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Take stock in the presidents
Show your patriotism by investing in a company named for a leader of the free world. Or for his hometown. Or for his dog. A few are even good investments.
By Jon D. Markman
What a lousy job. Youre obligated to live in a stuffy old mansion with no view, the press scrutinizes your every twitch, and youre responsible for a real stockpile of weapons of mass destruction. For your trouble, you earn less than a third-tier Wall Street bond analyst.
And now, in a few days, comes the worst insult of all for presidents: a three-day holiday that generates all the excitement of a congressional hearing. No parades with Rutherford B. Hayes balloons, no James Garfield Days Sales at Macys, no Lyndon Johnson chocolate-candy boxes on sale for delivery to favorite teachers. Just a day off from work without so much as a bowl game to watch. Humbug.
As a public service, therefore, SuperModels proposes to commemorate our countrys chief executives this year with our first annual Presidents Day Stock Portfolio contest.
Heres how it works: I have compiled a list of the most presidential stocks in America. Not ones that the current candidates endorse, or ones in sectors that their policies would benefit. Been there, done that. My list, with three exceptions, offers 43 stocks containing all or part of the first, middle or last names of most American presidents.
| Presidential stocks '04 | | President | Company name | Market cap | 2/9/04 price | | Washington | Washington Mutual (WM, news, msgs) | $39 B | $44.25 | | Washington | Washington Group International (WGII, news, msgs) | $950 M | $37.99 | | Washington | The Washington Savings Bank (WSB, news, msgs) | $62 M | $9.02 | | Washington | The Washington Post (WPO, news, msgs) | $8.3 B | $872.25 | | Adams | Adams Express Co. (ADX, news, msgs) | $1.1 B | $13.00 | | Adams | Abigail Adams Bancorp (AANB, news, msgs) | $55 M | $18.55 | | Jefferson | Jefferson-Pilot (JP, news, msgs) | $7.4 B | $52.98 | | Madison | Madison Bancshares (MDBS, news, msgs) | $35 M | $17.26 | | Monroe | Monroe Bancorp (MROE, news, msgs) | $90 M | $14.75 | | Jackson | Jacksonville Bancorp (JAXB, news, msgs) | $25 M | $17.35 | | Van Buren | Van der Moolen Holdings (VDM, news, msgs) | $341 M | $8.90 | | Wm Henry Harrison | Harris & Harris Group (TINY, news, msgs) | $187 M | $16.29 | | Wm Henry Harrison | Harris Interactive (HPOL, news, msgs) | $466 M | $8.31 | | John Tyler | Tyler Technologies (TYL, news, msgs) | $386 M | $9.48 | | James Polk | Raymond James Financial (RJF, news, msgs) | $1.8 B | $38.01 | | Zachary Taylor | AnnTaylor Stores (ANN, news, msgs) | $1.9 B | $42.18 | | Millard Fillmore | General Mills (GIS, news, msgs) | $16.8 B | $44.92 | | Franklin Pierce | Franklin Covey (FC, news, msgs) | $55 M | $2.76 | | Franklin Pierce | First Franklin (FFHS, news, msgs) | $34 M | $20.81 | | Abraham Lincoln | Lincoln Electric Holdings (LECO, news, msgs) | $990 M | $23.91 | | Abraham Lincoln | Lincoln National (LNC, news, msgs) | $8 B | $44.81 | | Andrew Johnson | Johnson Outdoors (JOUT, news, msgs) | $142 M | $16.60 | | Andrew Johnson | Johnson Controls (JCI, news, msgs) | $11 B | $59.40 | | Ulysses S. Grant | Grant Prideco (GRP, news, msgs) | $1.7 B | $13.83 | | Rutherford B. Hayes | Hayes Lemmerz International (HAYZ, news, msgs) | $497 M | $16.59 | | Chester Arthur | Arthur J. Gallagher (AJG, news, msgs) | $3 B | $32.35 | | Benjamin Harrison | Harris (HRS, news, msgs) | $3.2 B | $49.03 | | Grover Cleveland | Cleveland-Cliffs (CLF, news, msgs) | $483 M | $46.88 | | Teddy Roosevelt | The Vermont Teddy Bear (BEAR, news, msgs) | $24 M | $4.96 | | Woodrow Wilson | Wilsons The Leather Exp. (WLSN, news, msgs) | $53 M | $2.59 | | Warren Harding | Hardinge (HDNG, news, msgs) | $99 M | $11.25 | | Franklin Roosevelt | Franklin Resources (BEN, news, msgs) | $14.1 B | $56.84 | | Harry Truman * | American Independence (AMIC, news, msgs) | $119 M | $14.20 | | Harry Truman | Independence Comm. Bank (ICBC, news, msgs) | $2.1 B | $38.81 | | Dwight Eisenhower | Church & Dwight Co. (CHD, news, msgs) | $1.6 B | $40.31 | | John F Kennedy | Kennedy-Wilson (KWIC, news, msgs) | $58 M | $6.61 | | Lyndon Johnson | Johnson & Johnson (JNJ, news, msgs) | $160 B | $54.11 | | Gerald Ford | Ford Motor (F, news, msgs) | $26 B | $14.16 | | Jimmy Carter | Carter's (CRI, news, msgs) | $797 M | $28.50 | | Ronald Reagan ** | Wilson Greatbatch (GB, news, msgs) | $855 M | $40.39 | | George Bush | Bush Industries (BSH, news, msgs) | $44 M | $3.18 | | Bill Clinton *** | Jefferson Bancshares (JFBI, news, msgs) | $119 M | $14.20 | | George W Bush *** | Harken Energy (HEC, news, msgs) | $170 M | $1.06 | | John Kerry**** | H.J. Heinz (HNZ, news, msgs) | $12.67B | $35.88 |
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* Hometown; ** Middle name; *** Middle name *** Former board director ****Presumptive Democrat nominee and married to Heinz ketchup heiress
43 electable stocks
It turns out that a bipartisan list of presidential stocks is overweight financials, as many banks, thrifts and insurance companies like to emphasize their steadfastness by aligning their names with George Washington and Abe Lincoln. Some stocks were a bit of a stretch: I leveraged Harry Trumans hometown of Independence, Mo., for his entry; a Vermont teddy bear company for the first Roosevelt; middle names Wilson and Jefferson for Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton; and an oil company of which George W. Bush was director. . .
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