ASK THE READERS - Should I buy HCP, WMT, KMI, or IBM?

We started this series back in November of 2014 as a way to add some fun to our buying process. We plan to continue doing these Ask the Reader post once a month (except when funds are limited) and will be maintaining the stocks purchased in a separate portfolio just to see how they perform. 

For each ASK THE READER post, we will select 3-4 current stocks on our watch list that we feel are worth buying.  But to add some fun into our buying process, we have decided to put our faith in our fellow bloggers and readers once a month. 

The stocks we have chosen this month are stocks that are currently at the top of our watch list and thus stocks we would be comfortable buying regardless of the outcome.  But we thought it would be fun to get our readers input and see if collectively, we can all beat the market with this interactive portfolio. :) 

Below is a chart below of our ASK THE READER purchases to date: 



So far, this account hasn't really done too well.  Mainly due to the fall of energy and oil stocks.  But it's OK, we are long term investors and have confidence that the so-called losers here will eventually see a turn around.  We've been investing long enough to know that there are cycles in everything.  Although it may take longer than we may like, we remain confident that many of these will eventually rebound.  Meanwhile, we'll just sit back and collect the dividends. :) 

Please help us get this account in the green by spending a few minutes to vote for ONE stock from the companies listed below.  Tell us why you like the stock that you picked. 

Thanks in advance for your STOCK PICK!

STOCK #1 - HCP, Inc (HCP)

• Sector: Financials - Real Estate
• Market Cap: 16.2 Billion
• Dividend Yield: 6.46% 
• Consecutive years of dividend increase: 29 Years
• Paying Dividends Since: 1990 (25 years)
• Payout Ratio: 71.5%
• P/E Ratio: 69

STOCK #2 - Wal-Mart Stores (WMT)

• Sector: Discount Stores
• Market Cap: 192.5 Billion
• Dividend Yield: 3.26% 
• Consecutive years of dividend increase: 40 Years
• Paying Dividends Since:  1973 (42 years)
• Payout Ratio: 43.1%
• P/E Ratio: 13

STOCK #3 - Kinder Morgan, Inc (KMI)

• Sector: Energy - Oil & Gas
• Market Cap: 64.0 Billion
• Dividend Yield: 8.72% 
• Consecutive years of dividend increase: 4 Years
• Paying Dividends Since: 1937 (78 years)
• Payout Ratio: 309%
• P/E Ratio: 52

STOCK #4 - International Business Machine (IBM)

• Sector: Informational Technology Services
• Market Cap: 134.3 Billion
• Dividend Yield: 3.75% 
• Consecutive years of dividend increase: 15 Years
• Paying Dividends Since: 1916 (99 years)
• Payout Ratio: 34.9%
• P/E Ratio: 10

**LET US KNOW WHICH STOCK YOU WOULD PICK AND WHY**

Thank you in advance!!

ASK THE READERS - Should I buy VTR, KMI, or POT?

We started this series back in November of 2014 as a way to add some fun to our buying process. We plan to continue doing these Ask the Reader post once a month (except when funds are limited) and will be maintaining the stocks purchased in a separate portfolio just to see how they perform. 

For each ASK THE READER post, we will select 3-4 current stocks on our watch list that we feel are worth buying.  But to add some fun into our buying process, we have decided to put our faith in our fellow bloggers and readers once a month. 

The stocks we have chosen this month are stocks that are currently at the top of our watch list and thus stocks we would be comfortable buying regardless of the outcome.  But we thought it would be fun to get our readers input and see if collectively, we can all beat the market with this interactive portfolio. :) 

Below is a chart below of our ASK THE READER purchases to date: 



So far, this account hasn't really done too well.  Mainly due to the fall of energy and oil stocks.  But it's OK, we are long term investors and have confidence that the so-called losers here will eventually see a turn around.  We've been investing long enough to know that there are cycles in everything.  Although it may take longer than we may like, we remain confident that many of these will eventually rebound.  Meanwhile, we'll just sit back and collect the dividends. :) 

Please help us get this account in the green by spending a few minutes to vote for ONE stock from the companies listed below.  Tell us why you like the stock that you picked. 

Thanks in advance for your STOCK PICK!

STOCK #1 - Ventas, Inc (VTR)

• Sector: Financials - Real Estate
• Market Cap: 18.3 Billion
• Dividend Yield: 5.3% 
• Consecutive years of dividend increase: 5 Years
• Paying Dividends Since: 1999 (16 years)
• Payout Ratio: 207.6%
• P/E Ratio: 44.10

STOCK #2 - Kinder Morgan, Inc (KMI)

• Sector: Energy - Oil & Gas
• Market Cap: 64.0 Billion
• Dividend Yield: 6.98% 
• Consecutive years of dividend increase: 3 Years
• Paying Dividends Since: 1937 (78 years)
• Payout Ratio: 252.55%
• P/E Ratio: 55.15

STOCK #3 - Potash Corp (POT)

• Sector: Materials - Agricultural Chemicals 
• Market Cap: 18.2 Billion
• Dividend Yield: 6.95% 
• Consecutive years of dividend increase: 4 Years
• Paying Dividends Since: 1990 (25 years)
• Payout Ratio: 79.17%
• P/E Ratio: 12.08

The 3 companies we picked this month have three things in common: 1) they all pay great dividends; 2) they are all billion dollar companies; and 3) unfortunately, they all have undesirable payout ratios!!! Of the three, which company do you think has the best long-term prospects?

