Five years ago, in May 2007, I posted my first article on GuruFocus. It was called, ��hy Do We Sell Low and Buy High?��and it described some of the mistakes that we commit as investors.
We all know the depths that we went through since May 2007. For many people, fear was all they felt (and some unfortunately still do). Many investors committed the same mistakes (as well as others), and many people who have committed their hard-earned money without knowing the basics of investments have ended up frustrated, fearful and with unsatisfactory results.
I decided to use my first article and make it into a book. Hopefully the book will help to answer the question ��hy do we sell low and buy high?��and many other questions, as well as teach the reader about the basics of the stock market, its participants and provide checklists and insights that will enable the reader to build a framework to become a better investor.
I appreciate all the insights and wisdom that I have received reading many articles on GuruFocus and I am re-posting the article (which is now the first chapter of my book) as well as the second chapter. I hope you all enjoy.
Why do we sell low and buy high? Part 1
We��e often told that in order to be a successful investor we need to buy stock at a low price and sell it at a higher price. If we do that multiple times, we are destined to be rich. Why is it then that so many of us do the exact opposite?
Hot Low Price Companies To Buy Right Now: GigaMedia Limited (GIGM)
Gigamedia Limited, through its subsidiaries, primarily engages in the operation of online games for online game players in Asia. The company provides a portfolio of online games, including MahJong, a traditional Chinese tile game; MMORPG, an Internet-based computer game; advanced casual games; and card, chance-based, and simple casual games. It also develops and licenses online poker, casino, and sports betting gaming software solutions, as well as offers application services for the online poker and casino markets primarily in the continental European markets. The company has strategic alliances with SoftStar Entertainment Inc., Neostorm Holdings Limited, XLGames Inc., Access China Holding Limited, Gorilla Banana Entertainment Corp., JC Entertainment Corporation, Possibility Space Incorporated, East Gate Media Contents & Technology Fund, and BetClic. GigaMedia Limited was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Eric Volkman]
GigaMedia (NASDAQ: GIGM ) results for the company's fiscal Q4 and 2012 have been released. For the quarter, revenue was $4.8 million, down by 34% from the $7.4 million in the same period the previous year. Attributable net loss, however, narrowed considerably to $15.4 million ($0.30 per diluted share) from Q4 2011's shortfall of $51.3 million ($1.01).
Top Low Price Stocks To Watch Right Now: StanCorp Financial Group Inc.(SFG)
StanCorp Financial Group, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides insurance products and asset management solutions in the United States. The company operates in two segments, Insurance Services and Asset Management. The Insurance Services segment offers group and individual disability, group life, group accidental death and dismemberment, group dental, and group vision insurance products, as well as absence management services to individuals and employers. This segment sells its group insurance products through sales representatives, as well as through independent employee benefit brokers and consultants; and individual disability insurance products through brokers and master general agents primarily to physicians, lawyers, executives, other professionals, and small business owners. As of December 31, 2010, it had approximately 31,000 group insurance policies in force covering approximately 6.8 million employees. The Asset Management segment provides 401(k) plans, 403(b) plans, 457 plans, defined benefit plans, money purchase pension plans, profit sharing plans, and non-qualified deferred compensation products and services through an affiliated broker-dealer. This segment also offers investment advisory and management, commercial mortgage loan origination and servicing, and financial planning services, as well as individual fixed-rate annuity, group annuity, and retirement plan trust products. In addition, the company owns and manages real estate properties for sale; and operates an online financial life planning and management service. StanCorp Financial Group, Inc. was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Portland, Oregon.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By David Merkel]
The two stocks in question are Stancorp Financial (SFG) and National Western Life Insurance (NWLI). The short cases for both are based on a naive view of how insurance companies work.
Top Low Price Stocks To Watch Right Now: Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (LGND)
Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated operates as a biotechnology company. It principally engages in the development and acquisition of royalty revenue generating assets. The company engages in the research, milestone, and royalty revenue activities resulting from its collaborations with pharmaceutical partners. The collaborations primarily include ongoing clinical programs at Bristol-Myers Squibb, GlaxoSmithKline, Pfizer, Merck & Co., Cephalon, Inc, and Celgene. These partnered product candidates are being studied for the treatment of indications, such as thrombocytopenia, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, osteoporosis, menopausal symptoms, and Alzheimer?s disease. Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated receives royalties principally on sales of Avinza from Pfizer, Promacta from GlaxoSmithKline, and Viviant /Conbriza from Pfizer. The company through its subsidiary, CyDex Pharmaceuticals, Inc., offers four marketed products, as well as has one approved product, a portfolio of partnered drug development programs, an internal pipeline of proprietary drugs, and the Captisol drug formulation platform technology. Ligand Pharmaceuticals Incorporated was formerly known as Progenx Inc. and changed its name in 1989. The company was founded in 1987 and is based in La Jolla, California.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By James Oberweis]
Ligand Pharmaceuticals (LGND) has a business model that is focused on drug discovery and partnering with pharmaceutical companies at an early development stage.
- [By Garrett Cook]
Healthcare shares dropped by 0.34 percent in the US market on Wednesday. Top losers in the sector included POZEN (NASDAQ: POZN), down 7.2 percent, and Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: LGND), off 5.5 percent.
- [By Garrett Cook]
Healthcare shares dropped by 0.34 percent in the US market on Wednesday. Top losers in the sector included POZEN (NASDAQ: POZN), down 7.57 percent, and Ligand Pharmaceuticals (NASDAQ: LGND), off 6.77 percent.
