Jeff Auxier (Trades, Portfolio), founder and CEO of Auxier Asset Management, disclosed in a 13F regulatory filing that its top sells during the third quarter included a reduction in its Apple Inc. (AAPL, Financial) holding and the closure of its positions in General Mills Inc. (GIS, Financial), Value Line Inc. (VALU, Financial), Stanley Black & Decker Inc. (SWK, Financial) and Adobe Inc. (ADBE, Financial).
The Oregon-based firm seeks compelling, undervalued companies that contain strong fundamental data, consistency in operating results, strong competitive advantages and competent management. Auxier also selects stocks that have attractive valuations and low risk.
As of September, the firm’s $519-million 13F equity portfolio contains 155 stocks with no new positions for the quarter. The top-three sectors in terms of weight are health care, consumer defensive and financial services, with weights of 30.40%, 18.89% and 17.29%.
Investors should be aware that the 13F filings do not give a complete picture of a firm’s holdings as the reports only include its positions in U.S. stocks and American depository receipts, but the reports can still provide valuable information. Further, the reports only reflect trades and holdings as of the most-recent portfolio filing date, which may or may not be held by the reporting firm today or even when this article was published. 
Apple
Auxier sold 4,102 shares of Apple (AAPL, Financial), trimming 11.5% of the position and 0.10% of its equity portfolio.
Shares of Apple averaged $156.95 during the third quarter; the stock is modestly undervalued based on its price-to-GF-Value ratio of 0.86 as of Friday.
The Cupertino, California-based tech giant has a GF Score of 97 out of 100 based on a rank of 10 out of 10 for profitability and growth, a momentum rank of 9 out of 10, a GF Value rank of 7 out of 10 and a financial strength rank of 6 out of 10.
Apple’s profitability ranks 10 out of 10 on several positive investing signs, which include a five-star business predictability rank and an operating margin that has increased approximately 2.7% per year on average over the past five years and is outperforming more than 96% of global competitors.
Other gurus with holdings in Apple include Warren Buffett (Trades, Portfolio)’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc. (BRK.A)(BRK.B) and Ken Fisher (Trades, Portfolio)’s Fisher Investments.
General Mills
Auxier sold all 4,321 shares of General Mills (GIS, Financial), trimming 0.06% of its equity portfolio.
Shares of General Mills averaged $76.23 during the third quarter; the stock is modestly overvalued based on its price-to-GF-Value ratio of 1.25 as of Friday.
The Minneapolis-based snacks and cereal products company has a GF Score of 74 out of 100 based on a profitability rank of 8 out of 10, a growth rank of 6 out of 10, a financial strength rank of 5 out of 10 and a rank of 3 out of 10 for GF Value and momentum.
General Mills’ profitability ranks 8 out of 10 on several positive investing signs, which include a high Piotroski F-score of 7 out of 9 and an operating margin that has increased by approximately 1.1% per year on average over the past five years and is outperforming over 86% of global competitors.
Value Line
Auxier sold all 4,339 shares of Value Line (VALU, Financial), curbing 0.05% of its equity portfolio.
Shares of Value Line averaged $72.72 during the third quarter; the stock is significantly overvalued based on its price-to-GF-Value ratio of 1.71 as of Friday.
The New York-based investment periodical company has a GF Score of 77 out of 100 based on a financial strength rank of 9 out of 10, a growth rank of 8 out of 10, a profitability rank of 7 out of 10, a momentum rank of 6 out of 10 and a GF Value rank of 1 out of 10.
Stanley Black & Decker
Auxier sold all 2,556 shares of Stanley Black & Decker (SWK, Financial), paring 0.05% of its equity portfolio. Shares averaged $96.20 during the third quarter.
GuruFocus’ GF Value Line labeled the New Britain, Connecticut-based power tool company a possible value trap due to its low price-to-GF-Value ratio of 0.39 as of Friday and a rank of just 4 out of 10 for financial strength and momentum.
Despite low financial strength and momentum, Stanley Black & Decker has a GF Score of 72 out of 100 driven by its profitability rank of 7 out of 10 and growth rank of 5 out of 10.
Adobe
Auxier sold all 701 shares of Adobe (ADBE, Financial), trimming 0.05% of its equity portfolio.
Shares of Adobe averaged $378.38 during the third quarter; the stock is significantly undervalued based on its price-to-GF-Value ratio of 0.52 as of Friday.
The San Jose, California-based content and document management software company has a GF Score of 91 out of 100 based on a growth rank of 10 out of 10, a profitability rank of 9 out of 10, a financial strength rank of 8 out of 10, a momentum rank of 5 out of 10, and a GF Value rank of 4 out of 10.
