After a brief hiatus, I’m happy to say I’m back and excited to start my monthly stock pick again. Those of you who follow my picks will know not to expect excitement, “hot” picks, or “buy now” suggestions. Nope. I’m all about trying to keep things simple by looking at a few key financial indicators and choosing a really safe stock that will let you sleep well at night.
This month is about diversity. My pick is General Mills, Inc (NYSE: GIS). The company is trading 30% below the 52-week high which represents a considerable sale on a solid company. The P/E is 14.78 which isn’t as low as some S&P 100 companies but nothing to turn up your nose at. The EPS is, admittedly, a little lower than many stocks I follow at 2.88. The stock is currently paying a dividend of 4.6% which is the name of the game for dividend investors. Basically, this stock offers a nice combination of dividend income at an attractive price. General Mills wasn’t the top-ranked stock this month (that honor was shared by IBM and Laurentian Bank of Canada) but it’s a huge company that is different from everything else in the portfolio and it’s currently on sale. Both IBM and Laurentian would make fine choices I might add.