What Financial (Investment) Websites Do You Use?

[Patler]

What sites do you use for research?
What sites do you use for stock trades, mutual fund trades, etc.?

I am heavily reliant on Fidelity for research, and I do all of my trades through a Fidelity account. I follow Zacks for articles and recommendations from which I do my own research.

I like Fidelity, maybe just because I am familiar with it. I'm not sure there is anything "special" about it, but I can move quickly between detailed charts, broker recommendations, earnings and dividend histories, etc. They include pdfs of a lot of individual broker recommendations, which I tend to skim through when evaluating a trade. Their screens are simple and easy to glean information from, yet their "detailed quote" screen summarizes information clearly and logically to me. Their trade screen is very simple and easy to use.

I like Zacks for articles and recommendations, not because their recommendations are so good (I'm not convinced they are any better than anyone else) but because they offer clear distinctions between articles about and recommendations for different categories of stock investments such as small cap, momentum, value, chart patterns, etc. I take what they say, and make my own decisions. They also have a pretty powerful stock screener for research, but I have to admit it is not the easiest to use. As I have figured it out, I like what it does and how it lays out the information.

I would like to evaluate others for investment research and/or recommendations.

What sites do you use?
What do you like and dislike about them?

[Bretsky]

I'm kind of all over; I use scotttrade for my trades so I sometimes do research through them. Enjoy reading articles on MSN, SmarMoney, and the Fools side....(Cramer entertains me). I often do general searches for videos which I make part of my process in researching as well.

Curious Patler, for Zach's, are you a subscriber ? Perhaps I did a poor job naviagating around the site but for the most part I didn't like the site because it seemed every article I wanted to look at required me to pay for the annual fee and I found the whole site confusing for me to find things I was looking for.

I am going to check out Fidelity

[Patler]

I'm kind of all over; I use scotttrade for my trades so I sometimes do research through them. Enjoy reading articles on MSN, SmarMoney, and the Fools side....(Cramer entertains me). I often do general searches for videos which I make part of my process in researching as well.

Curious Patler, for Zach's, are you a subscriber ? Perhaps I did a poor job naviagating around the site but for the most part I didn't like the site because it seemed every article I wanted to look at required me to pay for the annual fee and I found the whole site confusing for me to find things I was looking for.

I am going to check out Fidelity

I am a Zacks Premium subscriber ($199/year, I think). I agree Zacks can be a bit of a jumble and, as I said earlier, the screener is confusing, but actually pretty good once you figure it out. Supposedly, their "Research Wizard" is fantastic, but I can't stomach the cost for it.

[Patler]

I am going to check out Fidelity

For some of their better information you have to be a subscriber as well. I have my trading account with them, so I have access to it all.

[Bretsky]

Patler, I am assuming you trade with Fidelity as well, right ? I don't see much I like in their research w/o being an active member. I can also get all of that from Scottrade. I get S and P reports, and normally one other on any stock I choose. That seems to be the norm with these online sites. To be honest I'm frustrated that I can't get tied into one good spot for research. of course part of that is I don't pay the monthly fees so I shouldn't get the convenience of those who do.

Curious.....are you into charts a lot ? For a long position I'm curious how you try to determine entry points. I'm a believer of this cloud technology being around very strong for the next few years. I've probably went from about 25 stocks and narrowed them down to ten or so. Now I need to do some cut throat comparisons and figure out what final criteria I am going to fly with.

[Partial]

I use Tradeking because it's cheap and that's what my friend told me to sign up for. That's my extent of knowledge on this.

I've gotten into stock trading a bit in the past year and have bought about 50k in AAPL. The PEG ratio is really, really favorable and I see them completely dominating the tablet market and they will eventually choke out Android once they get on all carriers.

I don't know a single non-nerd who is happy with their android phone. My sister has one and hates it. I know 5-6 other people who don't feel as strongly but would have gotten an iPhone if it was available on their carrier.

Once they get on the big 4 carriers, they'll shift the tide back to the iPhone.

The only thing I wish the iPhone had is a bigger screen. 3.5" is pretty small compared to the nice 4" screens on the Galaxy S phones.