**LET US KNOW WHICH STOCK YOU WOULD PICK AND WHY**

Thank you in advance!!

RECENT BUY (NYSE: KMI)

WE RECENTLY PURCHASED THE FOLLOWING

KINDER MORGAN, Inc. (KMI)

Purchased 15 shares of KMI on 9/29/2015 at $27.00
Total Spent: $405.00

Company Description

From Google Finance:

“Kinder Morgan, Inc. (KMI) is an energy infrastructure and energy company in North America. The Company operates through six segments: Natural Gas Pipelines, CO2, Terminals, Products Pipelines, Kinder Morgan Canada and Other. The Natural Gas Pipelines segment includes interstate and intrastate pipelines and its liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminals. The CO2 business segment produces, transports, and markets CO2. The Terminals segment includes the operations of its petroleum, chemical, ethanol and other liquids terminal facilities and all of its coal, petroleum coke, fertilizer, steel, ores and other dry-bulk material services facilities. The Products Pipelines segment consists of refined petroleum products, crude oil and condensate, and NGL pipelines and associated terminals, Southeast terminals, and its transmix processing facilities. The Kinder Morgan Canada segment includes its 100% owned and operated Trans Mountain pipeline system and a 25-mile Jet Fuel pipeline system”

Although the market finished barely in the green today, there were still many great buys found. The discounts were best found earlier in the day when the DOW dipped below 16,000 points. So as a long term investors, we took the opportunity to add a few more shares to our family's dividend stocks portfolio.  With today's purchase, we were able to lower our cost basis on another stock we currently own.  

Including the 15 shares added today, we now own 62 total shares of KINDER MORGAN, Inc. (KMI) in our family's dividend stocks portfolio. Our purchase today lowered our cost basis on KMI from $32.32 to 31.03. Additionally, our estimated forward dividends grew another $29.40, putting our yearly dividends at approximately $3,460/year (excluding our Edwards Jones account) and $3,819/year (including our Edward Jones account).

Since we had already held KMI shares in our family's dividend stocks portfolios (WF and EJ Accounts), the portfolio remains unchanged at a total of 47 different dividend paying stocks/ETFs and also 4 companies that either don't pay a dividend our has currently suspended their dividends.

Our family's dividend stocks portfolio may be found

by clicking on the link below:

DIVIDEND STOCKS PORTFOLIO

We also maintain an extensive list of stock analysis

that can be access through the link below:

COLLECTION OF STOCK ANALYSES

We also just started a list of Recent Buys by other bloggers

that can be access through the link below:

COLLECTION OF RECENT BUYS

HERE IS A QUICK FACT SHEET FOR THE STOCK I JUST PURCHASED:

KINDER MORGAN, Inc. (KMI)

P/E: 33.97
Payout Ratio: 270%
Dividend Yield: 7.49%
3 consecutive years of dividend increases
Last Ex-dividend date: 7/29/2015

Next Ex-dividend date: approx. 10/29/2015
Have paid a dividend since: 1937 (78 years)
Pays a dividend 4 times a year.
Market Cap: 60.3 Billion
52-week high: $44.71
52-week low: $25.81
Purchased Price: $27.00

What are your thoughts on of recent purchase?

What are you buying?

RECENT BUY - (NYSE: KMI)

WE RECENTLY PURCHASED THE FOLLOWING

KINDER MORGAN (KMI)
Purchased 12 shares of KMI on 8/5/2015 at $32.25
Total Spent: $387.00

On Wednesday (8/5/15), we pick up 12 more shares of KMI (Kinder Morgan). With our recent purchase, we now own 35 total shares of KMI in our family's dividend stocks portfolio.    

With our purchase of KMI, we added $23.52 in forward dividends to our family's dividend stocks portfolio. This puts our yearly dividends at approximately $2,985/year (excluding our Edwards Jones account) and $3,343/year (including our Edward Jones account). 

Since we had already held KMI shares in our family's dividend stocks portfolios (WF and EJ Accounts), the portfolio remains unchanged at a total of 44 different dividend paying stocks/ETFs and also 4 companies that either don't pay a dividend our has currently suspended their dividends.

Our family's dividend stocks portfolio may be found

by clicking on the link below:

DIVIDEND STOCKS PORTFOLIO

We also maintain an extensive list of stock analysis

that can be access through the link below:

COLLECTION OF STOCK ANALYSES

We also just started a list of Recent Buys by other bloggers

that can be access through the link below:

COLLECTION OF RECENT BUYS

HERE IS A QUICK FACT SHEET FOR THE STOCK I JUST PURCHASED:

Kinder Morgan (KMI)

P/E: 41.74
Payout Ratio (DPS/EPS): 252% ($1.96/$0.77)
Dividend Yield: 6.00%
4 consecutive years of dividend increases
Last Ex-dividend date: 7/29/2015

Next Ex-dividend date: approx. - 10/29/2015
Have paid a dividend since: 1937 (78 years!)
Pays a dividend 4 times a year.
Market Cap: 70.4 Billion
52-week high: $44.71
52-week low: $31.09
Purchased Price: $32.25

What are your thoughts about my recent purchase?

What are you buying?