Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Sue Bradford strikes out (Again)


The comely Ms Bradford, in her element.



Given that the repeal of section 59 has been voted down by over 350,000 voters(almost 3 times more people that voted for Bradford's Green Party) in the petition for a referendum to allow good parents to discipline their children, in an appropriate way, and it will be held during the 2008 Election ,it is time for the latest Stan Blanch cartoon.

Stan can be quite a vicious bastard, at times extremely pithy, but he is often on the money and at at times much more, than mainstream political cartoonists.

c Political Animal 2008

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

Why did you buy that stock? [Fisher and Paykel Healthcare]

Considering I took my own advice yesterday to add to my portfolio stocks I already own when they have been beaten down in price I thought I would add Fisher & Paykel Healthcare[FPH.NZ] to this latest in the series of Why did you buy that stock? I am particularly bullish about this stock for a number of reasons.


Why did you buy that stock?

Why did you buy that stock? [Fletcher Building Ltd]
Why did you buy that stock? [Freightways Ltd]
Why did you buy that stock? [Kiwi Income Property Trust]
Why did you buy that stock? [Hallenstein Glasson]
Why did you buy that stock? [Briscoe Group]
Why did you buy that stock?[Pumpkin Patch Ltd]
Why did you buy that stock? [Ryman Healthcare]
Why did you buy that stock? [Michael Hill International]
Why did you buy that stock? [Mainfreight]
Why did you buy that stock? [The Warehouse Group]
Why did you buy that stock? [Goodman Fielder]
Why did you buy that stock? [Auckland Airport]
Why did you buy that stock? [Sky City Entertainment]

As far as long term possibilities for good sustainable growth (PDF) I would pick this stock to do better than anything else listed on the NZX with the possible exception of Pumpkin Patch Ltd [PPL.NZ] .

The outstanding reason, above all else, why I bought this company is the economic moat that management have carefully built for it over many years. Fisher & Paykel have delivered this moat by spending a large proportion of funds on research and development to keep products like their specialist sleep apnoea technology and other breathing apparatus at the cutting edge and as a result streaks ahead of their competition.

Management have built a solid reputation around the worldwide health care community, especially in the United States, for supplying reliable, easily updated and unique, world beating innovations in health care and hospital buyers around the world automatically think FHP first when they think of breathing products to buy. The amount spent on R & D is important for company future and will help retain that economic moat, where other companies struggle to compete with FPH's products.

Closely related to the ability of the company to build such a strong economic moat, the number two reason for me to buy this stock is the quality of the management.

CEO Michael Daniell and his team have led a company that has maintained excellent revenue growth (DOC) over the years and their focus on management of roll outs of new products and the marketing and selling to clients at health care provider level have been one of the keys to FPH's long term success and will clearly be of importance going forward.

As noted by me already the priority for the company placed upon research and development show that management have grasped the essence of what their company is and how they will maintain their enviable position at the top of their field among their peers. Sadly many New Zealand company managers lose sight of what is important to their company and flounder as a result. Their sister company Fisher and Paykel Appliances[FPA.NZ] could learn a thing or two from them.

Many investors might think that all this innovative,fast changing technology makes for a company that is hard to understand. Well, not really. The company's products may be a little difficult for the lay person to fully comprehend but the main thing the company does is look after people's health care needs in the specific fields that their products specialize in. Nothing Mensa like about that and it is because of this relative simplicity that I plunked down some hard earned shekels.

Personally I like to get involved in the companies that I invest in, in one way or another. For example I own shares in The Warehouse Group[WHS.NZ] and shop there whenever I can, it would be crazy not to because it puts money in my pocket when I do.

With Fisher & Paykel Health I'm quite excited about their disruptive sleep apnoea products. They are especially world leading and it is a fast growing market because of snoring problems caused by overweight and obese patients.

Its latest sleep apnoea product has been given FDA approval to be used in a home setting.

The size of the Sleep apnoea market and the company's products excited me so much because it can help so many people with this condition, including yours truly-that could explain alot to my regular readers.

Having more than a financial interest in your investment
, according to some, could blind you to the financial fundamentals but it doesn't hurt, in my opinion, to have a passion or at least a cringing appreciation for what your company does to make its money.

As I always do in this regular series of columns, I ask myself, if after originally purchasing this share, and I have owned FPH for several years, would I still buy shares today? Well, I more than doubled my holding yesterday and am looking at a possible much larger purchase, probably about 20000 shares, if the price gets lower.

I am very happy with this company as part of my portfolio and see it as a stock I would never sell.


Fisher & Paykel Healthcare @ Share Investor

Fisher & Paykel Healthcare set for a healthy 2009 profit
Big Fisher & Paykel Healthcare share trades a curious tale
Drinking and Trading
Share Investor's 2008 stock picks
Fisher & Paykel: A tale of two companies
FPH downgrade masks good performance


Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Links

Financial data


Related Amazon reading

The Big Money: Seven Steps to Picking Great Stocks and Finding Financial Security
The Big Money: Seven Steps to Picking Great Stocks and Finding Financial Security by Frederick R. Kobrick
Buy new: $14.40 / Used from: $1.62
Usually ships in 24 hours


c Share Investor 2008








Monday, June 16, 2008

FAMILY FIRST PRESS RELEASE: Anti Smacking Referendum to go ahead

Sports and Field days Crowds Give Anti-Smacking Petition Huge Boost

Family First NZ says that the numbers of signatures on the petition against the anti-smacking law and demanding a Referendum at the upcoming Election has been hugely boosted by a number of large events over the past 2 weekends.

“Over 12,000 signatures have been collected at the two recent All Blacks tests, a Warriors game, the Waikato Field days, and other sporting and community events,” says Bob McCoskrie, National Director of Family First NZ.

“The signature count from the Fielddays alone was a whopping 8,700. It has certainly reinforced to us the strong feeling against this unpopular and ineffective law by typical NZ’ers who are attending these events. There is no shortage of people wanting to sign the petition.”

The organisers originally had a shortfall of 18,027 signatures after the audit of the original 324,216 signatures submitted in April. However, since then, more than 50,000 signatures have been collected. These will be submitted before the deadline of the end of the month.

“This confirms that a Referendum will be held on the anti-smacking law at the same time as the Election, it confirms that a huge proportion of NZ’ers want the law changed to protect good parents, and it sends a very clear and loud message to the politicians that they should listen to the views of the voters who will be making a choice at the upcoming Election.”

“It’s time to tackle the real causes of child abuse, violence and crime without criminalising the efforts of good parents raising productive and law-abiding citizens of the future,” says Mr McCoskrie.

“There is good reason that only 23 of the almost 200 countries have adopted this law. NZ can lead the world by being the first country to reverse this flawed law before its effects are fully felt by families and the community.”


Political Animal Note: Contrary to the rather loopy Sue Bradford, who has a representation of less than 120,000 Green voters, the more than 350,000 who voted against the repeal of section 59 are a huge number, perhaps one of the biggest petitions ever seen and unless there is more of the same skulduggery from Helen Clark and the feminist Junta in the Labour Party to stop it there will be a petition during the 2008 general election.

Well done McCoskrie and Family First, while I dont agree with everything the movement stands for Political Animal salutes you now.

Related Political Animal Reading

Sascha Cobern's letter to the Editor of the
NZ Herald

Anti-smacking petition a slap in the face for out of touch Politicians

Sign the Anti Anti smacking petition

Cindy Kiro gets violent

c Political Animal 2008