[Freak Out]

I love my Nexus One....does it have issues..? Yep.....screen blows in sunlight. I'm waiting for a new unlocked Android phone with a killer screen....the Galaxy 2 fits the bill but I need a car dock for navigation to go with it. The navigation is so good on my Nexus that I threw away my Garmin.

[Patler]

I am going to check out Fidelity


For some of their better information you have to be a subscriber as well. I have my trading account with them, so I have access to it all.


Patler, I am assuming you trade with Fidelity as well, right ? I don't see much I like in their research w/o being an active member. I can also get all of that from Scottrade. I get S and P reports, and normally one other on any stock I choose. That seems to be the norm with these online sites. To be honest I'm frustrated that I can't get tied into one good spot for research. of course part of that is I don't pay the monthly fees so I shouldn't get the convenience of those who do.

Yup, all of my trades are done through Fidelity. Their stock screener seems very extensive. Once you get down to looking at the specifics of an individual stock, they have an "Analysts Opinion" page that I think is quite good. It includes a chart of the analysts recommendations and gives links to many of their reports. For example, for AAPL it lists the recommendations of 22 different firms, when each last changed its recommendation and the direction of the last change. It gives the StarMine Accuracy rating of each firm for that sector. Of the 22 firms that it lists for AAPL, Fidelity provides links to 11 of their research reports on AAPL (Market Edge, Ned Davis, Columbine, Thomson Reuters, Ford Equity Research, Channel Trends, Zacks, Standard & Poors, Thomas White, Eva Dimensions and Altivo). I'm not sure what determines whether or not they link the actual report. It varies from one stock to another. Sometimes it lists the recommendation of a particular firm without linking its actual report, other times it does link their report.


Curious.....are you into charts a lot ? For a long position I'm curious how you try to determine entry points. I'm a believer of this cloud technology being around very strong for the next few years. I've probably went from about 25 stocks and narrowed them down to ten or so. Now I need to do some cut throat comparisons and figure out what final criteria I am going to fly with.

No, I'm not into chart patterns at all. I don't try to time the market, other than staying away from stocks not having a "buy" recommendation from a substantial number of the firms on the Analysts Opinions page on Fidellity. When the market is down like it is now, I tend to do a bit more research, looking for a good stock that maybe has been hit harder than it should have been for no apparent reason. For example, right now I am considering buying more CAT stock, which has gone from $115 in May to $95 right now.

My biggest weakness is knowing when to sell a stock that I own. As a result, I think I am evolving into a bit more of a longer-term investor.

[MJZiggy]

I use Tradeking because it's cheap and that's what my friend told me to sign up for. That's my extent of knowledge on this.

I've gotten into stock trading a bit in the past year and have bought about 50k in AAPL. The PEG ratio is really, really favorable and I see them completely dominating the tablet market and they will eventually choke out Android once they get on all carriers.

I don't know a single non-nerd who is happy with their android phone. My sister has one and hates it. I know 5-6 other people who don't feel as strongly but would have gotten an iPhone if it was available on their carrier.

Once they get on the big 4 carriers, they'll shift the tide back to the iPhone.

The only thing I wish the iPhone had is a bigger screen. 3.5" is pretty small compared to the nice 4" screens on the Galaxy S phones.

I love my droid. Freak, take a look at the Droid Pro. Screen works in sunshine. Everyone I know with and iPhone says it doesn't have good reception. That's the one thing I really do want from my phone.

[Scott Campbell]

I don't know a single non-nerd who is happy with their android phone.


I can see people saying that. But I don't see the tide shifting back to the iPhone unless they price the service more competitively.

[Scott Campbell]

I'm on Fidelity too, but I don't use it that much. I'm not a very active trader.

I do much of my reading at Yahoo's financial site.

[Partial]

I can see people saying that. But I don't see the tide shifting back to the iPhone unless they price the service more competitively.

Android phone data plans are typically the same price as far as I know. I could be misinterpreting what you're saying. The latest fad in mobile is prepaid, and Apple has mentioned in the past they'd like to get into this but have not yet and I don't foresee them doing it this year either. Android does have a presence in this space.

[Scott Campbell]

Android phone data plans are typically the same price as far as I know.

I have five lines with unlimited data, pics, text and 1500 peak none calling circle minutes. (we use 3-500)

$150per month for all 5 lines. That includes all the taxes and fees.

I also have each phone set up to work as a wifi hotspot at no additional cost. So no aircards are needed for any of our laptops.

You just can't come close to touching that with an iPhone.

[Partial]

Yeah that's a pretty awesome deal. How'd you score that? If the carrier did offer the iPhone, why wouldn't it be eligible for the same plan?

[Freak Out]

The fucking Euro is still valued 40 cents above the dollar! WTF? Member States are teetering on the brink of default and it still sits that much higher than the dollar...amazing. Well...not really considering how fucked we are here....get ready for the shit to hit it.

[Scott Campbell]

Yeah that's a pretty awesome deal. How'd you score that? If the carrier did offer the iPhone, why wouldn't it be eligible for the same plan?

Sprint. Company discount. But not too hard to get. They don't carry the iPhone.

[MJZiggy]

http://www.businessinsider.com/the-best-25-hidden-gems-of-nyc-startups-2011-5#

There's a lot of tech in here, some cloud, some crowdsourcing. Aimed at VC, but interesting way to find companies to watch for their IPOs.

[Bretsky]

Thank you Ziggy; I will check that out

Fellow Investors, would it be fair to say Google might be entering the territory of being underpriced right now ?????

[Freak Out]

I've been saying it for years........gold.

[Bretsky]

I've been saying it for years........gold.

that's like asking somebody who is but ugly w/no personality out on a date. Boring :)

[Freak Out]

Boring but profitable :)

[Partial]

Sprint. Company discount. But not too hard to get. They don't carry the iPhone.

Ahh yes, I have Sprint SERO myself. 30 bucks for 500 min, unlimited text and data. The rumor has it that Apple wants to put the kibosh on Android quickly, and they intend to do it by going for market share and get on all 4 of the big carriers in US, and then the bigger regional ones as well like US Cellular. That would be great news if that happens.

I can't see very many people buying Android phones IF Apple gets a 4" screen and gets on all of the big carriers. What would the incentive be? The user experience is so much better on an iPhone. Everything is just more fluid and polished.

I was hanging out a Best Buy Mobile a few weeks back while my fiance was shopping. I was listening to how the salesmen were pitching Android, and it always seemed to go something like this: "The iPhone isn't available on this carrier, so this is the closest alternative, designed to be like the iPhone".

Sprint corporate discounts are ridiculous. Pretty much anybody can call and say they work for x company. There are tons of threads on Slickdeals about it.

I'm stuck on an old Palm Pre which has the same silicon as the iPhone 3GS yet is infinitely slower and clunkier.

A lot of analysts seem to think that AAPL is extremely underpriced right now. I've seen some people that 1000$/share is a realistic estimate in a few years, but take that with a grain of salt because it was on Apple message boards.

The iCloud stuff that they introduced for iOs 5 matches and exceeds the web capabilities of Android. They are making things like transferring photos, documents, etc completely seamless and behind the scenes to the user. I'm absolutely thrilled by this because I have two work iPod touches, two work iPad2s, a work mac, and two personal macs that I've been struggling to keep in sync.

The idea that I can take a photo on my phone and it'll immediately be available for viewing on my computer, iPad, or even my AppleTV is really, really awesome.

This is just a guess on my part, but I think Apple is going to take on the video game industry in a big, big way. Have you seen their remote control app for the Apple TV? I can easily see them applying that concept and having an app store for games/video/etc on the Apple TV. This market could be absolutely huge.

[Partial]

http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2011/06/19/the-3-most-undervalued-tech-stocks-google-apple-ibm/

GOOG and AAPL blowing up. PEG is a great indicator from what I've read. Probably the best.

[Scott Campbell]

Ahh yes, I have Sprint SERO myself. 30 bucks for 500 min, unlimited text and data. The rumor has it that Apple wants to put the kibosh on Android quickly, and they intend to do it by going for market share and get on all 4 of the big carriers in US, and then the bigger regional ones as well like US Cellular. That would be great news if that happens.


That horse left the barn a long time ago. They really screwed themselves with that AT&T deal. Android pretty handily outsells them now.

