Sunday, November 29, 2015

Holdings of AIM International Equity Fund 11/29/2015

Portfolio Holdings of AIM International Equity Fund    
Marquette Int vs. Russell Global ex US      
11/29/2015        
         
      Port. Port.
    Bench. Ending Ending
    Ending Quantity Market
GICS Sector Weight Weight Held Value
Total 100.00 100.00   $536,427
         
Financials 24.58 25.60   $131,858
Aviva plc Sponsored ADR 3.17 -- 1,100 $16,995
Assured Guaranty Ltd. 2.98 -- 600 $15,996
Validus Holdings, Ltd. 2.63 -- 300 $14,124
Allied World Assurance Company Holdings, AG 2.63 -- 390 $14,083
Deutsche Bank AG 2.13 -- 450 $11,417
Royal Bank of Canada 1.89 -- 180 $10,143
HSBC Holdings plc ADR 1.87 -- 250 $10,030
Argo Group Intl 1.67 -- 140 $8,933
ACE Limited 1.61 -- 75 $8,630
CNinsure, Inc. Sponsored ADR 1.54 0.00 900 $8,244
Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group 1.47 -- 1,200 $7,884
Barclays PLC Sponsored ADR 1.00 -- 400 $5,380
Consumer Discretionary 11.31 14.21   $60,651
Tata Motors Limited ADR 2.89 -- 500 $15,515
Gildan Activewear Inc. 2.55 -- 440 $13,666
Delphi Automotive PLC 2.45 -- 150 $13,139
Mobileye N.V. 2.04 0.04 250 $10,945
Restaurant Brands International 1.38 -- 200 $7,386
Health Care 11.12 9.10   $59,642
ICON Plc 2.80 0.02 200 $15,002
Novo Nordisk A/S ADR 2.35 -- 230 $12,590
Allergan plc 1.79 -- 30 $9,593
Taro Pharmaceutical Ind 1.69 0.01 65 $9,063
Syneron Medical Ltd 1.27 0.00 900 $6,822
Dr. Reddy's Laboratories ADR 1.23 -- 140 $6,572
Industrials 10.77 12.66   $57,757
Nidec Corporation  ADR 2.87 -- 800 $15,384
Grupo Aeroportuario del Pacifico SAB de CV ADR 2.45 -- 140 $13,138
Embraer S.A. Sponsored ADR 1.44 -- 250 $7,723
Schneider Electric SE ADR 1.39 -- 600 $7,493
Experian PLC Sponsored ADR 1.38 -- 400 $7,359
Travelport Worldwide Ltd. 1.24 -- 500 $6,660
Consumer Staples 10.55 10.13   $56,519
Diageo plc Sponsored ADR 2.59 -- 120 $13,897
Unilever PLC Sponsored ADR 2.44 -- 300 $13,071
L'Oreal SA Unsponsored ADR 2.00 -- 300 $10,727
Grupo Bimbo SAB de CV 1.32 0.03 2,500 $7,095
Marine Harvest ASA ADR 1.12 -- 450 $6,030
Reckitt Benckiser Group plc Sponsored ADR 1.07 -- 300 $5,699
Information Technology 9.90 7.97   $53,142
Check Point Software Tech 3.22 0.06 200 $17,284
Open Text Corporation 2.88 -- 320 $15,440
Infineon Technologies AG ADR 2.68 -- 1,000 $14,409
HollySys Automation Tech 1.12 0.00 300 $6,009
Energy 8.75 6.16   $46,916
Frank's International NV 1.86 -- 600 $9,972
Total SA Sponsored ADR 1.84 -- 200 $9,846
Enbridge Inc. 1.65 -- 250 $8,840
Golar LNG Limited 1.25 -- 250 $6,683
Canadian Natural Resources 1.08 -- 240 $5,796
Core Laboratories NV 1.08 0.02 50 $5,779
Telecommunication Services 6.37 4.34   $34,195
NTT DOCOMO INC ADR 2.91 -- 800 $15,608
TELUS Corporation 2.16 -- 370 $11,603
Orange SA Sponsored ADR 1.30 -- 400 $6,984
Materials 5.36 6.70   $28,734
CaesarStone Sdot-Yam Ltd. 1.92 0.00 250 $10,273
BioAmber, Inc. 1.11 -- 730 $5,964
Dominion Diamond Corporation 0.92 -- 600 $4,944
Sasol Limited Sponsored ADR 0.90 -- 170 $4,828
Vedanta Limited ADR 0.51 -- 500 $2,725
Utilities 1.31 3.10   $7,014
National Grid plc ADR 1.31 -- 100 $7,014

