It is time to focus on ending the year with strength! In that vein, I offer my 15 recommended stocks for the last 3 months of 2017. I cannot list the worst stocks, as there are too many of those to itemize. I can at least list the 15 recommended stocks that will give you a good basis for the last three months of 2017.
Many sites do all year lists, but I am only committing to this list for the last three months. There is a great reason for this. It is almost impossible to predict the market farther out than 3-6 month. In fact, it is quite possible for the market to do a massive correction and even this list would be a fallacy. There is always some risk with any investment and you are encouraged to read this site’s disclaimer before acting on this list.
I would expect all of these companies to maintain their status as Good Companies on my Watch List. I would not expect all of them to make a top 15 recommended stocks list at the beginning of 2018. Some of them will grow a bit slower than I expect, and a couple of the 15 recommended stocks are probably going to lose money. As Peter Lynch famously said:
“In this business if you’re good, you’re right six times out of ten. You’re never going to be right nine times out of ten.”
By Peter’s standards, I hope to be right on this list with 12 of these picks but Peter says I should be happy with 9. I don’t expect all 15 recommended stocks to be massive growth stocks in the year. I also think the list is successful if the list of 15 beats the S&P 500 and the Dow30. In January, I plan to publish a list for the first quarter of the year.
All of the stocks on this list are rated as Good Companies using the method that I describe in my book The Confident Investor. You can purchase my book wherever books are sold such as Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Books A Million. It is available in e-book formats for Nook, Kindle, and iPad.
The 15 recommended stocks were chosen from Good Companies on my Watch List. This means we already know they are fairly well managed and have a history of solid growth. While all of the stocks on the Watch List are Good Companies, these 15 recommended stocks seem to be the most well set up for aggressive growth in the last quarter of 2017.
The 15 recommended stocks for the last quarter of 2017 also performed very well over the past year and the past 3 years. As I have written before, the past is not a perfect indicator of the future, but it is probably the best indicator that we have to use.
I didn’t try to make this list of 15 recommended stocks to be a balanced portfolio covering multiple industries. I am happy to report that it isn’t terribly unbalanced. The reality is that if you plan to rebalance your portfolio every 3 months, then you really do not have to worry too much about industry balance.
If you want a more balanced portfolio, you should have approximately 30% of your portfolio invested in index funds. These funds should be divided by large and small-cap funds, an index bond fund, and an index international fund. This would help to balance your portfolio.
You could also look at the Watch List of stocks. These stocks have shown that they are well-run companies. If you are concerned about a balanced portfolio, I suggest that you compliment the 15 recommended stocks with a couple stocks from the Watch List.
The list of 15 recommended stocks for the last quarter of 2017
The list of 15 recommended stocks for the first quarter of 2016 sorted alphabetically by stock symbol are:
- Apple, Inc. [stckqut]AAPL[/stckqut]
- ABIOMED, Inc. [stckqut]ABMD[/stckqut]
- Align Technology, Inc. [stckqut]ALGN[/stckqut]
- Applied Materials, Inc. [stckqut]AMAT[/stckqut]
- Alibaba Group Holding Ltd [stckqut]BABA[/stckqut]
- Cavco Industries, Inc. [stckqut]CVCO[/stckqut]
- Domino’s Pizza, Inc. [stckqut]DPZ[/stckqut]
- Facebook Inc [stckqut]FB[/stckqut]
- Gray Television, Inc. [stckqut]GTN[/stckqut]
- Heska Corp [stckqut]HSKA[/stckqut]
- Netflix, Inc. [stckqut]NFLX[/stckqut]
- NVIDIA Corporation [stckqut]NVDA[/stckqut]
- Priceline Group Inc [stckqut]PCLN[/stckqut]
- Constellation Brands, Inc. [stckqut]STZ[/stckqut]
- Trinity Industries Inc [stckqut]TRN[/stckqut]
If you want to know a bit more about the companies that comprise the 15 recommended stocks for the first quarter of 2016, you can read below. The descriptions primarily came from the short paragraph descriptions about the company found on Google Finance. https://www.google.com/finance. The stock price charts also came from Google Finance. You can also click on a company name on the right side of this site, under the heading of Most Reviewed Companies (you may need to scroll down) as most of the companies on this list have been reviewed here several times.