The iPhone is a great product, but so is the Android. It's good for all of us for there to be fierce competition in that space.

I've played around with the first AppleTV, and think they could dominate in that space with a little more effort. Nobody has a truly great product there yet.

[MJZiggy]

I've never seen an Apple TV. Is it significantly more expensive than the comparable non-Apple product like the computers are?

[Scott Campbell]

I've never seen an Apple TV. Is it significantly more expensive than the comparable non-Apple product like the computers are?


Not sure, but I think they're like $100. And that price is on the low end of the streamer market.

[Bretsky]

http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2011/06/19/the-3-most-undervalued-tech-stocks-google-apple-ibm/

GOOG and AAPL blowing up. PEG is a great indicator from what I've read. Probably the best.


Great info Partial; I have both of these on my watchlist as well as a bunch of cloud stocks I'm researching. Thx for posting this article. Lots are touting AAPL as being undervalued right now

[Partial]

That horse left the barn a long time ago. They really screwed themselves with that AT&T deal. Android pretty handily outsells them now.

The iPhone is a great product, but so is the Android. It's good for all of us for there to be fierce competition in that space.

I've played around with the first AppleTV, and think they could dominate in that space with a little more effort. Nobody has a truly great product there yet.

I don't agree with this. The iPhone is the best selling phone on the planet. Android as a whole ecosystem of phone barely outsells the one phone. Imagine the success Apple will have once it's on more carriers. Also, how many Android users will be repeat buyers? I can't imagine many non-nerds. Meanwhile, I haven't met a person who has switched from an iPhone beyond monetary reasons, and since Android costs the exact same, I don't foresee them jumping ship.

I predict that a fair amount of non-techies are happy with their Android device like MJ. My guess is these people haven't had much exposure to an iPhone. I used to be really happy with a Blackberry, too, and after using iOs on a daily basis I could never go back to that garbage.

Android's market share actually decreases recently for the first time in a while. I cannot visualize a college aged non-nerd buying an Android phone when it's the exact same monthly price and upfront price as an iPhone on their carrier. We're seeing this on Verizon right now.

Completely agree that competition is good. Not as willing to say that Android is a great product. What I do love about Android is the fleet of phones running it push competition forward. Take the Galaxy S2 for example. This phone has beastly specs, so Apple will surely have to match them to please the spec whores. I'll say that there is absolutely no comparison in fluidity and user experience comparing an HTC Evo and an iPhone 4. Where as the Evo is lagging even scrolling around, the iPhone 4 runs at a snappy 60 frames per second and looks gorgeous.

To me, where Android misses the boat is it's basically a linux computer. Things are always running, which is an interesting concept, but may not be the best thing given that phone batteries suck. Linux is a great idea and an excellent thing for computing in general, but it's still not fit for consumers.

For what it's worth, I have a coworker who has identical applications for iOs and Android. He's was a big Android supporter until he realized that no one downloads from the Android app stores because they are a mess. With Apple, he gets about 10 bucks a day in sales/ad revenue for his Applications.

[Scott Campbell]

I don't agree with this. The iPhone is the best selling phone on the planet. Android as a whole ecosystem of phone barely outsells the one phone.

Eerily similar to the 80's Mac/Windows battle for marketshare.

Android outsells the iPhone. More manufactures for the Android means not only more choices, but also quicker refreshes. We've seen this movie before, and we know how it ends.

I love what Apple is doing, but I don't see them dominating the space. One of them will be 1a, and one will be 1b.

[Scott Campbell]

I've never seen an Apple TV. Is it significantly more expensive than the comparable non-Apple product like the computers are?


Google bought SageTV this weekend. There's a lot to still shake out, but this is probably an admission that their streaming device sucked and they need a lot of help in the space.

[Scott Campbell]

The rumor has it that Apple wants to put the kibosh on Android quickly, and they intend to do it by going for market share and get on all 4 of the big carriers in US, and then the bigger regional ones as well like US Cellular. That would be great news if that happens.


Best case for the iPhone is that it regains it's market share lead. But it's never going to put the kibosh on Android. It would take some sort of innovative disruptive technology to replace either of these two at this point. IMO.

