My Portfolio August 1, 2011

There are several changes here from my update one month ago. Here's a quick rundown of the moves:

• Bought more Apple after yet another tremendous quarter. That's now my largest holding, even though it was not in my portfolio just four months ago. You can read more about that here.
• In related trades, sold my shares of touch-pad maker Synaptics, and lightened up on Adobe, seeing them as competitors, to varying degrees, of Apple. You can read more about that here. 
• Halved my holdings in Noble, since I bought this deep-water driller several months before the Gulf oil spill and no longer like the growth possibilities in the area, at least not for now. So, I'm expecting slower growth from the company and figure my money can be better invested elsewhere.
• Opened positions in two new companies.

Before I get to my new positions, have a look at the complete portfolio. (For a larger image, click on the portfolio or right-click and open it in a new tab.)




My two new adds are Balchem and Kennametal. I learned about both of these companies through a Motley Fool newsletter service. While I don't buy everything it recommends, I do like these picks. Balchem makes nutrients and other additives for animal feed, drugs, supplements and food we eat.
Kennametal makes industrial tools, like drill bits for mining.
I'll be writing more on what I like about these companies in upcoming blogs.

I also added to my holdings of Dolby, another subject I'll be sharing my thoughts on soon.