- Apple Inc.
- Apple Inc. (Apple) designs, manufactures, and markets mobile communication and media devices, personal computers, and portable digital music players, and a variety of related software, services, peripherals, networking solutions, and third-party digital content and applications. The Company’s products and services include iPhone, iPad, Mac, iPod, Apple TV, a portfolio of consumer and professional software applications, the iOS and OS X operating systems, iCloud, and a variety of accessory, service and support offerings. The Company also delivers digital content and applications through the iTunes Store, App StoreSM, iBookstoreSM, and Mac App Store. The Company distributes its products worldwide through its retail stores, online stores, and direct sales force, as well as through third-party cellular network carriers, wholesalers, retailers, and value-added resellers. In February 2012, the Company acquired app-search engine Chomp.
- ABIOMED, Inc.
- Abiomed, Inc. is a provider of temporary percutaneous mechanical circulatory support devices. The Company offers care to heart failure patients. The Company’s products include Impella 2.5, a percutaneous micro heart pump with an integrated motor and sensors; Impella CP, which is primarily used by either interventional cardiologists to support patients in the catheter lab or by surgeons in the heart surgery suite; Impella 5.0 and Impella LD, a percutaneous micro heart pumps with integrated motors and sensors for use primarily in the heart surgery suite; Impella RP, a percutaneous catheter-based axial flow pump that is designed to allow greater than four liters of flow per minute; AB5000, a circulatory support system for the temporary support of acute heart failure patients in profound shock, and Symphony, a minimally invasive implantable cardiac assist device.
- Align Technology, Inc.
- Align Technology, Inc. designs, manufactures and markets a system of clear aligner therapy, intra-oral scanners and computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) digital services used in dentistry, orthodontics, and dental records storage. The Company operates through two segments: Clear Aligner segment and Scanner and Services (Scanner) segment. The Clear Aligner segment consists of its Invisalign System, which includes Invisalign Full, Express/Lite, Teen, Assist and Vivera Retainers, along with its training and ancillary products for treating malocclusion. The Scanner segment consists of intra-oral scanning systems and other services available with the intra-oral scanners that provide digital alternatives to the traditional cast models. The Company’s iTero scanner is used by dental professionals, and labs and services for restorative and orthodontic digital procedures, as well as Invisalign digital impression submission.
- Applied Materials, Inc.
- Applied Materials, Inc. provides manufacturing equipment, services, and software to the global semiconductor, display and related industries. The Company’s segments are Semiconductor Systems, which includes semiconductor capital equipment for etch, rapid thermal processing, deposition, chemical mechanical planarization, metrology and inspection, wafer packaging, and ion implantation; Applied Global Services, which provides integrated solutions to optimize equipment and fab performance and productivity; Display and Adjacent Markets, which includes products for manufacturing liquid crystal displays, organic light-emitting diodes, upgrades and roll-to-roll Web coating systems and other display technologies for televisions, personal computers, smartphones and other consumer-oriented devices, and Corporate and Other segment, which includes revenues from products, as well as costs of products sold for fabricating solar photovoltaic cells and modules, and certain operating expenses.
- Alibaba Group Holding Ltd
- Alibaba Group Holding Limited is a holding company. Through its subsidiaries, the Company is engaged in online and mobile commerce through the offering of products, services, and technology that enable merchants, brands and other businesses to transform the way they market, sell and operate in the People’s Republic of China (China) and internationally. Its businesses consist of core commerce, cloud computing, mobile media and entertainment, and other innovation initiatives. Through investee affiliates, it also participates in the logistics and local services sectors. Retail commerce in China operated by the Company includes the China online commerce destination (Taobao Marketplace); the China third-party platform for brands and retailers (Tmall), and the sales and marketing platform for flash sales (Juhuasuan). Wholesale commerce in China operated by the Company includes the China domestic wholesale marketplace (1688.com) and the wholesale marketplace for global trade (Alibaba.com).
