In my strategy I’ve ruled selling stocks as a mistake done in the past. It’s time to kick myself since today I decided to close my position on Baxter International (NYSE:BAX) and Baxalta Inc. (NYSE:BXLT). This wasn’t an easy decision to make taking into account my general rule about selling. It was however motivated by two factors: slightly unexpected dividend policy going forward and the take-out offer Shire Plc (NASDAQ:SHPG) made for Baxalta today. These two provided what I consider a decent exit point when keeping in mind that my cost basis wasn’t particularly cheap.
In summary: sold 35 shares of Baxter International for 40,91 USD per share and 35 shares of Baxalta Incorporated for 38,25 USD per share. Original cost basis for Baxter position (Baxalta being a recent Baxter spin-off) was 71,57 USD per share which translates into a modest profit of 265 USD not including the dividends received during the ownership.