Monday, August 18, 2014

Minnesota Company Stock Market Prices Up 511% Since March 6, 2009

The Minnesota US Senate race is not now very close, but I think there is a chance it will be getting much closer in the future.  Thus, I think it would be helpful to research how Minnesota Headquartered Companies have done on the stock market price front since March 6, 2009, which was the very bottom point of the US Stock Market due to the spillover effects resulting from the disastrous 2008 financial meltdown.  And I also think it would be helpful to research how Minnesota has done on the employment front after the horrible effects of the 2008 US financial meltdown.

During this five years and five months period of time from March 6, 2009 through August 18, 2014, Minnesota was blessed with perhaps the strongest US Senator twosome of any US State.....Al Franken and Amy Klobuchar....two equally effective, very bright Democrats.

I found 62 Minnesota Headquartered Companies in Yahoo's or Google's superb Finance websites or from SEC filings with current Total Market Capitalizations of at least $100 mil and which also had their common stocks trading on each of the following three dates:
  • On December 31, 2007 during President Bush's second term
  • On March 6, 2009, very early in President Obama's first term, which was the lowest point for the US stock market due to the spillover effects resulting from the 2008 financial meltdown, and 
  • also on the most recent date August 18, 2014.
The historical stock prices of these companies were obtained from the following two excellent internet resources....  Google Finance and MarketWatch Big Charts.

These 62 Minnesota Companies had their average equal-company-weighted stock market prices decline by a huge 51% from December 31, 2007 during President Bush's second Presidential term, to March 6, 2009, very early in President Obama's first term, which was the very lowest point for the overall stock market due to the spillover effects resulting from the disastrous 2008 Financial Meltdown.

But in the five years and five months since March 6, 2009 through August 18, 2014, when both Minnesota US Senators, including Al Franken, were Democrats, the average stock market prices of these same 62 Minnesota Companies have increased by a spectacular 511%.

Thus in the six years and seven months from December 31, 2007 before the 2008 financial meltdown to the most recent date August 18, 2014, the equally-company-weighted average stock market prices of these same 62 Minnesota Companies have increased by a very impressive 91%...... yeah, they have not just recouped the massive amount they lost with the disastrous 2008 financial meltdown, but also added another 91%.

Below here are the stock market prices of each of these 62 Minnesota Companies on August 18, 2014, on March 6, 2009, and on December 31, 2007, along with the related Stock Market Price Percentage Changes:






Market Market Market






Price Price Price






% % %






Change Change Change



Market Market Market 3-6-09 12-31-07 12-31-07



Price Price Price to to to
Minnesota Company HQs
8-18-14 3-6-09 12-31-07 8-18-14 3-6-09 8-18-14



