Best Stocks Recap: Energy Transfer Equity Still a Pipeline of Profits

The following is an excerpt of a piece originally posted on InvestorPlace. You can read the full article here.

It’s bad form to gloat. Apart from making you insufferable to be around at parties, you’re temping fate… and inviting a reversal of fortune.

That said, I’m going to risk it and toot my own horn here for a moment. I’ve had a good string of successes in InvestorPlace’s annual Best Stocks contest. I took the top prize in 2011, the very first year of the contest, when my pick – credit card behemoth Visa (V) – racked up a 34% return. I followed that up in 2012 with a strong performance by Turkish mobile operator Turkcell (TKC), just barely missing the top slot with a 37% return. And I reclaimed my crown in 2013 when German luxury automaker Daimler (DDAIF) rolled to victory with a 65% return.

Alas, you can’t win them all. My 2014 pick, South African mobile operator MTN Group (MTNOY) finished in last place, losing 6%. And my 2015 pick, business development company Prospect Capital (PSEC) finished in the middle of the pack, losing a modest 4%.

Well, in 2016, I got my groove back, winning InvestorPlace’s Best Stock for 2016 contest with a 55% return in Energy Transfer Equity (ETE). Over the six years of the contest, my picks have returned an average of 30%. Not too shabby. Taking the top spot in 3 out of 6 years and coming in a close second in a fourth… I’ll take that!

In 2017, I chose General Motors (GM), which is thus far off to a respectable start (see General Motors Will Roll to Victory). May the best stock win!

You can read the full article here.

Note: the returns reported here are reported by InvestorPlace for its annual Best Stocks contest and based on closing prices at year end. Results are not based on an actual traded portfolio but on the written recommendations of the contest participants. As always, past performance is no guarantee of future results.