[Patler]

... Also, how many Android users will be repeat buyers? I can't imagine many non-nerds. Meanwhile, I haven't met a person who has switched from an iPhone beyond monetary reasons, and since Android costs the exact same, I don't foresee them jumping ship.

Interesting, because I know several. All were frustrated with the slow fixes on their iPhones for known problems. They convinced me to go with an HTC Inspire just recently. (Which, by the way, will be the subject for a new thread I am starting!)

[Bretsky]

Patler or any stock sharks..........curious if you have a view on two pretty attractive tech stocks long term

Applied Materials (AMAT) or Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM)

I am up a decent amount on AMAT but am leaning toward rotating that money into TSM.

[3irty1]

I'm surprised that nobody has mentioned prosper.com yet. Its essentially ebay for loans. You can borrow or invest with the interest rates being decided by the borrowers/investors in a dutch auction system. I advise anyone to take a look. I've had a great experience both borrowing to fund an idea and investing in those of others.

[Patler]

Patler or any stock sharks..........curious if you have a view on two pretty attractive tech stocks long term

Applied Materials (AMAT) or Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM)

I am up a decent amount on AMAT but am leaning toward rotating that money into TSM.

You must have owned AMAT for quite a while, if you are up a decent amount. Did you buy last summer? I had never looked at either in any detail before. The dividends are a bit of a bonus for TSM, aren't they? Around 4% at current price, much better than the industry average. Both look decent, just not sure if there is anything that would be a trigger for me to buy. Recent earnings reports have met expectations, but not exceeded by much. Both look like they could be market followers. Any reasons you think they might exceed the market?

[Partial]

Patler or any stock sharks..........curious if you have a view on two pretty attractive tech stocks long term

Applied Materials (AMAT) or Taiwan Semiconductor (TSM)

I am up a decent amount on AMAT but am leaning toward rotating that money into TSM.

TSM is getting the Apple contracts allegedly for the next gen of chips. This would be a smart buy.

HTC is a good buy but they don't trade in America. I've thought long and hard about it in the past but it's not worth the headache for me as I can't do it on tradeking.

Buy AAPL. Cannot stress this enough. I've done a ton of research on this and am confident in saying 200% return within the next 2 years is probable. The stock price has been relatively stagnant due to Steve's health, but eventually investors will get over that and recognize what a cash cow the company is. You don't have a PEG ratio where they do and not see huge returns.

[Patler]

Buy AAPL. Cannot stress this enough. I've done a ton of research on this and am confident in saying 200% return within the next 2 years is probable. The stock price has been relatively stagnant due to Steve's health, but eventually investors will get over that and recognize what a cash cow the company is. You don't have a PEG ratio where they do and not see huge returns.

I have a fair size chunk of AAPL, and am quite optimistic about it. But, I think expecting a 200% return in the next two years is a bit far fetched. That would mean the stock would sell for over $1000/share, since it is around $350 right now. I expect more like the $500-$600 range.

[Patler]

HTC is a good buy but they don't trade in America. I've thought long and hard about it in the past but it's not worth the headache for me as I can't do it on tradeking.

I wouldn't be too quick to buy any HTC stock right now. You piqued my interest, so I checked. It looks like they've been in a bit of a free fall and even hit the market's limit on declining stock. Apparently the analysts are not impressed with an announced acquisition, and "Sell" recommendations are coming out. Could be a good buy if and when it stabilizes, assuming the acquisition is not the dead weight the analysts seem to think it is. I won't buy just yet, after it dropped nearly 7% today.

[MJZiggy]

I wouldn't be too quick to buy any HTC stock right now. You piqued my interest, so I checked. It looks like they've been in a bit of a free fall and even hit the market's limit on declining stock. Apparently the analysts are not impressed with an announced acquisition, and "Sell" recommendations are coming out. Could be a good buy if and when it stabilizes, assuming the acquisition is not the dead weight the analysts seem to think it is. I won't buy just yet, after it dropped nearly 7% today.

Let me know when it hits rock bottom...

[Freak Out]

I was surprised to hear S3 still existed....not surprised to hear a relative of a HTC board member runs it. That said...HTC is a good company....let it slide then buy it up.

