Missing the Boat

One of the first stocks I researched happened to be the company that originally owned the store I work in. Since they had sold my company off I decided not to buy, but since the owners of my franchise happened to also own another store that was involved in the company, I set up some news alerts just to keep abreast of how they were doing.

The other day my inbox started buzzing. The trading volume on this stock was insane! I loaded a live chart of the action and watched the price of the stock climb higher as new 52-week highs were reached. This stock that originally traded for around $13 in March at their 52-week low was now selling for over $20 a share and going higher!

By the time it was done the company in question had been bought out by another company at over $32 a share. If I had purchased 100 shares of this company at its 52-week low, I would have netted a $1,900 profit.

But I missed the boat.

So what have I learned so far with these two experiences? I’ve learned to always wait to make sure that a stock has bottomed in price before investing. I’ve learned that, while cutting dividends to pay down debt or grow a company may be a good thing that investors don’t agree and the price drops drastically as a result.

I have learned the value of patience and research.

I’ve also learned that I am on the right track. I can invest in dividend-producing companies at their 52-week lows (after checking into why the stock dropped to make sure it is a good investment), hold onto the stock until it reaches a new 52-week high then sell at a profit, receiving dividends while I wait.

I’ve also learned that there is an odd chance that I might get very lucky and make a mint like the one I lost out on. I’m not going to count on that, however. Stumbling upon a coup like that is kinda like winning the lottery, in my opinion.

I’m finally starting to form a game plan. The proof will be in the pudding, however. It will take about a year before I learn if this method will work or not.

I can wait.