Holdings of AIM Small Cap Equity Fund 11/29/2015



Holdings of AIM Small Cap Equity Fund        
Marquette Univ AIM Equity vs. Russell 2000      
11/29/2015        
      Port. Port.
    Bench. Ending Ending
    Ending Quantity Market
GICS Sector Weight Weight Held Value
Total 100.00 100.00   $1,235,642
         
Financials 20.20 25.97   $249,649
PowerShares SmallCap Financials 2.82 -- 800 $34,881
Wintrust Financial Corporation 1.70 0.14 400 $21,004
AmTrust Financial Services Inc. 1.67 -- 330 $20,668
Columbia Banking System, Inc. 1.43 0.11 500 $17,695
Evercore Partners Inc. Class A 1.35 0.11 300 $16,737
Cohen & Steers, Inc. 1.03 0.04 400 $12,668
Boston Private Financial Holdings 0.97 0.06 1,000 $12,040
New York Mortgage Trust, Inc. 0.96 0.04 2,000 $11,820
Agree Realty Corporation 0.95 0.03 350 $11,788
Flushing Financial Corporation 0.92 0.04 500 $11,335
Nelnet, Inc. Class A 0.88 0.04 330 $10,867
AMERISAFE, Inc. 0.87 0.06 200 $10,796
Atlas Financial Holdings, Inc. 0.83 0.01 500 $10,300
BankUnited, Inc. 0.77 -- 250 $9,525
Investors Bancorp Inc 0.75 0.25 720 $9,245
MidSouth Bancorp, Inc. 0.70 -- 800 $8,656
Federated National Holding Company 0.66 0.02 280 $8,148
GAMCO Investors, Inc. Class A 0.53 0.02 100 $6,542
Arlington Asset Investment Corp.  0.40 0.02 350 $4,935
ETF 19.42 --   $239,938
iShares Micro-Cap ETF 17.97 -- 2,900 $221,995
iShares Russell 2000 ETF 1.45 -- 150 $17,943
Information Technology 13.62 17.34   $168,238
SYNNEX Corporation 1.92 0.15 250 $23,728
Zix Corporation 1.85 0.02 4,000 $22,920
Synaptics Incorporated 1.67 0.18 230 $20,679
Virtusa Corporation 1.21 0.08 300 $14,946
ScanSource, Inc. 1.09 0.06 350 $13,468
Verint Systems Inc. 0.95 0.16 250 $11,738
Immersion Corporation 0.77 0.02 700 $9,485
VASCO Data Security 0.75 0.03 500 $9,290
Super Micro Computer, Inc. 0.69 0.05 350 $8,554
PCTEL, Inc. 0.69 -- 1,700 $8,534
Datalink Corporation 0.60 0.01 1,000 $7,410
GrubHub, Inc. 0.52 0.11 250 $6,445
Shutterstock, Inc. 0.51 0.04 175 $6,279
EnerNOC, Inc. 0.39 0.01 1,100 $4,763
Health Care 12.84 15.96   $158,687
Prestige Brands Holdings, Inc. 1.75 0.16 400 $21,676
Acadia Healthcare Company, Inc. 1.42 -- 250 $17,525
Anika Therapeutics, Inc. 1.19 0.03 350 $14,662
PowerShares SmallCap Health Care 1.17 -- 200 $14,517
Insys Therapeutics, Inc. 1.16 0.04 460 $14,311