[Partial]

I have a fair size chunk of AAPL, and am quite optimistic about it. But, I think expecting a 200% return in the next two years is a bit far fetched. That would mean the stock would sell for over $1000/share, since it is around $350 right now. I expect more like the $500-$600 range.

Just about every analyst has it going for 550 or so by January. It's ridiculously under valued right now. With their growth and the PE, lots of people think over the next few years 1000 is easily a possibility!

I have a coworker who is obsessed with Chipotle stock. I don't know why. He is convinced this is going to make more the AAPL since AAPL has been stagnant lately, but you look at the 53 PE for Chipotle and 17ish of AAPl, and 2+ peg of Chip versus .65 for AAPL, and the numbers bear out that as long as Apple continues on their trajectory it's a very, very smart buy.

I'm extremely confident in Apple. I have my 401k diversified by ING, but for the rest of my investments I own a butt load of one stock: AAPL, and a little bit of GE too.

[Bretsky]

Lots of rumors AAPL is going to throw Sumsung to the curb and start using TSM. Even without that this seems like a stable stock with quite an upside and a decent dividend.
Cash Rich as well.

Rumors and ethereal reports would have it that tech juggernaut Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL ) is about to cut ties with Korean all-rounder Samsung at its earliest convenience. The rumor mill suggests that Apple's A6 processors, which will be the heart of the 2012 generation of iPads and iPhones, will move out of Sammy's factories and into the cozy new production digs at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (NYSE: TSM ) .

A COUPLE NICE ARTICLES

http://msn.fool.com/investing/general/2011/06/29/will-taiwan-semiconductor-manufacturing-earn-or-bu.aspx?logvisit=y&source=eedmsnlnk0010001&published=2011-06-29

http://msn.fool.com/investing/general/2011/06/15/this-is-asias-best-chip-stock.aspx?logvisit=y&source=eedmsnlnk0010001&published=2011-06-15

http://seekingalpha.com/article/273435-5-cheap-technology-titans-offering-substantial-dividends?source=msn

[Bretsky]

You must have owned AMAT for quite a while, if you are up a decent amount. Did you buy last summer? I had never looked at either in any detail before. The dividends are a bit of a bonus for TSM, aren't they? Around 4% at current price, much better than the industry average. Both look decent, just not sure if there is anything that would be a trigger for me to buy. Recent earnings reports have met expectations, but not exceeded by much. Both look like they could be market followers. Any reasons you think they might exceed the market?

no, end of 08 when fear was running rampant I got in at a bit over $8 a share
Not a great return in 2.5 years but not bad either. It's about 13.50 now.

IF ONLY I'd have bought a bunch of stocks at that point

[Bretsky]

Just about every analyst has it going for 550 or so by January. It's ridiculously under valued right now. With their growth and the PE, lots of people think over the next few years 1000 is easily a possibility!

I have a coworker who is obsessed with Chipotle stock. I don't know why. He is convinced this is going to make more the AAPL since AAPL has been stagnant lately, but you look at the 53 PE for Chipotle and 17ish of AAPl, and 2+ peg of Chip versus .65 for AAPL, and the numbers bear out that as long as Apple continues on their trajectory it's a very, very smart buy.

I'm extremely confident in Apple. I have my 401k diversified by ING, but for the rest of my investments I own a butt load of one stock: AAPL, and a little bit of GE too.


Embrace the Cloud !!!!! I'm a bit surprised you are not more intrigued by some of those future high flyers....IMHO
I think Apple is an incredibly sound investment though; it will run plenty more.

[Partial]

Embrace the Cloud !!!!! I'm a bit surprised you are not more intrigued by some of those future high flyers....IMHO
I think Apple is an incredibly sound investment though; it will run plenty more.

I only believe in investing in things that I 100% understand and am confident in. By all accounts, Apple is a sure thing. The apple stock is going to get us a nice house in Elm Grove/Brookfield area.

I couldn't tell you nearly enough about what companies are doing with the cloud. When I think of Cloud Computing, I think of the following things (crazy brainstorm of a nerd)

Amazon (Elastic Computing Cloud)
Google (App Engine, Everything else they do)
DropBox
iCloud (Apple's cloud push synching)
Salesforce (Sales dashboard/organization software)
Basecamp (Project management software)
Jive Social Business Software (Self explanatory)
Twitter
Facebook

I'm sure there are more, but that's the list in about two min off the top of my head.

