Winner, Winner, Mexican Dinner.

OK, so you can have your Amazon, Facebook, Netflix, and Google (FANG) and we all have them, if you own an S&P 500 Index fund (which you should), they represent the top holdings and most of the gain you have had over the past 5 years.  That's great, and it's right in your face - or on your computer - whatever.  They're easy to spot.  The virtual low-hanging fruit.  Buy them, don't buy them - the market moves on them, and it's probably just best that we own an index fund and let it run on its own momentum - of which there is plenty.

The fun, and to me, the interesting part comes in finding the high-hanging fruit.  The companies that require a little effort and sometimes patience.  One of them is yesterday's Limelight Networks, which is up again today off of yesterday's great quarter.  Another is Mexican casual "fast-food" chain DelTaco Restaurants (TACO) which reported earnings today.  I waited with clenched teeth and sweaty palms, because the casual dining segment has been a mess. Some have prospered and others have failed.  The view here was that DelTaco is a growth story, and its growth continues.  The big "if" was the profits and earnings.  I'm happy to report...

That's a beautiful thing, coming from the restaurant group.  Eight-percent growth, meeting or exceeding earnings, and raising guidance.  The guidance is the key.  If they didn't raise guidance, the stock may have suffered, as investors were probably looking for an excuse to sell it and move on.  As it is, there is no reason to sell this, and there may even be a reason to buy more.  After hours today, the stock is up 29 cents to $13.10, which is basically where it has traded at the high end over the past month or three.   Let's see if Wall Street expresses confidence in them by driving the price up into the 14 to 15-dollar range.  That would show me something.  As for now, I'm a happy long, and I'll look forward to 2017 and 2018.  Maybe I'll get to eat at one of their restaurants?

As for the rest of the goings-on, Starbucks deserves a look if you have a long-range time horizon.  The stock is down after reporting a quarter that didn't give anybody a stiffy.  For those of you with longer term horizins, there may be a buying opportunity.  Just like their coffee, let it cool off a bit before you start sipping.  And, you should sip, not gulp.