On Friday, May 6th, the students in the Class of 2012 voted to add three more stocks to the AIM Small Cap Equity Fund. Dr. David Krause, AIM program director, said, "The last set of AIM presentations held on Friday afternoon in the AIM Room was well received by the investment professionals and Marquette alumni in attendance. It was also great to see the large turnout of students for the final set of stock pitches. I was again pleased with the quality of the write-ups and oral presentations."
Dr. Krause continued, "The fifth and final set of equity pitches by the students in the AIM Class of 2012 that we held during the months of April and May was a success; we will start the next round of presentations again as soon as the fall semester begins. It was great to see so many Marquette alumni and investment professionals in attendance at these meetings this semester. Thanks to all of the attendees during the past year; their questions and comments are essential to keeping the ‘applied’ element in the AIM program."
Stocks added to the AIM Small Cap Equity Fund were:
VeriFone Systems [Ticker: PAY]
Brian Brophy, an AIM Consumer Goods analyst, presented VeriFone Systems. PAY designs, markets, and services electronic payment solutions that enable secure electronic payments among consumers, merchants, and financial institutions worldwide.
The company provides countertop electronic payment systems that accept magnetic, smart card, and contactless/radio frequency identification cards; and support credit, debit, check, electronic benefits transfer, and various pre-paid products, as well as offers wireless system solutions. The company was formerly known as VeriFone Holdings changed its name to VeriFone Systems, Inc. in May 2010. The company is headquartered in San Jose, California.
Quality Distribution [Ticker: QLTY]Alice Wycklendt, an AIM Business Services analyst, presented Quality Distribution, Inc. QLTY engages in the truckload transportation of bulk chemicals in North America.
QLTY is involved in the bulk transportation of liquid and dry chemical products, including plastics, and bulk dry and liquid food-grade products. As of December 31, 2009, it managed a fleet of approximately 2,800 tractors and 6,400 tank trailers. In addition, it operated 99 trucking terminals and 8 ISO depot services terminals. The company was formerly known as MTL, Inc. and changed its name to Quality Distribution, Inc. in 1999. Quality Distribution, Inc. was founded in 1984 and is headquartered in Tampa, Florida.
ALGN also offers ancillary products comprising cleaning material and adjusting tools for dental professionals. Align Technology distributes its products directly to orthodontists and general practitioner dentists in North America, Europe, the Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Japan. The company was founded in 1997 and is headquartered in Santa Clara, California.
Dr. Krause concluded, "The student-managed AIM Funds provide valuable, real-time applied learning in investment analysis and portfolio management. The AIM students gain real world experience related to the topics and theories that are presented in the curriculum. The student-managed funds serve as a capstone to the finance and accounting courses the students take during their junior and senior years at Marquette. It is truly one of the best forms of applied learning I've seen.”
