Kentucky Companies Stock Market Prices Up 351% Since March 6, 2009 ..... a Massive Acceleration From the Much Lower 296% Growth Only Five Months Ago

President Obama will be visiting Louisville, KY.....specifically fast-growing High Technology Company Indatus..... on this Thursday, April 2, 2015 to focus on Louisville's successful effort to boost technology training for workers.  Thus, as a backdrop for this Presidential visit,  I think it would be helpful to update just what has been going on with Kentucky businesses and the overall economy there.

From a very thorough review of SEC filings, I found 20 Kentucky Headquartered Companies 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 before the financial meltdown hit
• On March 6, 2009, 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 month end date March 31, 2015.

The historical stock prices of these companies were obtained from the following two excellent internet resources....  Google Finance and MarketWatch Big Charts.

These 20 Kentucky Companies had their equal-company weighted average stock market prices decline by 37% from December 31, 2007 before the 2008 Financial Meltdown hit to March 6, 2009, 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 six years and one month since March 6, 2009 through the most recent month end date March 31, 2015, the average stock market prices of these same 20 Kentucky Companies have increased by a very robust 351%.

And even more to the point, the average stock market price growth of these same 20 Kentucky Companies for the five years and eight months from March 6, 2009 to October 31, 2014, only five months earlier, was a substantially lower 296%.....now that is what I call dramatic stock market price appreciation in the most recent five months. 

There has been something upwardly explosive happening with the Kentucky Companies Stock Market Prices particularly in the most recent five months, and among others, President Obama, Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer, Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear and Louisville Metro Area US Congressman John Yarmuth have all undoubtedly helped here. 

In the first chart below here are the stock market prices of each of these 20 Kentucky Companies on March 31, 2015, 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
Kentucky Company	HQs		3-31-15	3-6-09	12-31-07	3-31-15	3-6-09	3-31-15
			$s	$s	$s
Ashland	Covington	KY	127.31	6.08	47.43	1994%	-87%	168%
Tempur Sealy	Lexington	KY	57.74	4.46	25.97	1195%	-83%	122%
Humana	Louisville	KY	178.02	19.54	75.31	811%	-74%	136%
Papa Johns Intl	Louisville	KY	61.81	10.98	11.35	463%	-3%	445%
Churchill Downs	Louisville	KY	114.97	23.63	53.97	387%	-56%	113%
Texas Roadhouse	Louisville	KY	36.43	7.67	11.06	375%	-31%	229%
Brown-Forman	Louisville	KY	90.78	26.90	29.94	237%	-10%	203%
Bank of Kentucky Financial	Crestview Hills	KY	49.05	15.25	25.00	222%	-39%	96%
Yum! Brands	Louisville	KY	78.72	24.50	38.27	221%	-36%	106%
Computer Services Inc	Paducah	KY	41.42	13.00	16.50	219%	-21%	151%
Almost Family	Louisville	KY	44.71	15.84	19.43	182%	-18%	130%
Lexmark	Lexington	KY	42.34	15.65	34.86	171%	-55%	21%
Delta Natural Gas	Winchester	KY	19.45	9.60	12.63	103%	-24%	54%
PharMerica Corp	Louisville	KY	28.19	14.83	13.88	90%	7%	103%
Farmers Capital Bank	Frankfort	KY	23.25	12.76	27.00	82%	-53%	-14%
Stock Yards Bancorp	Louisville	KY	34.43	20.12	23.94	71%	-16%	44%
Republic Bancorp	Louisville	KY	24.73	14.89	16.53	66%	-10%	50%
Kindred Healthcare	Louisville	KY	23.79	15.01	22.56	58%	-33%	5%
Community Trust Bancorp	Pikeville	KY	33.16	23.97	27.53	38%	-13%	20%
General Cable	Highland Heights	KY	17.23	13.65	73.28	26%	-81%	-76%
Average % Change all 20 Kentucky Companies						351%	-37%	105%

And in the second chart below are the stock market prices of each of these 20 Kentucky Companies five months earlier 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
Kentucky Company	HQs		10-31-14	3-6-09	12-31-07	10-31-14	3-6-09	10-31-14
			$s	$s	$s
Ashland	Covington	KY	108.07	6.08	47.43	1677%	-87%	128%
Tempur Sealy	Lexington	KY	52.64	4.46	25.97	1080%	-83%	103%
Humana	Louisville	KY	138.85	19.54	75.31	611%	-74%	84%
Churchill Downs	Louisville	KY	101.98	23.63	53.97	332%	-56%	89%
Papa Johns Intl	Louisville	KY	46.76	10.98	11.35	326%	-3%	312%
Texas Roadhouse	Louisville	KY	28.87	7.67	11.06	276%	-31%	161%
Brown-Forman	Louisville	KY	90.89	26.90	29.94	238%	-10%	204%
Computer Services Inc	Paducah	KY	41.00	13.00	16.50	215%	-21%	148%
Bank of Kentucky Financial	Crestview Hills	KY	46.91	15.25	25.00	208%	-39%	88%
Yum! Brands	Louisville	KY	71.83	24.50	38.27	193%	-36%	88%
Lexmark	Lexington	KY	43.16	15.65	34.86	176%	-55%	24%
Delta Natural Gas	Winchester	KY	20.72	9.60	12.63	116%	-24%	64%
PharMerica Corp	Louisville	KY	28.69	14.83	13.88	93%	7%	107%
Almost Family	Louisville	KY	29.44	15.84	19.43	86%	-18%	52%
Farmers Capital Bank	Frankfort	KY	22.44	12.76	27.00	76%	-53%	-17%
Stock Yards Bancorp	Louisville	KY	33.28	20.12	23.94	65%	-16%	39%
Republic Bancorp	Louisville	KY	24.25	14.89	16.53	63%	-10%	47%
Community Trust Bancorp	Pikeville	KY	35.95	23.97	27.53	50%	-13%	31%
Kindred Healthcare	Louisville	KY	21.75	15.01	22.56	45%	-33%	-4%
General Cable	Highland Heights	KY	14.17	13.65	73.28	4%	-81%	-81%
Average % Change all 20 Kentucky Companies						296%	-37%	83%

On the unemployment front, from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, both Kentucky State and Louisville/Jefferson County Unemployment Rates have dropped precipitously in just the past 12 months.

The Kentucky State Unemployment Rate decreased from 8.0% in January 2014 to 6.1% in January 2015.

The Louisville/Jefferson County Unemployment Rate decreased from 7.0% in January 2014 to 5.5% in January 2015.