- Cavco Industries, Inc.
- Cavco Industries, Inc. designs and produces factory-built homes. The Company operates through two segments: factory-built housing, which includes wholesale and retail systems-built housing operations, and financial services, which includes manufactured housing consumer finance and insurance. Its factory-built homes are primarily distributed through a network of independent and the Company-owned retailers, planned community operators, and residential developers. It markets its products under the brands, including Cavco Homes, Fleetwood Homes, Palm Harbor Homes, Fairmont Homes and Chariot Eagle. It is also a builder of park-model recreational vehicle (RVs), vacation cabins and systems-built commercial structures, as well as modular homes built primarily under the Nationwide Homes brand. It also produces a range of Cape Cod-style homes and multi-family units and builds commercial modular structures, including apartment buildings, schools and housing for the United States military troops.
- Domino’s Pizza, Inc.
- Domino’s Pizza, Inc. is a pizza restaurant chain. The Company operates pizza stores at 12,500 locations in over 80 markets. It operates through three segments: domestic stores, international franchise, and supply chain. Its Domestic Stores segment consists primarily of its franchise operations, through which it operates a network of over 4,820 franchised stores located in the United States. Its International Franchise segment consists of a network of franchised stores in approximately 80 international markets. Its supply chain segment operates approximately 20 regional dough manufacturing and food supply chain centers in the United States; a thin crust manufacturing center; a vegetable processing center, and a center providing equipment and supplies to certain of its domestic and international stores. Its basic menu features pizza products in various sizes and crust types. Its stores also offer oven-baked sandwiches, pasta, bread side items, desserts and soft drink products.
- Facebook Inc
- Facebook, Inc. is focused on building products that enable people to connect and share through mobile devices, personal computers, and other surfaces. The Company’s products include Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, WhatsApp, and Oculus. Facebook enables people to connect, share, discover and communicate with each other on mobile devices and personal computers. Instagram enables people to take photos or videos, customize them with filter effects, and share them with friends and followers in a photo feed or send them directly to friends. Messenger allows communicating with people and businesses alike across a range of platforms and devices. WhatsApp Messenger is a messaging application that is used by people around the world and is available on a range of mobile platforms. Its Oculus virtual reality technology and content platform offers products that allow people to enter an interactive environment to play games, consume content and connect with others.
- Gray Television, Inc.
- Gray Television, Inc. is a television broadcast company. The Company owns and operates television stations and digital assets in various markets across the United States. As of February 21, 2017, the Company owned and/or operated television stations in 54 television markets broadcasting over 200 separate programming streams, including 37 affiliates of the CBS Network (CBS), 29 affiliates of the NBC Network (NBC), 20 affiliates of the ABC Network (ABC) and 15 affiliates of the FOX Network (FOX). In addition to a primary broadcast channel, each of its stations can also broadcast additional secondary digital channels within a market by utilizing the same bandwidth, but with different programming from the primary channel. The Company also broadcasts local news/weather channels in certain of its existing markets. Along with affiliations with ABC, CBS and FOX, the Company’s secondary channels are affiliated with various smaller networks and program services.
- Heska Corp
- Heska Corporation develops, manufactures, markets, sells, and supports veterinary products. The Company focuses on the canine and feline companion animal health markets. Its segments include Core Companion Animal Health segment, which includes, primarily for canine and feline use, blood testing instruments and supplies, digital imaging products, software and services, and single-use products and services, such as heartworm diagnostic tests, heartworm preventive products, allergy immunotherapy products and allergy testing, and Other Vaccines, Pharmaceuticals and Products segment, which includes private label vaccine and pharmaceutical production, primarily for cattle but also for other animals, including small mammals. It offers blood testing instruments and supplies, digital imaging products, software and services, and single-use products and services, such as in-clinic heartworm diagnostic tests, heartworm preventive products, allergy immunotherapy products and allergy testing.
- Netflix, Inc.