Top Low Price Stocks To Watch Right Now: Amedisys Inc(AMED)
Amedisys, Inc., a health care company, provides home health and hospice services primarily in the United States. It operates in two segments, Home Health and Hospice. The Home Health segment offers various services in the homes of individuals who may be recovering from an illness, injury, or surgical procedure. This segment?s services include skilled nursing, home health aides, physical and occupational therapy, speech therapy, and medical social services; and chronic care clinical programs for patients with chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular, respiratory, diabetes, behavioral health, rehabilitative, and medical surgical conditions. The Hospice segment provides care that is designed to offer comfort and support for those who are facing a terminal illness, such as heart disease, pulmonary disease, dementia, Alzheimer?s, HIV/AIDS, or cancer. As of December 31, 2011, the company owned and operated 440 Medicare-certified home health care centers, 87 Medicare-certified hospice care centers, and 2 hospice inpatient units in 41 states within the United States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Amedisys, Inc. was founded in 1982 and is headquartered in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Monica Gerson]
Amedisys (NASDAQ: AMED) is expected to post a Q4 loss at $0.01 per share on revenue of $295.02 million.
Williams-Sonoma (NYSE: WSM) is projected to post its Q4 earnings at $1.36 per share on revenue of $1.43 billion.
- [By Sean Williams]
What: Shares of home health providers Amedisys (NASDAQ: AMED ) , Gentiva Health Services (NASDAQ: GTIV ) , and�LHC Group (NASDAQ: LHCG ) �swooned as much as 28%, 20%, and 15%, respectively, following a public proposal by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS, late yesterday that in-home health care reimbursements be cut by 1.5% in 2014.
Top Low Price Stocks To Watch Right Now: Pharmerica Corporation(PMC)
Pharmerica Corporation operates as an institutional pharmacy services company in the United States. It offers services to healthcare facilities and provides management pharmacy services to hospitals. The company purchases, repackages, and dispenses prescription and non-prescription pharmaceuticals in accordance with physician orders and delivers such medication to healthcare facilities for administration to individual patients and residents. It also provides consultant pharmacist services for customers to comply with the federal and state regulations applicable to nursing homes; and medical records services. In addition, the company offers various ancillary services, such as infusion therapy products and services; and hospital pharmacy management services, including hospital pharmacy operations, regulatory and financial management services, and clinical pharmacy programs to various hospitals. PharMerica Corporation operates approximately 95 institutional pharmacies in 44 s tates and provides pharmacy management services to 91 hospitals. Its customers primarily include institutional healthcare providers, such as skilled nursing facilities, nursing centers, assisted living facilities, hospitals, and other long-term alternative care settings. The company is headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Josh Arnold]
PharMerica Corporation (PMC) is a pharmacy services company that operates in several segments in the US. The company offers services to healthcare facilities, pharmacy management services and specialty infusion to patients outside of hospitals. PMC's primary customers are assisted living centers, hospitals, and other long term care facilities. The company services just under 200 locations in 45 states in the US and produces about $1.7 billion in annual revenue. With shares near the bottom of their 52 week range following a nasty selloff, is there any value in PMC or is it a classic trap? I'll argue here that PMC's structural tailwinds for earnings including demographics and consumer preference shifts will increase PMC's ability to convert revenue into profit and drive the stock higher.
Top Low Price Stocks To Watch Right Now: Virgin Australia Holdings Ltd (VBHLF)
Virgin Australia Holdings Limited (VAH) is an Australia-based company engaged in the development and operation of domestic and international airlines. VAH�� fleet includes ATR-72, Embraer 190, Boeing 737-700, Boeing 737-800, AIRBUS A330 and Boeing 777-300ER. It product includes Airbus A330 Business Class. During the fiscal year ended June 30, 2012, the Company carried 19,468,929 guests on 216 city pairs to 52 destinations, and operated 162,817 flights. On February 22, 2012, under the proposal, all of the shares in the international airline business of Virgin Australia were transferred to a new holding company, Virgin Australia International Holdings Pty Ltd. In April 2013, it acquired 100% of the issued share capital in Skywest Airlines Ltd. In July 2013, Virgin Australia Holdings Limited announced that it has acquired 60% interest of Tiger Airways Australia Pty Limited from Tiger Airways Holdings Limited. Advisors' Opinion:- [By MARKETWATCH]
LOS ANGELES (MarketWatch) -- Australian stocks gave ground in early Friday trading, with banks broadly lower after overnight losses in the U.S., where investors worried that better-than-expected data would prompt the Federal Reserve to roll back stimulus soon. The S&P/ASX 200 (AU:XJO) lost 0.4% to 5,178.30, as National Australia Bank Ltd. (AU:NAB) (NAUBF) fell 1.8%, Australia & New Zealand Banking Group (AU:ANZ) (ANEWF) lost 0.8%, and Macquarie Group Ltd. (AU:MQG) (MCQEF) retreated 1.3%. Among the resource shares, losses for gold both in New York and in early Asian electronic trade helped send Evolution Mining Ltd. (AU:EVN) (CAHPF) down 1.9% and Kingsgate Consolidated Ltd. (AU:KCN) (KSKGF) off 4.5%, though Newcrest Mining Ltd. (AU:NCM) (NCMGF) held the drop to 0.4%. Oil prices managed a modest gain, however, resulting in a 0.2% rise for Oil Search Ltd. (AU:OSH) (OISHF) and Karoon Gas Australia Ltd. (AU:KAR) (KRNGF) , while Woodside Petroleum Ltd. (AU:WPL)
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