Put Some Spring In Your Portfolio With These 5 Names (HD, LOW, SWK, SMG, DE)

Yesterday was the first day of spring, and while the weather doesn't feel like it quite yet, your portfolio knows no weather, and these ideas may give a little "spring" to your investments. Spring time is traditionally the best time of the year to plant, garden, lawn care, and generally do all sorts of home improvements. As the weather gets nicer, people want to go outside and feel the hot sun and get out of the house. Cabin fever can set in very early during winter, and the nicer the weather is in the spring time, the more people will want to go outside, which is bullish for remodeling, lawn care, as well as other sectors of the economy. Places like Home Depot HD and Lowe's LOW are likely to see a benefit from the nicer weather, as people tend to their gardens, plant flowers, and landscape their front yards. Home Depot and Lowe's are the two biggest home improvement stores in the country, but have been downtrodden because of the weak home building sector we've seen over the past few years. Shares of Home Depot trade at less than 14 times 2011 earnings, and sports a dividend yield of 1.7%. Lowe's trades at 13.2 times 2011 earnings, and has a dividend yield of 1.6%. Two companies that are likely to benefit from the increase in lawn care are Scotts Miracle-Gro SMG and Deere & Co. DE. Scotts Miracle-Gro manufactures and markets lawn and garden care products worldwide, while Deere makes lawn mowers, both walking and riding for your lawn care needs. Scotts trades at 13.7 times 2011 earnings, and has a 1.8% dividend yield, while Deere trades at 12.7 times 2011 earnings, and sports a 1.6% dividend yield. In addition to the increased benefit these companies will get from traditional lawn care, these two names are highly levered to the agricultural trade as well. The last name to think about is Stanley Black & Decker SWK. Stanley Black & Decker makes tools used for home repair and remodeling, and spring is traditionally the best time for when people remodel their homes. If you're thinking about sprucing up your kitchen or your bathroom, shares of Stanley Black & Decker might spruce up your portfolio as well. Stanley Black & Decker has been profiled in Benzinga a couple of times, once in January, and once in February, as there appears to be significant value there, as the company continues to ring out synergies from the merger. So while the weather may not be cooperating just yet, perhaps adding these names to your portfolio can provide the spring you need to leap into the warmer weather.