buffett Berkshire Hathaway Stocks

 

Disclosure: Author owns AAPL, BRKB, BAC, & KO.

 

What Warren Buffett has been Buying

by Fred Fuld III

Warren Buffett, top investor and one of the richest people in the world, is in charge of Berkshire Hathaway (BRKA) (BRKB) which is up about 50% over the last five years. Even during the last month, BRKA outperformed the S&P 500 by 1.3%. So many look to Buffett to see where he is investing his money.

According to the latest reported filing with the SEC, Berkshire has made the following purchases earlier this year:

Bank of America (BAC) bought 31,081,000 shares

US Bancorp (USB) bought 3,150,787 shares

Amazon (AMZN) bought 54,000 shares

Red hat (RHT) bought 61,419 shares

In regards to what Warren Buffett sold, he liquidated all shares of USG Corp. (USG), and sold 284,102 shares of Charter Communications (CHTR).

Disclosure: Author owns AMZN & BAC.

Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway’s Recent Investments

by Nkem Iregbulem

As the third-wealthiest person in the world, Warren Buffett is widely regarded as an investment guru. His investment philosophy is based on the concept of value investing. He is the chairman, CEO, and largest shareholder of Berkshire Hathaway, the world’s 10th largest company by revenue. As of 2018, Buffett is estimated to be worth over $80 billion. He is not only an investor but also a dedicated philanthropist. In fact, he has promised to give 99% of his fortune to charitable causes.

Due to his success, Buffett’s stock purchases are closely followed by many other investors. Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway recently purchased the stocks of JP Morgan Chase (JPM), Oracle (ORCL), PNC Financial Services Group (PNC), and Travelers Companies (TRV). His company also added to its position in Bank of America (BAC) and Apple (AAPL). These stocks can all be found on the New York Stock Exchange, except for AAPL, which is traded on the NASDAQ exchange.

With more than $2.5 trillion in assets, JP Morgan Chase is one of the largest financial institutions in the United States. The company is segmented into consumer and community banking, commercial banking, corporate and investment banking, and asset and wealth management. The company was founded in 1871 and is headquartered in New York, but it operates both within and outside of the United States. JP Morgan Chase has a market cap of $360.6B and pays a dividend yield of 2.89%. It trades at 13.70 times trailing earnings and at 11.07 times forward earnings. The stock has a price-to-sales ratio of 3.60, putting it into the overpriced range. It also has price-to-book ratio of 1.59. With its revenue growing each fiscal year since 2015, the company enjoys a 3-year revenue growth rate of 1.56% and a 5-year revenue growth rate of 0.53%.

Founded in 1977 and based in California, Oracle is a computer technology company that sells databases, middleware, applications, hardware, and other enterprise IT solutions. Most of the its revenue comes from software licenses, support, and maintenance, but the company has recently started to shift towards cloud-based subscriptions. Oracle has a market cap of $183.1B and pays a dividend yield of 1.57%. It trades at 49.21 times trailing earnings and at 14.33 times forward earnings. The stock has a price-to-sales ratio of 5.04, so it is considered overpriced. It also has a price-to-book ratio of 4.81. Oracle has a 3-year revenue growth rate of 1.38% and a 5-year revenue growth rate of 1.39% and has seen its revenue increase each fiscal year since 2016.

PNC is a financial services company involved in retail banking, corporate and institutional banking, residential mortgage banking, and asset management. With nearly 2,600 branches in 19 states and D.C., the company stands as the eight-largest bank in the United States — measured by assets. The company was founded in 1845 and is based in Pennsylvania. PNC Financial Services Group has a market cap of $61.4B and pays a dividend yield of 2.86%. The company’s stock trades at 11.17 times trailing earnings and at 11.56 times forward earnings.

It falls into the overpriced range with a price-to-sales ratio of 3.70. The stock also has a price-to-book ratio of 1.30. The company boasts a 3-year revenue growth rate of 2.03% and a 5-year revenue growth rate of 1.03%.

