A full 23 months ago, I started identifying 10 companies that I would be putting $40,000 of my own retirement money behind. Since then, that sum of money has grown to $51,880 -- a 29.7% increase and $1,560 better than if I had just invested the money in the S&P 500.
The portfolio has benefited from one company already reporting positive results, and I'll be looking for four more to report next week.
PriceSmart (NASDAQ: PSMT )
A huge part of the reason that the portfolio has done well this week is because of the continued excellent execution at Latin American wholesaler PriceSmart. The company, which was spun off its American counterpart -- Costco -- continues to follow in its parent-company's footsteps of providing value for customers and shareholders alike.
For the last quarter, PriceSmart increased revenue by 10.8% while earnings were up an even more impressive 22.3%. Probably most important, however, was the fact that sales at comparable stores were up 10.1%. That, combined with the company's slow and steady growth plans, gives investors lots of reasons to cheer.
Four more set to report
After next week ends, half of the company's in this retirement portfolio will have reported earnings. Here's what the week has in store.
| Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO ) | April 16 | $11.0 billion | $0.45 |
| Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ ) | April 16 | $17.5 billion | $1.40 |
| Google (NASDAQ: GOOG ) | April 18 | $14.2 billion | $10.69 |
| Intuitive Surgical (NASDAQ: ISRG ) | April 18 | $583 million | $3.99 |
Source: E*Trade.
Coca-Cola and Johnson & Johnson are both in the portfolio to act primarily as anchors, offering stability in a portfolio that otherwise has stocks that can be quite volatile.
I'll be looking to see how two different aspects of these reports play out. Recent evidence has pointed to the popularity of energy drinks over soda lately, and I'm curious to see if analysts have any questions for the company on expanding its line of energy drinks or even acquiring others -- like Monster Beverage. And though Johnson & Johnson has had a tough time in the consumer health products division, its pharmaceutical business has been carrying more than its fair share of the revenue load.
When it comes to Intuitive Surgical, I think I'll actually be just as interested in the conference call as the numbers released. The last couple of weeks have seen several sources call into question the necessity of the daVinci Surgical system in helping perform hysterectomies.
Though any effect from these announcements probably won't show up in results for the quarter, I'm very interested to see what management has to say about these developments.
Finally, with Google, I'm simply expecting more of the same. Earnings might miss, as I don't think CEO Larry Page is done spending money to invest in the future, but I think revenues should continue to increase likely. And while many analysts will be focused on cost-per-click numbers, I'm more concerned with the total number of advertising clicks Google's AdSense program generates.
Dig deeper on this one
As I stated above, some investors have recently questioned Intuitive Surgical's future. However, Intuitive Surgical expert Karl Thiel believes a visible path to long-term growth persists. Will Intuitive capitalize or be crushed by unforeseen pitfalls? His report highlights all of the key opportunities and risks facing the company -- and includes a full year of ongoing updates as key new hits -- so be sure to claim your copy by clicking here now.
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