What are some companies you're looking at in this realm and what are they doing to cause disruption?

I'm all about the cloud as a developer as software as a service is clearly the future. To me, it's not really a new thing, companies have been doing this for years now, but the term does seem to be going mainstream.

I can tell you this: cloud computing is making the entry cost of developing and distributing software much, much, much lower than it had to have been 10 years ago. It's cheap to start a business if you can write code and do some design work. All it takes is an idea.

I'm still big on ARMH. A coworker of mine is very big on Imagination Technologies but I think they're too expensive right now. I think he made quite a bit of money there. This probably goes hand in hand with ARMH as they make the best graphics processors for mobile stuff. Apple and Samsung both use them, and they are making/selling a heck of a lot of processors. TI's OMAP chips may use them as well.

Another coworker is obsessed with Chipotle stock. While CMG has gone up lately, it's PE and PEG are out of sync and all signs point to it being over-valued right now.

[Patler]

Just about every analyst has it going for 550 or so by January. It's ridiculously under valued right now. With their growth and the PE, lots of people think over the next few years 1000 is easily a possibility!

The problem with that is that while Apple has increased nicely and relatively steadily, it has not risen as fast as the analysts have projected. Most of those same analysts who predicted $500+ by January predicted $425 after last quarter, and it barely made $365. It fell from that shortly after the earning report, which was a clear beat. AApl has followed a peculiar pattern of "disappointing" investors no matter how much it beats projections.

Don't get me wrong, I am very confident in AAPL long term. I have bought at three different levels so far, I would have bought more on the last dip into the $320's, but I didn't have anything I wanted to sell. But, I don't expect a meteoric rise tripling its value in 8 quarters. It will continue to grow and will continue to be impressively undervalued for quite a while, but there is nothing wrong with that.

[Partial]

The problem with that is that while Apple has increased nicely and relatively steadily, it has not risen as fast as the analysts have projected. Most of those same analysts who predicted $500+ by January predicted $425 after last quarter, and it barely made $365. It fell from that shortly after the earning report, which was a clear beat. AApl has followed a peculiar pattern of "disappointing" investors no matter how much it beats projections.

Don't get me wrong, I am very confident in AAPL long term. I have bought at three different levels so far, I would have bought more on the last dip into the #320s, but I didn't have anything I wanted to sell. But, I don't expect a meteoric rise tripling its value in 8 quarters. It will continue to grow and will continue to be impressively undervalued for quite a while, but there is nothing wrong with that.

These are good points. I really think the stock is depressed because everyone is already factoring in Steve dying or at least not coming back. Based on what he's been doing lately with trying to get the new Campus built, I think he's doing better than most and I would bet he'll be back. I have to imagine a billionaire can get the kind of care and drugs that your average person cannot.

I don't really think it matters if he's back or not. Tim Cook is the brains behind their business model, Steve is just the innovative one. I'm sure their road map is already set for a few years. I have no doubt they'll be on top of the competitors for at least 3-4 more years.

[Patler]

no, end of 08 when fear was running rampant I got in at a bit over $8 a share
Not a great return in 2.5 years but not bad either. It's about 13.50 now.

IF ONLY I'd have bought a bunch of stocks at that point

Actually, it made that much for you in about a year. It's selling now for near what it did at the end of '09, so you haven't made anything on it for the last year and a half, other than your 2% dividend.

[Patler]

I really think the stock is depressed because everyone is already factoring in Steve dying or at least not coming back. Based on what he's been doing lately with trying to get the new Campus built, I think he's doing better than most and I would bet he'll be back. I have to imagine a billionaire can get the kind of care and drugs that your average person cannot.

I don't really think it matters if he's back or not. Tim Cook is the brains behind their business model, Steve is just the innovative one. I'm sure their road map is already set for a few years. I have no doubt they'll be on top of the competitors for at least 3-4 more years.

His health may affect the individuals who own stock, but 70% of AAPL stock is held by institutions and mutual funds. They understand succession planning.

