New Years Portfolio Changes
Immediately before 2006, I was probably amongst millions of Americans dumping losses from their portfolios. With funds in my account from my latest sells, I decided to reevaluate my portfolio for 2006. I added:
- Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. (PBR) - Petrobras (Petrobras) is a mixed-capital enterprise of which a majority of voting capital must be owned by the Brazilian Government. The Company is engaged in a range of oil and gas activities, which include segments such as exploration and production, refining, transportation and marketing, distribution, natural gas and power, international, and corporate. Besides the dominant market position in Brazil, Petrobras has oil and gas activities in international locations, with significant international operations in Latin America, the Gulf of Mexico and West of Africa. During the year ended December 31, 2004, the Company had estimated proved developed and undeveloped crude oil and natural gas reserves of approximately 11.82 billion barrels of oil equivalent in Brazil and other countries.
*Company report directly taken from MSN Money
PBR has been on a run lately - even hitting new 5 year highs. In 2005 alone, PBR gained roughly 82%. Is it's run over? Not likely. Despite it's runup in 2005, it's P/E still remains reasonable at 9.10.
(For comparison, oil giants and their P/E's)
XOM 10.6
CVX 9.0
COP 6.7
BP 10.9
PTR 10.0
- Blackboard, Inc. (BBBB) - provides software applications and related services to the education industry - (it accepts homework, shows grades, holds discussions in, etc). Their primary market is the post-secondary education market in the United States. Being a current masters student, I've had to use blackboard before for my online courses. It's not bad. I've definitely had worse online course experiences, and blackboard proves easier to maneuver within. For the professor end prospective, Motley Fool's Tom Taulli quotes, "I’ve taught online courses for the past five years or so, and in that time I’ve used a variety of educational software systems. By far, the best one I’ve used is from Blackboard (Nasdaq: BBBB), a Motley Fool Hidden Gems recommendation. In fact, I’m currently teaching a course at UCLA using the system. " (For the complete article see, Blackboard Chalks up a Deal)
If you decided not to read the full article, you should know that a few months ago, Blackboard announced that it was teaming with Microsoft to help better integrate Microsoft Office and Microsoft's SharePoint Portal server. When a giant of a company, such a Microsoft, takes notice of a company like Blackboard, maybe you should be paying attention too.
- Pentair (PNR) - (Taken directly from their website) - Pentair is a diversified operating company headquartered in Minnesota. Its Water Group is a global leader in providing innovative products and systems used worldwide in the movement, treatment, storage and enjoyment of water. Pentair’s Enclosures Group is a leader in the global enclosures market, designing and manufacturing standard, modified, and custom enclosures that house and protect sensitive electronics and electrical components.
"[Pentair] derives 80% of it's revenue from water-related systems. These range from water pumps used to clear floodwater out of New Orleans, to filtration and purification systems used by everyone from municipal water providers to Starbucks Corp., which wants to ensure that its lattes and frappuccinos taste the same around the country." (BusinessWeek - "Where to Invest in 2006" December 26, 2005 / January 2, 2006 issue) America's infrastructure is also old and needs upgrading. Local and state government repair what is possible with their budget, and defer the rest. The article boldly states, "Upgrading just the water and sewer systems could cost $660 billion over the next 20 years." Obviously this is a long-term play. Pentair ended 2005 down 20% for the year. This could signal a nice buying opportunity for investors.
...to be continued...
- Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. (PBR) - Petrobras (Petrobras) is a mixed-capital enterprise of which a majority of voting capital must be owned by the Brazilian Government. The Company is engaged in a range of oil and gas activities, which include segments such as exploration and production, refining, transportation and marketing, distribution, natural gas and power, international, and corporate. Besides the dominant market position in Brazil, Petrobras has oil and gas activities in international locations, with significant international operations in Latin America, the Gulf of Mexico and West of Africa. During the year ended December 31, 2004, the Company had estimated proved developed and undeveloped crude oil and natural gas reserves of approximately 11.82 billion barrels of oil equivalent in Brazil and other countries.
*Company report directly taken from MSN Money
PBR has been on a run lately - even hitting new 5 year highs. In 2005 alone, PBR gained roughly 82%. Is it's run over? Not likely. Despite it's runup in 2005, it's P/E still remains reasonable at 9.10.
(For comparison, oil giants and their P/E's)
XOM 10.6
CVX 9.0
COP 6.7
BP 10.9
PTR 10.0
- Blackboard, Inc. (BBBB) - provides software applications and related services to the education industry - (it accepts homework, shows grades, holds discussions in, etc). Their primary market is the post-secondary education market in the United States. Being a current masters student, I've had to use blackboard before for my online courses. It's not bad. I've definitely had worse online course experiences, and blackboard proves easier to maneuver within. For the professor end prospective, Motley Fool's Tom Taulli quotes, "I’ve taught online courses for the past five years or so, and in that time I’ve used a variety of educational software systems. By far, the best one I’ve used is from Blackboard (Nasdaq: BBBB), a Motley Fool Hidden Gems recommendation. In fact, I’m currently teaching a course at UCLA using the system. " (For the complete article see, Blackboard Chalks up a Deal)
If you decided not to read the full article, you should know that a few months ago, Blackboard announced that it was teaming with Microsoft to help better integrate Microsoft Office and Microsoft's SharePoint Portal server. When a giant of a company, such a Microsoft, takes notice of a company like Blackboard, maybe you should be paying attention too.
- Pentair (PNR) - (Taken directly from their website) - Pentair is a diversified operating company headquartered in Minnesota. Its Water Group is a global leader in providing innovative products and systems used worldwide in the movement, treatment, storage and enjoyment of water. Pentair’s Enclosures Group is a leader in the global enclosures market, designing and manufacturing standard, modified, and custom enclosures that house and protect sensitive electronics and electrical components.
"[Pentair] derives 80% of it's revenue from water-related systems. These range from water pumps used to clear floodwater out of New Orleans, to filtration and purification systems used by everyone from municipal water providers to Starbucks Corp., which wants to ensure that its lattes and frappuccinos taste the same around the country." (BusinessWeek - "Where to Invest in 2006" December 26, 2005 / January 2, 2006 issue) America's infrastructure is also old and needs upgrading. Local and state government repair what is possible with their budget, and defer the rest. The article boldly states, "Upgrading just the water and sewer systems could cost $660 billion over the next 20 years." Obviously this is a long-term play. Pentair ended 2005 down 20% for the year. This could signal a nice buying opportunity for investors.
...to be continued...
posted by L.Su at 9:31 AM
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