Earmarks of a keeper

Article Excerpt

After a market rise like the one we’ve had in the past few years, investors often wonder, “When should I sell?” The answer depends as much on the stocks you hold as on the market outlook. Some stocks are made to be traded. That includes many of the more speculative stocks we analyze in Stock Pickers Digest, our affiliated publication which focuses on riskier, more aggressive investments than we do here in Wall Street Stock Forecaster. United Technologies (see below) has more than doubled for us since we first recommended buying it in April 2000 (we called it a “dull industrial with exciting prospects”). That alone may spur some investors to sell. But United has many of the earmarks of a well-established company with great long-term potential — one that is worth hanging on to through a market setback. These earmarks include ownership of well-known brand names, plus an attractive growth record and sound balance sheet. It is in a position to profit…