The Travelers Companies is an insurance company that was founded in 1853 and is headquartered in New York. The company segments its business into commercial and personal insurance lines. Under its commercial operations, it provides coverage for primarily midsize businesses. Under its personal line, the company mostly serves car and homeowners. The Travelers Companies has a market cap of $33.8B and pays a dividend yield of 2.40%. It trades at 14.33 times trailing earnings and at 11.26 times forward earnings. The company’s stock has a normal price-to-sales ratio of 1.17 and a price-to-book ratio of 1.51. The company enjoys a 3-year revenue growth rate of 2.08% and a slightly better 5-year revenue growth rate of 2.34% as its revenue has been increasing each fiscal year since 2015.

With over $2 trillion in assets, Bank of America is one of the largest and most well-known financial institutions in the United States. The company’s business operations can be segmented into consumer banking, global wealth and investment management, global markets, and global banking. Its lines of business include home mortgage lending, credit and debit cards, investment banking, brokerage services, small-business services, and many others. Headquartered in North Carolina and founded in 1998, Bank of America has a market cap of $267.5B and pays a dividend yield  of 2.19%. The stock trades at 12.98 times trailing earnings and at 9.51 times forward earnings. It has a price-to-sales ratio of 3.20, so the stock falls into the overpriced category. It also has a price-to-book ratio of 1.12. The company has a 3-year revenue growth rate of 0.56% and a 5-year revenue growth rate of 1.46%. Its revenue has been increasing each fiscal year since 2015.

Apple is a large and familiar technology company that was founded in 1976 and is headquartered in California. It designs and sells computer software, online services, and consumer electronics. Its product line of electronics include smartphones, tablets, computers, and smartwatches. The company also provides services such as Apple Music, a music streaming service, and Apple Pay, a mobile payment service. Apple has a market cap of $741.37B and pays a dividend yield of 1.87%. The stock trades at 13.12 times trailing earnings and 11.96 times forward earnings. It has a price-to-sales ratio of 2.94, making it slightly overpriced. The company’s stock also has a price-to-book ratio of 6.92. With its revenue increasing each year over the past few years, the company boasts a 3-year revenue growth rate of 4.35% and an even higher 5-year revenue growth rate of 9.22%. Most of this revenue comes from Apple’s iPhone sales.

Hopefully, one of the richest men in the world can give you some profitable investment ideas.

Disclosure: Author didn’t own any of the above at the time the article was written. 

Can You Guess Warren Buffett’s Largest Stock Holding?

by Fred Fuld III

Warren Buffett, the head of Berkshire Hathaway (BRKA) (BRKB), is considered to be one of the top investors,  and is probably the most well known investor in the world. In addition, Buffett is a very interesting character.

Many investors like to copy Buffett’s investments, in order to match his superior returns.

So the first thing a copycat investor would do is to check and see what stock he owns more of than any other investment.  Can you guess what that stock is?

It is Apple Inc. (AAPL), the iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch company. According the Berkshire Hathaway’s latest report to the SEC, Apple makes up 21.27% of the Berkshire Hathaway portfolio, a fairly large commitment. Buffett has 239 million shares worth over $40 billion.

The second largest shareholding is Wells Fargo (WFC), making up 12.66% of the Berkshire portfolio. In third place is Bank of America (BAC) at 10.78%.

Rounding out the top five shareholdings is Kraft Heinz (KHC) representing 10.74% of the portfolio and Coca-Cola (KO) at 9.19%.

To see all the stocks owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, so to the  Buffett Stock List.

Hopefully you can ride on Buffett’s coattails to investment success.

 

Disclosure: Author owns AAPL, BRKB, and BAC.

Stocks Going Ex Dividend in May 2018

Here is our latest update on the stock trading technique called ‘Buying Dividends,’ also commonly referred to as ‘Dividend Capture.’ This is the process of buying stocks before the ex dividend date and selling the stock shortly after the ex date at about the same price, yet still being entitled to the dividend.

This technique generally works only in bull markets, and can work in flat or choppy markets, but you need to avoid the technique during bear markets. In order to be entitled to the dividend, you have to buy the stock before the ex-dividend date, and you can’t sell the stock until after the ex date.

The actual dividend may not be paid for another few weeks. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has compiled a downloadable and sortable list of the stocks going ex dividend in the near future. The list contains many dividend paying companies, lots with market caps over $500 million, and yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the ex-dividend date, the quarterly dividend amount, and annual yield.