$s $s $s








FRANKEN &







KLOBUCHAR










Select Comfort Minneapolis MN      21.87       0.20       7.01 10830% -97% 212%
Polaris Industries Medina MN    150.23       7.59      23.89 1881% -68% 529%
Arctic Cat Plymouth MN      37.94       2.43      11.94 1461% -80% 218%
ValueVision Media Eden Prairie MN       4.96       0.35       6.29 1317% -94% -21%
Stratasys Ltd Eden Prairie MN    110.62       8.18      25.84 1252% -68% 328%
Famous Dave's of America Minnetonka MN      25.99       2.00      13.56 1200% -85% 92%
Clearfield Plymouth MN      13.60       1.12       1.01 1114% 11% 1247%
Deluxe Corp Shoreview MN      58.36       6.47      32.89 802% -80% 77%
Tennant Co Minneapolis MN      73.43       8.23      44.29 792% -81% 66%
Ameriprise Financial Minneapolis MN    121.55      14.20      55.11 756% -74% 121%
Winmark Minneapolis MN      68.96       9.02      21.00 665% -57% 228%
Northern Oil and Gas Wayzata MN      16.17       2.22       6.95 628% -68% 133%
Toro Bloomington MN      61.74      10.57 27.22 484% -61% 127%
BioScrip Minnetonka MN       8.15       1.48       7.73 451% -81% 5%
Life Time Fitness Chanhassen MN      41.00       7.50      49.68 447% -85% -17%
Graco Minneapolis MN      76.50      14.48      37.26 428% -61% 105%
Valspar Minneapolis MN      80.36      15.76      22.54 410% -30% 257%
Buffalo Wild Wings Minneapolis MN    144.44      30.05      23.22 381% 29% 522%
US Bancorp Minneapolis MN      41.72       8.82      31.74 373% -72% 31%
UnitedHealth Group Minnetonka MN      82.34      17.90      58.20 360% -69% 41%
Vascular Solutions Minneapolis MN      24.67       5.40       6.50 357% -17% 280%
Datalink Eden Prairie MN      11.91       2.61       3.69 356% -29% 223%
HB Fuller St Paul MN      45.60      10.29      22.45 343% -54% 103%
Apogee Enterprises Minneapolis MN      34.92       8.89      17.11 293% -48% 104%
Pentair plc Minneapolis MN       69.39      17.95      34.81 287% -48% 99%
Ecolab St Paul MN    113.40      29.90      51.21 279% -42% 121%
Donaldson Co Minneapolis MN      40.36      11.31      23.19 257% -51% 74%
G&K Services Inc Minnetonka MN      55.89      15.77      37.52 254% -58% 49%
Cardiovascular Systems St Paul MN      29.64       8.51      31.00 248% -73% -4%
3M St Paul MN    144.12      41.83      84.32 245% -50% 71%
Enventis Mankato MN      17.32       5.10       9.32 240% -45% 86%
Fastenal Winona MN      44.72      13.19      20.21 239% -35% 121%
MTS Systems Eden Prairie MN      71.90      21.67      38.62 232% -44% 86%
Hormel Foods Austin MN      47.43      15.18      20.24 212% -25% 134%
Piper Jaffray Minneapolis MN      53.88      19.30      46.32 179% -58% 16%
Hawkins Inc Roseville MN      36.00      12.95      15.00 178% -14% 140%
Christopher & Banks Plymouth MN       9.53       3.51      11.45 172% -69% -17%
Medtronic Minneapolis MN      63.47      24.92      50.27 155% -50% 26%
NVE Corp Eden Prairie MN      69.24      28.98      24.60 139% 18% 181%
Patterson St Paul MN      39.52      16.55      33.95 139% -51% 16%
Target Minneapolis MN      58.55      25.65      50.00 128% -49% 17%
Lakes Entertainment Minnetonka MN       4.25       1.90       6.62 124% -71% -36%
General Mills Minneapolis MN      52.99      25.48      28.50 108% -11% 86%
Techne Minneapolis MN      96.60      46.98      66.05 106% -29% 46%
St Jude Medical Saint Paul MN      64.16      32.37      40.64 98% -20% 58%
Polymet Mining Hoyt Lakes MN       1.21       0.65       3.24 86% -80% -63%
OneBeacon Group Ltd Minnetonka MN      16.41       9.00      21.50 82% -58% -24%
CH Robinson Worldwide Eden Prairie MN      68.15      38.06      54.12 79% -30% 26%
TCF Financial Wayzata MN      15.58       9.00      17.93 73% -50% -13%
Capella Education Minneapolis MN      68.22      46.74      65.46 46% -29% 4%
Regis Corp Minneapolis MN      14.43      11.20      27.96 29% -60% -48%
Digi International Minnetonka MN       8.57       6.78      14.19 26% -52% -40%
Best Buy Richfield MN      29.91      24.71      52.65 21% -53% -43%
SurModics Eden Prairie MN      20.27      16.87      54.27 20% -69% -63%
Two Harbors Investment Minnetonka MN      10.53       8.77       8.38 20% 5% 26%
Mosaic Plymouth MN      46.99      39.16      94.34 20% -58% -50%
Qumu Corp Minneapolis MN      13.62      12.11      25.95 12% -53% -48%
SUPERVALU Eden Prairie MN       9.51      14.36      37.52 -34% -62% -75%
ANI Pharmaceutics Baudette MN      29.20      46.44     136.08 -37% -66% -79%
Digital River Minnetonka MN      15.37      25.53      33.07 -40% -23% -54%
Imation Oakdale MN       3.22       7.08      21.00 -55% -66% -85%
EnteroMedics St Paul MN       1.48       7.80      48.30 -81% -84% -97%









Average % Change all 62




511% -51% 91%

It should be pointed out that the above 511% average stock market price appreciation excludes two Minnesota Companies which were sold prior to 2014 and which had off-the-charts stock market price appreciation from March 6, 2009 to their sale dates.....Chaska-based FSII International up 2,604% and Brooklyn Center-based Caribou Coffee up 932%.

Also excluded from the above were two Minnesota Companies filing Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) since 2009 which have generated off-the-charts stock market price appreciation from their Initial Offering Prices.....Maple Plain-based Proto Labs, a Machine Tools & Accessories Company, whose stock market price is up 385% in only 30 months and Minneapolis-based SPC Commerce, an Application Software Company, whose stock market price is up 351% from its Initial Offering Price in April 2010.

In like manner on the employment front, from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Minnesota's State unemployment rate increased from 4.8% in December 2007 to 7.8% in October 2009, which was the very lowest point for the US Labor Market due to the lagging spillover effects resulting from the disastrous 2008 Financial Meltdown.  But in the four years and eight months since then, when both Democratic Minnesota US Senators, including Al Franken, were in office, the Minnesota State unemployment rate has declined sharply from 7.8% in October 2009 to 4.5% in the most recently reported June 2014.

Minnesota Citizens must be extremely pleased with both the outstanding performance of nearly all of their Minnesota Companies as well as with the substantial drop in the Minnesota Unemployment Rate, both occurring during the most recent roughly five years when Democrats Al Franken and Amy Klobuchar were serving in the US Senate very effectively for the interests of their Minnesota constituents.