Saturday, November 1, 2014

Iowa Company Stock Market Prices Up 469% Since March 6, 2009, a Superb Uptick From Just Two Weeks Ago.....2013 Iowa Company Audited Earnings Up 781% Over 2008....and Iowa State Unemployment Rate Drops to Only 4.6% in September 2014

Since the Iowa US Senate Race is now so close between Moderate Democrat Bruce Braley and far right Republican Joni Ernst, I think it would be helpful to update how Iowa 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 also on the earnings front.

During this five years and eight months period of time from March 6, 2009 through October 31, 2014, Bruce Braley represented Iowa in the US House and Democrat Tom Harkin was an Iowa US Senator.

I found 17 Iowa Headquartered Companies in Yahoo's or Google's superb Finance websites or from SEC filings with current Total Stock Market Capitalizations of more than $100 mil each 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 October 31, 2014.
The historical stock prices of these companies were obtained from the following two excellent internet resources....  Google Finance and MarketWatch Big Charts.

These 17 Iowa Companies had their average equal-company-weighted stock market prices decline by a huge 59% 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 eight months since March 6, 2009 through October 31, 2014, the average stock market prices of these same 17 Iowa Companies have increased by an exceptional 469%.

This 469% average stock market price increase is substantially higher than that of just two weeks ago, where the average increase was a lower 428% from March 6, 2009 to October 17, 2014.

When I also include Ames, Iowa-based Sauer-Danfoss, which was sold in 2013, this 469% average stock price increase steps up markedly to 513%.   

To illustrate the consistently high quality of these Iowa Companies, all 18 of them have stock market price increases since March 6, 2009, with the lowest increase being a very healthy 58%.

Below here  are the stock market prices of each of these 18 Iowa Companies on October 31, 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
10-31-14 3-6-09 12-31-07 10-31-14 3-6-09 10-31-14



$ $ $ $ $ $









FBL Financial Group West Des Moines IA      49.58        2.55      34.53 1844% -93% 44%
Lee Enterprises Davenport IA        3.73        0.29      14.65 1186% -98% -75%
Principal Financial Group Des Moines IA      52.37        6.08      68.84 761% -91% -24%
American Equity Investment Life West Des Moines IA      25.81        3.19        8.29 709% -62% 211%
Flexsteel Dubuque IA      34.31        5.17      12.00 564% -57% 186%
Winnebago Industries Forest City IA      21.21        3.23      21.02 557% -85% 1%
HNI Corp Muscatine IA      46.65        8.16      35.06 472% -77% 33%
Meredith Corp Des Moines IA      52.14      11.28      54.98 362% -79% -5%
Casey's General Stores Ankeny IA      81.87      18.81      29.61 335% -36% 176%
MidWest One Financial Group Iowa City IA      26.68        7.00      16.99 281% -59% 57%
Heartland Financial USA Dubuque IA      26.60        8.84      18.57 201% -52% 43%
Rockwell Collins Cedar Rapids IA      84.15      28.35      71.97 197% -61% 17%
West Bancorporation West Des Moines IA      16.58        5.64      13.04 194% -57% 27%
Heartland Express North Liberty IA      25.14      12.19      14.18 106% -14% 77%
United Fire Group Cedar Rapids IA      32.48      17.54      29.09 85% -40% 12%
EMC Insurance Group Des Moines IA      32.04      19.03      23.67 68% -20% 35%
Ames National Corp Ames IA      24.80      15.71      19.50 58% -19% 27%









Average % Change all 17




469% -59% 50%









Sauer-Danfoss Ames IA      58.49        4.31      25.05 1257% -83% 133%









Average % Change all 18




513% -60% 54%

On the earnings front, Iowa Companies have performed exceptionally well since the 2008 financial meltdown.  I found 19 Iowa Companies with Stock Market Capitalizations now of at least $100 mil each and also with annual audited financial statements filed with the SEC which included audited earnings amounts for all years from 2008 through 2013.

The Total Audited 2013 Net Income from Continuing Operations of these 19 Iowa Companies was $2.6 bil, an increase of a phenomenal 781% from the comparable earnings of $0.3 bil in 2008, which was the very last year of the George W Bush/Dick Cheney Presidency.

This very strong earnings recovery for these 19 Iowa Companies from 2008 to the most recent 2013 occurred when the Democrats controlled the US Senate, when President Obama was in office and when there were very effective US Fed Chairpersons.

Below here are the Audited Net Income (Loss) From Continuing Operations for each of these 19 Iowa Companies in each of the six years 2013, 2012, 2011, 2009, 2008 and 2007, along with the related Net Income (Loss) Percentage Changes:




2013 2012 2011 2009 2008 2007



Audited Audited Audited Audited Audited Audited


Most Net Net Net Net Net Net


Recent Income Income Income Income Income Income
Iowa Company HQs FYE (Loss) (Loss) (Loss) (Loss) (Loss) (Loss)



 $ mils  $ mils  $ mils  $ mils  $ mils  $ mils









Principal Financial Group Des Moines Dec 13              936              825              675              565              437              864
Rockwell Collins Cedar Rapids Sep 13              632              609              615              594              678              585
American Equity Investment Life West Des Moines Dec 13              253                58                86                69                16                26
Renewable Energy Group Ames Dec 13              186                22                89              (69)              (16)                32
Casey's General Stores Ankeny Apr 14              135              111              117              117                86                85
Meredith Corp Des Moines Jun 14              114              124              104              104           (103)              133
FBL Financial Group West Des Moines Dec 13              108                83                52                70              (18)                86
United Fire Group Cedar Rapids Dec 13                76                40                 -                (10)              (13)              111
Heartland Express North Liberty Dec 13                71                62                70                57                70                76
HNI Corp Muscatine Dec 13                63                48                46                (6)                46              119
EMC Insurance Group Des Moines Dec 13                44                38                (3)                45                (2)                42
Heartland Financial USA Dubuque Dec 13                37                50                28                  6                11                24
Winnebago Industries Forest City Aug 13                32                45                12              (79)                  3                42
MidWest One Financial Group Iowa City Dec 13                19                17                13                (4)              (25)                  7
West Bancorporation West Des Moines Dec 13                17                16                15                (5)                  7                18
Flexsteel Dubuque Jun 14                15                13                13                11                (2)                  4
Ames National Corp Ames Dec 13                14                14                14                  9                  6                11
NewLink Genetics Ames Dec 13              (31)              (23)              (18)              (10)                (9)                (8)
Lee Enterprises Davenport Sep 13              (77)              (13)           (145)           (180)           (872)                80









Total all 19 Iowa Companies

         2,644          2,139          1,783          1,284              300          2,337









Annual Earnings % Change







…..2013 Over 2008 781%

And on the Iowa Non-Profit Hospital front, the very well run UnityPoint Health generated a Total Bottom Line Profit of $262 mil in its year ended December 31, 2013, as compared with a Bottom Line Loss of $45 mil in 2008.  UnityPoint Health's Net Assets.....the premier Financial Strength measure..... has increased from $1.067 bil at December 31, 2008 to $2.861 bil at the most recently reported June 30, 2014, an increase in financial strength of an incredible 168%.  The Affordable Care Act has worked very well in Iowa.