Teladoc Inc 1.11 0.01 700 $13,664
LeMaitre Vascular, Inc. 1.02 0.01 800 $12,632
Air Methods Corporation 0.95 0.10 270 $11,764
Cerus Corporation 0.93 0.03 2,000 $11,440
Team Health Holdings, Inc. 0.79 0.23 170 $9,731
MiMedx Group, Inc. 0.71 0.05 1,000 $8,730
Globus Medical, Inc. Class A 0.65 0.10 300 $8,037
Consumer Discretionary 10.39 13.42   $128,402
Gentherm Incorporated 2.15 0.10 530 $26,569
Chuy's Holdings, Inc. 1.34 0.03 500 $16,595
Del Frisco's Restaurant Group, Inc. 1.18 0.02 1,000 $14,570
Malibu Boats Inc Class A 1.01 0.02 800 $12,496
Carriage Services Inc. 0.94 0.02 470 $11,651
Skullcandy, Inc. 0.83 0.01 2,500 $10,300
PriceSmart, Inc. 0.78 0.11 100 $9,695
Interval Leisure Group, Inc. 0.63 0.03 500 $7,805
Meritor, Inc. 0.55 0.06 650 $6,780
Kirkland's, Inc. 0.49 0.01 400 $6,000
Grand Canyon Education, Inc. 0.48 0.10 150 $5,942
Industrials 9.81 12.80   $121,208
Dycom Industries, Inc. 2.45 0.16 350 $30,219
Federal Signal Corporation 1.37 0.06 1,000 $16,950
Herman Miller, Inc. 1.04 0.11 400 $12,856
Astronics Corporation 0.92 0.05 300 $11,331
Sparton Corporation 0.87 0.01 500 $10,725
Briggs & Stratton Corporation 0.78 0.05 500 $9,610
PGT, Inc. 0.75 0.03 800 $9,232
Forward Air Corporation 0.71 0.08 180 $8,764
Nortek, Inc. 0.51 0.03 130 $6,364
CECO Environmental Corp. 0.28 0.01 400 $3,456
Astronics Corporation Class B 0.14 -- 45 $1,701
Materials 5.09 3.81   $62,852
Balchem Corporation 1.32 0.12 240 $16,250
Flotek Industries, Inc. 1.29 0.03 1,400 $15,890
Berry Plastics Group, Inc. 1.18 0.24 400 $14,608
Compass Minerals International 0.68 -- 100 $8,344
Headwaters Incorporated 0.63 0.08 400 $7,760
Consumer Staples 3.87 3.23   $47,764
MGP Ingredients, Inc. 1.59 0.01 1,000 $19,610
Hain Celestial Group, Inc. 1.37 -- 400 $16,932
Calavo Growers, Inc. 0.91 0.05 200 $11,222
Utilities 2.52 3.51   $31,137
PNM Resources, Inc. 0.93 0.13 400 $11,468
Avista Corporation 0.87 0.12 310 $10,723
ALLETE, Inc. 0.41 0.14 100 $5,115
El Paso Electric Company 0.31 0.09 100 $3,831
Energy 1.60 2.93   $19,796
Delek US Holdings, Inc. 0.67 0.09 300 $8,262
Basic Energy Services, Inc. 0.37 0.01 1,200 $4,524
C&J Energy Services Ltd. 0.36 0.02 800 $4,392
Archrock Inc. 0.12 0.04 140 $1,495
Exterran Corp. 0.09 0.03 70 $1,123
Telecommunication Services 0.65 1.03   $7,970
Atlantic Tele-Network, Inc. 0.65 0.05 100 $7,970

