Monday, January 08, 2007

Sold Telecom NZ

I sold all my shares in Telecom NZ. I've owned this stock since 2000 when they took over AAPT - an Australian telecom start-up which I bought at the IPO. I've bought in and out over time, so this final sale registered a loss for tax purposes. The stock fell sharply in mid-2006 after the New Zealand government tightened the regulatory regime to encourage more competition. The stock price has recovered since then, but the high dividend yield has been cut and the company is struggling to gain traction IMO. Neither the company nor analysts are forecasting any earnings growth. The five analysts who track the company each have a different opinion ranging from strong buy to strong sell! The bottom line was I asked myself if this investment will return more than the margin loan interest I am paying to maintain it and my answer was no. I hold very few individual stocks of non-financial companies. After selling this, my remaining such investments are: Powertel, Ansell, Symbion, and Croesus Mining. I don't believe I have any edge in choosing these investments. But, occasionally there are situations which look favorable to me and turn out well and sometimes very badly.

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