Chubb - Time To Buy Written By: David Neubert 2007-09-19 11:20:36 Chubb (CB - $52.95) has been dead money for the last two years. I think it's the best managed of the insurers. But I usually wait for some kind of disaster to push the market down before I buy a property and casualty insurer. People hate this sector right now because property and casualty rates have been falling after the big runup after Katrina. Now we've gone a couple years without a huge disaster and prices are really coming down.
Many who watch the sector are worried that prices do not reflect the risk. They are right but the discount being applied to Chubb is just too much. It has a trailing p/e of only 8.7 right now. So I'm going to add a bit to my position in the next few days, maybe right after I write this. What is my risk? a big hurricane or earthquake. That's true and I really hope that doesn't happen because it means people suffer - and some payouts for Chubb. But a disaster like that and claims for Chubb would also mean a return to higher insurance rates which would also be good for Chubb.
Disclosure: I own Chubb (CB). Chubb is my property insurer for my New York Condo. I think I pay too much but since they have a reputation for paying claims quickly and without fighting much I'll stick with them.
Claymore Securities and KLD Launch Sudan Free ETF (KSF) Written By: David Neubert 2007-06-25 11:59:48 Claymore Securities launched the Claymore/KLD Sudan Free Large-Cap Core ETF (KSF - $25.00) today. The Claymore/KLD Sudan Free Large-Cap Core ETF tracks the KLD Large Cap Sudan Free SocialSM Index, which, according the KLD/Claymore press release, is the first socially responsible index tied to the issue of Sudan divestment.
I quickly ran across some oil companies that I own or follow. I found that, even though my ownership choices of integrated oil and energy companies is mostly determined by their relative futures prospects current valuations compared to expected future valuations, these choices matched nicely with more cooperative companies.
Conagra (CAG) 2007 Shareholder Meeting - How I Vote My Proxy Written By: David Neubert 2007-08-21 11:13:10 On my way back from the Berkshire Hathaway shareholder meeting, I stopped at the Chef Boy Ardee plant in Milton, PA which is owned by Conagra (CAG - $25.66). I bought Conagra as a value play a couple years ago. The stock has not moved much in that time. I collected a nice fat dividend early on that went down. Needless to say, this pick is not one of my best. I continue to hold Conagra. And now I'm voting my proxy. The main issues: executive compensation and treatment of chickens.
Consumer Products Shopping Spree Inspired By Russell Rebalance Written By: David Neubert 2008-06-27 16:10:44 Photo: Alexsandro Alves, Creative Commons, Flickr
The market was selling off today, which hit consumer stocks. Added to that was the fact that the Russell Index Rebalancing that occurred today tends to push down the stocks of companies that have been engaging in buybacks.
So what's a greedy trader to do? Since, I don't like shopping in stores, I went shopping in the market.
Here's what I bought:
