Top Ten Stock Update-Nine Months.

I meant to do this at the end of June for a half year update but instead this nine month update will have to do.
Here is a summary of how the stocks are currently trading. Prices are as of close on September 30th, 2010. Returns are rounded to the nearest whole percent.


AAPL
Start $210.28
9 Mo $283.75
Divs $0
Total $283.75
Return 35%
Apple has rose steadily and is currently looking at overtaking ExxonMobil for the largest market cap. i continue to like this stock and think that it still could hit $300 by the end of the year.

AMT
Start $43.21
9 Mo $51.26
Divs $0
Total $51.26
Return 19%
American Tower has a great presence in other countries and is gaining from the continued growth of cell phones throughtout the world. Now is still a great time to get into the stock.

BRK-B
Start $65.72 (split adjusted)
9 Mo $82.68
Divs $0
Total $82.68
Return 26%
Berkshire Hathaway has rose nicely since the split. The split has made the stock affordable to many now and has helped the stock gain inclusion into several indexes and new funds. I would hold the stock if I owned it and would look to buy if it dips below $75.

DIS
Start $32.41
9 Mo $33.10
Divs $0
Total $33.10
Return 2%
Disney has a great slate of products and is diversifying away from its theme parks. The purchase of Marvel last year should help in its movie division as well as sequels from Cars and Monsters Inc. One of the best performing parts of Disney has been its ESPN segment. ESPN is the leader in sports television and its website generates a lot of traffic as well. Buy the stock now.

FMX
Start $48.31
9 Mo $50.73
Divs $.32
Total $51.05
Return 6%
Femsa is currently trading close to where it was at the start of the year. The deal from Heineken gave the company some much needed cash to help it fund the opening of more OXXO convenience stores. As Mexico's economy grows, so does this company. Buy this company for a great play on the international growth of Mexico.

GILD
Start $43.39
9 Mo $35.61
Divs $0
Total $35.61
Return -18%
Investors have knocked Gilead down over the year. The company is the biggest player in the HIV drugs market. The company still has promising drugs in the pipeline, some which will cut its ties with other drug partners. Do not be fooled by this company, it will continue to grow. Buy the stock.

MCK
Start $62.50
9 Mo $61.78
Divs $.48
Total $62.26
Return 0%
McKesson has raised their dividend this year and continues to trade at an attractive price. The company has a price to sales ratio of .15 and currently has more cash than debt on the books. Look to purchase shares of Mckesson around $60.

NFLX
Start $55.09
9 Mo $162.16
Divs $0
Total $162.16
Return 194%
I am very happy with my inclusion of Netflix in the top ten list. I am kicking myself for not actually buying shares for my own account. I would not recommend buying the stock now as it is too inflated and is due for a pullback. I believe someday Netflix will get bought out but it is unlikely at this price.

SMBL
Start $6.16
9 Mo $3.88
Divs $0
Total $3.88
Return -37%
Smart Balance was my speculative pick this year and it seemed to have burned me so far. The launch of Smart Balance milk did not go over as well this year as planned and the butter segment is under pressure from competitors. The stock is attractive as a buyout target at these levels.

VZ
Start $32.13
9 Mo $32.59
Divs $1.43
Total $34.02
Return 6%
Verizon continues to pay a great dividend while you wait for the Iphone to someday come to Verizon. The integration of Alltell has added subscribers and continues to help Verizon grow. Buy the stock and sit on it.


So through September, the stocks I picked have returned an average of 23.3% each. The top performer was Netflix, almost tripling. If you take out netflix from the picks the average return was 4.3%.

I look forward to tracking the stocks for the rest of the year and hope that I can get closer to last years return.