Recent Buy - Bayer AG (BAYRY)

I've finally made my first purchase of the year, last week, on the 81st day of 2019.  I certainly did not anticipate waiting this long.  The rapid rebound in the overall market's valuation during this first quarter of the year I think took many by surprise and I was certainly hoping to add to positions at much more attractive valuations on the whole than can currently be found.  Even BAYRY has been begun creeping back up to the low $20's in recent weeks but that came to a halt when additional verdicts against the company came to light in recent weeks which is playing a part in the stock now retreating below its previous 52 week lows in the mid $16 range. And now, this week, JNJ and BAYRY announced a $775M settlement related to the drug Xarelto despite winning all 6 cases that went to trial according to the Dow Jones Newswires likely adding to the further weakness in both stocks.  See below for additional details on the recent purchase.

Recent Buy - Phillips 66 (PSX) and Bayer AG (BAYRY)

Phillips 66 (PSX) valuation has come down quite a bit in, coinciding of course, withe the fall in the price of crude oil.  This company is a cash flow generating machine that nearly prints money despite the volatility in the oil market.  What makes it an even better company is that management very shareholder oriented; consistently raises dividends and buys back stock.  See below for details on the purchase of PSX and BAYRY.

Recent Buy - Cardinal Health, Inc (CAH), Kraft Heinz Co (KHC), and Bayer AG (BAYRY)

Today with the market further it's decline as of late I initiated a new position in, Cardinal Health, Inc. (CAH), which has increased its annual distributions each year for over two decades.  In addition, I bolstered my equity weight in two existing positions, KHC and BAYRY, which I have been buying frequently as of late.  See below for details on the transactions.

Recent Buy - Kraft Heinz Co (KHC) and Bayer AG (BAYRY)

I know what your thinking, "c'mon mix it up a little bit, same 'ol, same 'ol."  While I don't blame anyone for thinking that, I can't promise the companies I've been actively purchasing will change anytime soon.  KHC and BAYRY are two positions I have been adding to quite frequently it seems as of late.  KHC may not be an aggressive growth stock with a corresponding high dividend growth rate, but it does remain a cash cow with a yield getting closer to 5% week by week it seems as overall market valuation continues to decline.

With respect to BAYRY, nothing has changed with my rather strong conviction concerning what I believe to be a rather significant price discrepancy between Mr. Market's perceived risk associated with the company versus the potential long term reward with owning the stock.  My plan to continue to make purchases of BAYRY remains in tact so long as the valuation remains at unusually depressed levels.

Recent Buy - Bayer AG (BAYRY)

Part of my routine each morning is to open the Yahoo! Finance application on my phone and see what the market is up to.  On Tuesday morning, it was clear heading into the market open that the market would open in negative territory based on where the DOW futures where trading leading into the open.  One stock on my watch list stood out like a sore thumb and it is a current holding of mine, namely, Bayer AG.  Within the first few hours the stock had fallen > 8.5% which brought it back down to similar levels as when I first picked up shares not too long ago.  As the week progressed, the valuation continue to decline with the rest of the market and I continued to buy.  See below for the details on this most recent purchases.

Recent Buy - Bayer AG (BAYRY)

I've had Bayer (BAYRY) on a watch list I have listing many companies that I would consider owning at reasonable valuations.  Those who follow the markets will know that Bayer has captured some headlines in recent years.  First, the company announced some time back that it would be acquiring Monsanto and the $63 billion transaction was completed in recently weeks.  However, just before the transaction was closed, the company found itself in the headlines again as result of California court awarding a plaintiff $289 million who had sued Monsanto, claiming that the company's herbicide had helped cause the plaintiff's cancer.  What's more, Bayer recently revised its guidance for 2018 downward by about (~7%), which results in a forward P/E multiple of 12.7 (resulting in an earnings yield of 7.87%).  With all this relatively bad news, one may think "what the heck are you doing investing your precious capital in this company?".  Well, in short, I think the long terms benefits greatly outweigh the near term risks.  I'll have additional commentary below, but before I get there, let's take a look at some of the basic metrics I typically review in consideration of a stock purchase.