[Partial]

AAPL at an all-time high today. The buzz seems to be that they're going to CRUSH earnings expectations. This would be their 14th straight quarter beating the street's estimates.

Expect to see things really blow up when they put out a new iPhone. Things will slow down for a month before they do, but they will sell millions of iPhones the first week it's available.

[Patler]

AAPL at an all-time high today. The buzz seems to be that they're going to CRUSH earnings expectations. This would be their 14th straight quarter beating the street's estimates.

Expect to see things really blow up when they put out a new iPhone. Things will slow down for a month before they do, but they will sell millions of iPhones the first week it's available.

Maybe this time they will break the pattern. Typically they have had strong run-ups before their earnings reports, they have had substantial "beats" on the reports, and then somewhat lukewarm reactions after the report. It hasn't made a lot of sense. One of these days investor reaction should be more in tune to their actual report. Hope it s this time!

[Partial]

Maybe this time they will break the pattern. Typically they have had strong run-ups before their earnings reports, they have had substantial "beats" on the reports, and then somewhat lukewarm reactions after the report. It hasn't made a lot of sense. One of these days investor reaction should be more in tune to their actual report. Hope it s this time!

Just today I saw updates from Goldman Sachs (450$), JPMorgan (480$) and Jefferies (500$). I've seen countless others in the 500's recently from following Apple Insider like a fiend :)

It's an exciting time to be betting big on Apple. I personally think they're just getting started and the best it yet to come.

They're leaps and bounds ahead of the competition right now. I mean it's not even close. Windows 8 looks more promising than Lion imo, but that's okay, Apple doesn't make the big bucks there. Also, I think OS 11 will be out around the same time as Windows 8.

Never in a million years did I think I'd say it, but I may get back into MSFT for Win8. Love love love Metro UI.

[Patler]

Analysts have been in love with AAPL for a long time. That really isn't anything new. The market hasn't been as enthusiastic as the analysts, and I don't think anyone can really explain why.

I'm tempted to buy some more. I almost did when it dropped into the $320s last month. I bought CAT instead in the low $90s.

[Scott Campbell]

AAPL won round 1 against HTC in a patent suit today.

[Partial]

AAPL won round 1 against HTC in a patent suit today.

I think Apple has pretty much all of those companies by the balls on multitouch stuff. Having said that, I think patent law sucks balls and need some reform. Half of those patents Apple sued HTC over are just BS. Accessing system resources in a multithreaded manner was one IIRC. LOL, wtf? How can that be patented? Aye yay yay.

[Patler]

I think Apple has pretty much all of those companies by the balls on multitouch stuff. Having said that, I think patent law sucks balls and need some reform. Half of those patents Apple sued HTC over are just BS. Accessing system resources in a multithreaded manner was one IIRC. LOL, wtf? How can that be patented? Aye yay yay.

Apple sued on 10 patents and the ITC hearing officer found infringement of just two. Perhaps the ones you are concerned about were held invalid instead of not infringed. HTC also has an infringement action pending against Apple. Before this is done, some sort of cross-license could likely occur.

[Patler]

Apple is looking pretty good going into their quarterly report after hours today.

[Partial]

Well Pattie, it's a good day to be an AAPL share holder. 403.33! Whoo hoo! Cheers my friend! Once again blew expectations out of the water. The magic carpet ride is beginning!

[Patler]

They hit $405 after hours, apparently. Hard to say what they will open at in the morning. There was one bit of negativity in their report, giving 4th quarter guidance slightly less than analysts were predicting. When questioned about it, they gave reasoning of "product transition" occurring during the quarter. I hope the market doesn't dwell too much on the lowered guidance.

[Patler]

Not an overly enthusiastic response by the market this morning. AAPL is up 3% (at $385-$390 now) from yesterday's close. This has been the recent scenario. Tremendous financials for the quarter reported with a good but not great response by the market. Overall, the rise is steady and very good. But, don't buy AAPL as a quick hitter, buy it to hold

[Scott Campbell]

But, don't buy AAPL as a quick hitter, buy it to hold


Amen brother. In the long run earnings will drive the share price. In the short term there's too much whimsy involved.

IMO