It’s been a healthy month for the market, and the same goes for Plan 5. Here’s how Plan 5 Monthly performed in April:
Plan 5 Monthly: April 2015 Results
| Apr 1 Open | Apr 30 Close | % Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sierra Wireless (SWIR) | 33.01 | 35.14 | +6.45% |
| Ulta Salon, Cosmetics & Fragrance (ULTA) | 150.89 | 151.09 | +0.13% |
| Valeant Pharmaceuticals International (VRX) | 198.33 | 216.93 | +9.38% |
| WisdomTree Investments (WETF) | 21.45 | 19.04 | -11.24% |
| XPO Logistics (XPO) | 45.50 | 48.50 | +6.59% |
| Plan 5 Monthly: April 2015 | +2.26% | ||
| S&P 500 | 2067.63 | 2085.51 | +0.86% |
Each of the month’s picks other than WisdomTree Investments saw a gain; unfortunately WisdomTree’s loss was steep enough to drag down the average. At 2.26% growth for the month, Plan 5 Monthly still beat the S&P 500’s 0.86% gain, however.
Here’s a first – not a single new pick this month. All of last month’s picks carry over. Here’s the latest set of picks, the same as last month’s:
Plan 5 Monthly: May 2015 Picks
| Company | Symbol |
|---|---|
| Sierra Wireless | SWIR |
| Ulta Salon | ULTA |
| Valeant Pharmaceuticals | VRX |
| WisdomTree Investments | WETF |
| XPO Logistics | XPO |
If you’re following along with Plan 5 Monthly, it’s time to rebalance your portfolio. Wait, why do we need to buy or sell anything if the new picks are the same as the old picks? It would be nice to sit back and let those trading commissions stay in our pocket. But alas, each of those picks did change value over the course of April, so in order to follow Plan 5, they will need to be rebalanced. An easy way to do that is to use the online Balance Calculator. If you’re new to Plan 5 or would like to read more about rebalancing a Plan 5 portfolio, check out this comprehensive guide to the process.
If you’re following Plan 5 Quarterly, it will also be time to rebalance your portfolio this month. But first let’s take a look at how Plan 5 Quarterly has performed with its last set of picks over the past three months.
Plan 5 Quarterly: February 2015 – April 2015 Results
| Feb 2 Open | Apr 30 Close | % Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Beer Co. (SAM) | 313.55 | 247.80 | -20.97% |
| Sierra Wireless (SWIR) | 36.98 | 35.14 | -4.98% |
| Ulta Salon, Cosmetics & Fragrance (ULTA) | 132.08 | 151.09 | +14.39% |
| WisdomTree Investments (WETF) | 17.54 | 19.04 | +8.55% |
| XPO Logistics (XPO) | 36.79 | 48.50 | +31.83% |
| Plan 5 Quarterly: Feb – Apr 2015 | +5.77% | ||
| S&P 500 | 1996.67 | 2085.51 | +4.45% |
It was off to a strong start back in February, but then some lower-than-expected quarterly earnings resulted in Boston Beer’s value plummeting. Sierra Wireless also lost some during this period. The other three picks had a strong showing, however, and brought the total gain for Plan 5 Quarterly to 5.77%, modestly outperforming the S&P 500’s 4.45% gain.
Here’s the new set of Plan 5 Quarterly picks:
Plan 5 Quarterly: May 2015 Picks
| Company | Symbol |
|---|---|
| Interactive Brokers Group | IBKR |
| Ulta Salon | ULTA |
| Valeant Pharmaceuticals | VRX |
| WisdomTree Investments | WETF |
| XPO Logistics | XPO |
There are two new picks for this period, with Interactive Brokers Group and Valeant Pharmaceuticals replacing Boston Beer and Sierra Wireless.
Again, followers of Plan 5 Quarterly will want to rebalance your portfolios. The online Balance Calculator and the step-by-step guide are useful resources for helping with this.
Finally, here’s a look at overall Plan 5 performance so far, since its inception:
That’s all for this month. I’ll be back at the end of May with the latest picks.
Thrive!
Mike Ferrier