And there is also a very key Democratic Iowa US Senator Tom Harkin Steak Fry Fundraiser being held in Indianola, IA today Sunday, September 14, 2014 that both former US President Bill and Hillary Clinton will be attending.
Thus it only makes sense to research how Iowa 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.
During this five years and six month period of time from March 6, 2009 through September 12, 2014, Democrat Tom Harkin was an Iowa US Senator and Democrat Bruce Braley, who is now running for retiring Iowa US Senator Tom Harkin's seat, was an Iowa US House of Representatives Democratic member. Also, the Democrats controlled the US Senate during this same time period during the Obama Administration.
I found 17 Companies Headquartered in Iowa in Google or Yahoo's superb Finance websites with current Total Stock 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.....before the 2008 financial meltdown
- 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 September 12, 2014
The historical stock prices of these companies were obtained from the following two excellent internet resources.... Google Finance and MarketWatch Big Charts.
These 18 Iowa Companies had their equally-company-weighted average stock market prices decline by a massive 60% 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 six months since March 6, 2009 through September 12, 2014, the equally-company-weighted average stock market prices of these same 18 Iowa Companies have increased by a phenomenal 486%. If I exclude Sauer-Danfoss, the remaining 17 Iowa Companies had their average stock market prices increase by a very impressive 440%, up a bit from the 434% comparable increase only a month ago.
Thus in the six years and eight months from December 31, 2007 before the 2008 financial meltdown to the most recent date September 10, 2014, the equally-company-weighted average stock market prices of these same 18 Iowa Companies have increased by 44%...... yeah, they have not just recouped what they lost with the 2008 financial meltdown, but also added another 44%.
Below here are the stock market prices of each of these 18 Iowa Companies on September 12, 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 | |||
| Iowa Company | HQs | 9-12-14 | 3-6-09 | 12-31-07 | 9-12-14 | 3-6-09 | 9-12-14 | |
| $s | $s | $s | ||||||
| HARKIN | ||||||||
| & BRALEY | ||||||||
| FBL Financial Group | West Des Moines | IA | 45.01 | 2.55 | 34.53 | 1665% | -93% | 30% |
| Lee Enterprises | Davenport | IA | 3.79 | 0.29 | 14.65 | 1207% | -98% | -74% |
| Principal Financial Group | Des Moines | IA | 54.04 | 6.08 | 68.84 | 789% | -91% | -21% |
| American Equity Investment Life | West Des Moines | IA | 23.87 | 3.19 | 8.29 | 648% | -62% | 188% |
| Winnebago Industries | Forest City | IA | 23.46 | 3.23 | 21.02 | 626% | -85% | 12% |
| Flexsteel | Dubuque | IA | 35.82 | 5.17 | 12.00 | 593% | -57% | 199% |
| HNI Corp | Muscatine | IA | 38.27 | 8.16 | 35.06 | 369% | -77% | 9% |
| Meredith Corp | Des Moines | IA | 46.22 | 11.28 | 54.98 | 310% | -79% | -16% |
| Casey's General Stores | Ankeny | IA | 68.75 | 18.81 | 29.61 | 265% | -36% | 132% |
| MidWest One Financial Group | Iowa City | IA | 23.89 | 7.00 | 16.99 | 241% | -59% | 41% |
| Heartland Financial USA | Dubuque | IA | 24.18 | 8.84 | 18.57 | 174% | -52% | 30% |
| Rockwell Collins | Cedar Rapids | IA | 76.85 | 28.35 | 71.97 | 171% | -61% | 7% |
| West Bancorporation | West Des Moines | IA | 15.04 | 5.64 | 13.04 | 167% | -57% | 15% |
| Heartland Express | North Liberty | IA | 24.57 | 12.19 | 14.18 | 102% | -14% | 73% |
| United Fire Group | Cedar Rapids | IA | 27.89 | 17.54 | 29.09 | 59% | -40% | -4% |
| EMC Insurance Group | Des Moines | IA | 28.86 | 19.03 | 23.67 | 52% | -20% | 22% |
| Ames National Corp | Ames | IA | 22.78 | 15.71 | 19.50 | 45% | -19% | 17% |
| Average % Change all 17 | 440% | -59% | 39% | |||||
| Sauer-Danfoss | Ames | IA | 58.49 | 4.31 | 25.05 | 1257% | -83% | 133% |
| Average % Change all 18 Including Sauer-Danfoss | 486% | -60% | 44% | |||||
In addition to the above 18 Iowa Companies, Ames-based NewLink Genetics, a biotechnology company, filed an Initial Public Offering (IPO) on November 11, 2011 with an Initial Offering Price of $7.00 per share. Its stock market price has advanced an incredible 291% to $27.40 on September 12, 2014.
In like manner on the employment front, from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Iowa's State unemployment rate increased from 3.7% in December 2007 to 6.9% 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 nine months since then, when Democratic Iowa US Senator Tom Harkin and Democratic Michigan US House member Bruce Baley were both in office, the Iowa State unemployment rate has declined 6.9% in October 2009 to 4.5% in the most recently reported July 2014.
Iowa Citizens must be very pleased with both the outstanding performance of all of their Iowa Companies as well as the very significant drop in the Iowa Unemployment Rate, both occurring during the most recent roughly five years when Tom Harkin and Bruce Braley were both serving in the US Congress for the interests of their Iowa constituents.