Wells Fargo & Company (WFC) 5/3/2018 0.39
Citigroup Inc. (C) 5/4/2018 0.32
Intel Corporation (INTC) 5/4/2018 0.3
The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated (CAKE) 5/9/2018 0.29
International Business Machines (IBM) 5/9/2018 1.57
GlaxoSmithKline PLC (GSK) 5/10/2018 0.525
Exxon Mobil Corporation (XOM) 5/11/2018 0.82
Target Corporation (TGT) 5/15/2018 0.62
Amgen Inc. (AMGN) 5/16/2018 1.32
Visa Inc. (V) 5/17/2018 0.21
Aflac Incorporated (AFL) 5/22/2018 0.26
Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. (GS) 5/30/2018 0.8
Bank of America Corporation (BAC) 5/31/2018 0.12
Lockheed Martin Corporation (LMT) 5/31/2018 2

The additional ex-dividend stocks can be found here at wstnn.com. (If you have been to the website before, and the latest link doesn’t show up, you may have to empty your cache.) If you like dividend stocks, you should check out some of the other high yield stock lists at HERE or WStNN.com. Most of the lists are free.

Dividend definitions: Declaration date: the day that the company declares that there is going to be an upcoming dividend.

Ex-dividend date: the day on which if you buy the stock, you would not be entitled to that particular dividend; or the first day on which a shareholder can sell the shares and still be entitled to the dividend.

Monthly Dividend Stock List

Record date: the day when you must be on the company’s books as a shareholder to receive the dividend. The ex-dividend date is normally set for stocks at two business days before the record date.

Payment date: the day on which the dividend payment is actually made, which can be as long at two months after the ex date.

Don’t forget to reconfirm the ex-dividend date with the company before implementing this technique.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

 

Stocks Going Ex Dividend in March 2018

Here is our latest update on the stock trading technique called ‘Buying Dividends,’ also commonly referred to as ‘Dividend Capture.’ This is the process of buying stocks before the ex dividend date and selling the stock shortly after the ex date at about the same price, yet still being entitled to the dividend.

This technique generally works only in bull markets, and can work in flat or choppy markets, but you need to avoid the technique during bear markets. In order to be entitled to the dividend, you have to buy the stock before the ex-dividend date, and you can’t sell the stock until after the ex date.

The actual dividend may not be paid for another few weeks. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has compiled a downloadable and sortable list of the stocks going ex dividend in the near future. The list contains many dividend paying companies, lots with market caps over $500 million, and yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the ex-dividend date, the quarterly dividend amount, and annual yield.

Bank of America Corporation (BAC) 3/1/2018 0.12
Hilton Worldwide Holdings Inc. (HLT) 3/1/2018 0.15
Pepsico, Inc. (PEP) 3/1/2018 0.805
Jack In The Box Inc. (JACK) 3/2/2018 0.4
Kellogg Company (K) 3/2/2018 0.54
Rocky Mountain Chocolate Fact (RMCF) 3/5/2018 0.12
Home Depot, Inc. (HD) 3/7/2018 1.03
Coca-Cola Company (KO) 3/14/2018 0.39
Nasdaq, Inc. (NDAQ) 3/15/2018 0.38

The additional ex-dividend stocks can be found here at wstnn.com. (If you have been to the website before, and the latest link doesn’t show up, you may have to empty your cache.) If you like dividend stocks, you should check out some of the other high yield stock lists at HERE or WStNN.com. Most of the lists are free.

Dividend definitions: Declaration date: the day that the company declares that there is going to be an upcoming dividend.

Ex-dividend date: the day on which if you buy the stock, you would not be entitled to that particular dividend; or the first day on which a shareholder can sell the shares and still be entitled to the dividend.

Monthly Dividend Stock List

Record date: the day when you must be on the company’s books as a shareholder to receive the dividend. The ex-dividend date is normally set for stocks at two business days before the record date.

Payment date: the day on which the dividend payment is actually made, which can be as long at two months after the ex date.

Don’t forget to reconfirm the ex-dividend date with the company before implementing this technique.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.