Welcome to the August update of Plan 5 Picks. The market has seen its ups and downs over the past month, but Plan 5 has mostly good news for us this time around. Here’s how Plan 5 Monthly performed in July:
Plan 5 Monthly: July 2015 Results
| Jul 1 Open | Jul 31 Close | % Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| II-VI (IIVI) | 19.18 | 17.00 | -11.37% |
| Interactive Brokers Group (IBKR) | 41.98 | 40.15 | -4.36% |
| Post Holdings (POST) | 54.27 | 53.74 | -0.98% |
| Valeant Pharmaceuticals International (VRX) | 224.99 | 257.53 | +14.46% |
| WisdomTree Investments (WETF) | 22.40 | 24.90 | +11.16% |
| Plan 5 Monthly: July 2015 | +1.78% | ||
| S&P 500 | 2067 | 2103.84 | +1.78% |
Three of July’s five picks went down, with II-IV losing 11.37%. Fortunately this was more than offset by gains from WisdomTree Investments and Valeant Pharmaceuticals. At 1.78% growth for the month, Plan 5 Monthly exactly matched the performance of the S&P 500.
Three of August’s picks are new – each of July’s losers are being replaced. This is the debut appearance in Plan 5 for Amazon.com and Criteo, while Netflix is making a return to the list. Here’s the latest set of picks:
Plan 5 Monthly: August 2015 Picks
| Company | Symbol |
|---|---|
| Amazon.com | AMZN |
| Criteo | CRTO |
| Netflix | NFLX |
| Valeant Pharmaceuticals | VRX |
| WisdomTree Investments | WETF |
If you’re following along with Plan 5 Monthly, it’s time to rebalance your portfolio. 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: May 2015 – July 2015 Results
| May 1 Open | Jul 31 Close | % Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interactive Brokers Group (IBKR) | 34.04 | 40.15 | +17.95% |
| Ulta Salon, Cosmetics & Fragrance (ULTA) | 150.41 | 166.03 | +10.38% |
| Valeant Pharmaceuticals International (VRX) | 217.33 | 257.53 | +18.5% |
| WisdomTree Investments (WETF) | 18.83 | 24.90 | +32.24% |
| XPO Logistics (XPO) | 48.74 | 43.35 | -11.06% |
| Plan 5 Quarterly: May – July 2015 | +13.6% | ||
| S&P 500 | 2087.38 | 2103.84 | +0.79% |
Stellar results for this round of Plan 5 Quarterly. WisdomTree Investments led the pack with a gain of 32.24%, followed by several other strong performers. The only loss comes from XPO Logistics, at -11.06%. The total gain for Plan 5 Quarterly from May through July has been 13.6%, far outpacing the S&P 500’s 0.79% growth.
Here’s the new set of Plan 5 Quarterly picks:
Plan 5 Quarterly: August 2015 Picks
| Company | Symbol |
|---|---|
| Amazon.com | AMZN |
| Netflix | NFLX |
| Valeant Pharmaceuticals | VRX |
| WisdomTree Investments | WETF |
| Xoom | XOOM |
As with Plan 5 Monthly, there are three new picks for this period of Plan 5 Quarterly, with Valeant Pharmaceuticals and WisdomTree Investments staying on the list while Amazon.com, Netflix and money transfer provider Xoom take the remaining three spots.
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 August with the latest picks.
Thrive!
Mike Ferrier