Happy Birthday to Me! Guess Who's 5?

Hello Friends!  Thanks so much for stopping by and visiting my blog, Stock Picks Bob's Advice!  As always, please remember that I am an amateur investor, so please remember to consult with your professional investment advisers prior to making any investment decisions based on information on this website.

It is hard to believe that I am now five years old here on this blog.  In fact, I wanted to share this button with you!

On May 12, 2003, I wrote this entry:

"May 12, 2003

St Jude Medical

Posted by bobsadviceforstocks at 6:01 PM CDT"

And the rest as they say is history.

By the way, St Jude closed 5/16/08 at $40.64.  Adjusted for a 2:1 stock split November 23, 2004, my pick price was $55.30/2 = $27.65, thus this stock pick had a gain of $12.99 or 47.0% since posting.

So how do I still think about this stock?  Well, let's check a few of the usual things I like to examine...but let's do this briefly :).

On April 18, 2008, STJ reported a solid 1st quarter 2008 report. They beat expectations and raised guidance.  Perfect!  Their 5-Yr Restated Financials on Morningstar are still gorgeous.

Finally, even the 'point & figure' chart from StockCharts.com looks solid when we take a long-term view that goes back to before 2003.

And NO, I don't own any shares or options on this stock.  But it is still a great holding for this blog don't you think?

Thus,

ST JUDE (STJ) IS RATED A BUY 

So now with 1,813 entries (!), and passing 200,000 visitors total, my blog is starting to show its age maybe just a little :).  This is still a 'one-man' amateur operation and I get only 157 visitors daily...but thanks to all of you who make the trek and visit.  You all are welcome to a piece of the birthday cake and maybe a party favor or two.

Here's to another five years of blogging!

Yours in investing,

Bob