FORMER WALDRON & CO STOCK BROKER MARK FRENCH SAYS MTXX A GO IN LOCAL STOCK PICKING CONTEST
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Through the first nine months of the year, the most successful competitors are Mark French of Scott & Stringfellow and Frank Lachicotte with Raymond James Financial. They are locked in one of the closest races in the 15-year history of the contest.
French's original $50,000 portfolio of five stocks surged to $92,564 through the end of the third quarter, up 85.1 percent. Lachicotte's picks rocketed 84.9 percent to $92,435 -- just $129 behind.
French's healthiest pick was iShares U.S.Healthcare Index Fund, up more than 30 percent. He also sold Calpin Corp. and Interdigital Communications at gains, buying pharmacy benefit management firm HealthExtras Inc. and Matrixx Initiatives, an Arizona-based manufacturer of cold medicines and other drugs.
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2 lead stock contest pack
BY JIM PARKER
Of The Post and Courier Staff
The stock market has posted strong gains so far this year, but some Charleston-area stock-pickers have turned in far more impressive performances.
Through the end of September, the Standard & Poor's 500 index of large companies rose 13.2 percent, while the blue-chip Dow Jones industrial average rose 11.2 percent.
But six of the seven local brokers in The Post and Courier stock-picking contest outpaced that advance, some by very wide margins.
Through the first nine months of the year, the most successful competitors are Mark French of Scott & Stringfellow and Frank Lachicotte with Raymond James Financial. They are locked in one of the closest races in the 15-year history of the contest.
French's original $50,000 portfolio of five stocks surged to $92,564 through the end of the third quarter, up 85.1 percent. Lachicotte's picks rocketed 84.9 percent to $92,435 -- just $129 behind.
French's healthiest pick was iShares U.S.Healthcare Index Fund, up more than 30 percent. He also sold Calpin Corp. and Interdigital Communications at gains, buying pharmacy benefit management firm HealthExtras Inc. and Matrixx Initiatives, an Arizona-based manufacturer of cold medicines and other drugs.
Lachicotte's leading choices were EResearch Tech, up 270 percent, and Centex Corp., which gained about 70 percent.
The pair sprinted to a sizable cushion over the remaining five brokers, who are bunched within $10,00 of each other.
Sam Lisi's stock value increased to $64,999, a 30 percent gain. The Edward Jones broker had a balanced portfolio (four out of five winners) headed by Texas Instruments, with a 60 percent advance, and Home Depot, up 40 percent.
He holds a slim lead over Richard Kasprak of HD Vest, whose picks went up 26 percent to $62,995. Kasprak has enjoyed his best fortune with Apple Computer, which gained more than 50 percent, and El Paso Energy Corp., up more than 40 percent.
E.D. Brailsford III of Brailsford & Co., followed with a 20.6 percent gain to $60,281. Among his picks, EBay posted a 70 percent rise and Newmont Mining added a 20 percent gain, but two of his stocks declined.
Brailsford is narrowly ahead of Johbe King of UBS Financial. King's choices are up 19 percent to $59,509. King also chose Apple Computer as well as Citigroup, which increased more than 30 percent.
Donald Allen of Hampton Management Group chalked up an 11.2 percent gain to $55,621. Among his gainers, Cendant is up 70 percent and CVS Corp. close to 25 percent. But two of his stocks showed losses.
The stock contest ends Dec. 31.
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