- Netflix, Inc. is a provider an Internet television network. The Company operates through three segments: Domestic streaming, International streaming, and Domestic DVD. The Domestic streaming segment includes services that streams content to its members in the United States. The International streaming segment includes services that streams content to its members outside the United States. The Domestic DVD segment includes services, such as digital optical disc (DVD)-by-mail. The Company’s members can watch original series, documentaries, feature films, as well as television shows and movies directly on their Internet-connected screen, televisions, computers and mobile devices. It offers its streaming services both domestically and internationally. In the United States, its members can receive DVDs delivered to their homes. The Company had members streaming in over 190 countries, as of December 31, 2016.
- NVIDIA Corporation
- NVIDIA Corporation (NVIDIA) is engaged in visual computing. The Company operates through segments, including GPU and Tegra Processor. Its GPU businesses include GeForce for personal computer (PC) gaming; Quadro for design professionals working in computer-aided design, video editing, special effects and other creative applications; Tesla for deep learning and accelerated computing, leveraging the parallel computing capabilities of graphics processing units (GPUs) for general purpose computing, and GRID to provide the power of NVIDIA graphics through the cloud and data centers. The Company’s Tegra processors are primarily designed to enable its branded platforms: DRIVE and SHIELD. Tegra is also sold to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) for devices. DRIVE automotive computers provide supercomputing capabilities to make driving safer. SHIELD consists of a family of devices designed to harness the power of mobile-cloud to revolutionize gaming.
- Priceline Group Inc
- The Priceline Group Inc. is a provider of travel and restaurant online reservation and related services. The Company, through its online travel companies (OTCs), connects consumers wishing to make travel reservations with providers of travel services across the world. It offers consumers an array of accommodation reservations (including hotels, bed and breakfasts, hostels, apartments, vacation rentals and other properties) through its Booking.com, priceline.com and agoda.com brands. Its other brands include KAYAK, Rentalcars.com and OpenTable, Inc. (OpenTable). As of December 31, 2016, Booking.com offered accommodation reservation services for over 1,115,000 properties in over 220 countries and territories on its various Web sites and in over 40 languages, which included over 568,000 vacation rental properties (updated property counts were available on the Booking.com Website).
- Constellation Brands, Inc.
- Constellation Brands, Inc. is an international beverage alcohol company. The Company’s operating segments include Beer, Wine and Spirits and Corporate Operations and Other. The Company’s wine portfolio is complemented by select spirits brands and other select beverage alcohol products. It is a multi-category supplier (beer, wine, and spirits) of beverage alcohol in the United States. The Company’s customers include wholesale distributors, retailers, on-premise locations and government alcohol beverage control agencies. In the United States, the Company operates 19 wineries using varieties of grapes grown in the Napa, Sonoma, Monterey and San Joaquin regions of California. It also operates eight wineries in Canada, four wineries in New Zealand and five wineries in Italy. The Company’s Canadian whisky requirements are produced and aged at its Canadian distillery in Lethbridge, Alberta.
- Trinity Industries Inc
- Trinity Industries, Inc. is a diversified industrial company that owns businesses providing products and services to the energy, chemical, agriculture, transportation, and construction sectors. The Company’s products and services include railcars and railcar parts; parts and steel components; the leasing, management, and maintenance of railcars; highway products; construction aggregates; inland barges; structural wind towers; steel utility structures; storage and distribution containers, and trench shields and shoring products. The Company’s segments include the Rail Group, Construction Products Group, Inland Barge Group, Energy Equipment Group, Railcar Leasing and Management Services Group, and All Other. Its All Other segment includes its captive insurance and transportation companies, and other peripheral businesses. It manufactures a line of railcars, including autorack cars, boxcars, covered hopper cars, gondola cars, intermodal cars, open hopper cars and tank cars.
My typical disclaimer says that I may or may not have a holding of the stocks discussed in this article. This would be a bit misleading for this particular article. You can assume that I am currently invested in every one of these stocks at the time of this writing.
The glass globe image at the top of this article is courtesy of suphakit73 at FreeDigitalPhotos.net