Equity Portfolio Performance of the AIM Class of 2016

The AIM program allows Marquette students to get hands-on academic and financial analysis experience, including an opportunity to actively manage two equity funds: a domestic (Small Cap) and an international portfolio.

The students in the AIM Class of 2016 have been managing the Small Cap Equity and the International Equity funds since April 1, 2015. Their returns are provided in the tables below.

AIM Small Cap Equity Fund as of November 29, 2015

The Marquette AIM Small Cap Equity Fund has posted a return of -4.86% since April 1st versus -3.19% for the Russell 2000.  Asset allocation detracted 70 basis points of the total return, while stock selection detracted 97 basis points (primarily in Information Technology holdings). The following table provides performance data for the AIM Class of 2016.





AIM International Equity Fund as of November 29, 2015


The Marquette AIM International Equity Fund has posted a return of -6.72% since April 1st versus -6.54% for the Russell Global Ex US benchmark.  Asset allocation added 15 basis points of the total return, while stock selection detracted 33 basis points (primarily in Consumer Discretionary and Materials holdings). The following table provides performance data for the AIM Class of 2016.






Saturday, November 28, 2015

Become a Mentor to an Undergraduate

How to Become a Mentor to an Underclass Mate - Returning from your Thanksgiving is a good time to reflect on what you can do to help others. For students who have received the benefits of advice and consol from recent graduates, it is important to return the favor. You should seek ways to become a mentor to underclass mates.

The following material comes from a recent CFA Institute publication provided to University Program Partners (note: the Applied Investment Management Program at Marquette University has been a partner since 2006). The author of the article is Julia VanDeren

Finding a mentor is an obvious career development strategy for the protégé, but it is also a valuable one for the mentor. In addition to being personally rewarding by helping you to give back and continue to build and sustain your passion for your career, mentoring another professional requires you to exercise and develop leadership skills that can help you stand out.

This positive differentiation, in turn, can make it easier to be considered for the kinds of stretch assignments, special projects, or new positions in your firm that will propel you along your desired career path.
Here are some of the skills mentoring others allows you to develop and exercise:
·         Active listening
·         Giving feedback
·         Setting goals
·         Performance coaching
·         Encouraging and motivating others
·         Persuading others
·         Problem solving

Image result for cfa program partnerNot everyone who wants to mentor others has the immediate opportunity or the requisite skills and perspective to do so successfully, so CFA Institute invited Jim Keene, CFA, founder of Atherton Consulting Group LLC, to present “Mentoring and Coaching Others,” a webinar that shares some of his insights into how you can become an impactful mentor.

In the webinar, Keene explains that respect and trust are the fundamental building blocks of a viable and successful mentoring relationship. He addresses how active listening, taking time to really get to know your protégé, helping to set meaningful SMART goals, celebrating achievements, and knowing when and how to close a mentoring relationship all relate to and encourage achieving that respect and trust. Keene also provides insight into the role generational differences can play in the mentor-protégé dynamic.

If mentoring is something you are interested in doing, you don’t necessarily need to find a formal program, though it can be helpful to check in with your employer or your local CFA Institute member society to see if they administer one. Keene explains that while it may be more typical for a protégé to initiate the relationship, there are strategies that can help aspiring mentors find their protégé.

If you have insights on how mentoring others can impact career development or how to successfully manage a relationship with a protégé, share them in the space below for other readers to learn from.


Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Axel Sjöberg - AIM alumunus and MLS Colorado Rapids defender - visited campus on Tuesday, 11/24/15



Axel Sjoberg in action

Axel Sjöberg (AIM 2014) returned to Marquette over the Thanksgiving break and visited with Dr. Krause and students in the AIM program. Axel, originally from Stockholm, Sweden, was selected by the MLS Colorado Rapids in January 2015 as the 14th pick in the first round of the Major League Soccer SuperDraft.

Sjoberg and Krause
AIM Program director, Dr. David Krause, said “It was wonderful to see Axel. I followed the Rapids closely this year and I look forward to Axel becoming a star in the MLS. He still remains current with the financial markets and I am pleased that he continues to push himself athletically and intellectually. Axle left a positive mark on Marquette on the playing field and in the classroom.”

He was the only Rapids rookie to play more than 1,000 MLS minutes in 2015 (and it would have been more but for injury) – and he had an impressive first year when he was featured along the Rapids’ back line. At 6'7", he is an imposing figure, and showed no signs of ‘freshman’ nerves as he made his debut in the very first game of the season at Philadelphia Union in March. Alongside Bobby Burling (6'6"), he formed part of the tallest central defensive pairing in MLS history.



Besides being a member of the AIM program, Alex played four years at Marquette University, where he was named to the All-Big East first team and was the winner of Marquette’s Most Valuable Player Award in 2014. Three times in 2014 he was named Big East Defensive Player of the Week. He also was named to the second team All-America squad and first team all-Big East. Sjӧberg was named the Most Outstanding Defensive Player in the Big East mens soccer championship and earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team.

Born in Stockholm, the son of Lars-Erik Sjӧberg and Anna Kullander Sjӧberg, he was an outstanding student at Marquette, majoring in Finance. He was selected to be a part of Marquette's highly regarded Applied Investment Management (AIM) Program and was awarded the finance department’s Outstanding Senior Award from the College of Business Administration.

Axel Sjöberg
Axel Sjoberg
A member of Chi Alpha Sigma (National College Athlete Honor Society) and the Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society (College of Business), Axel was named to the Dean's List each semester at Marquette. He was also active in the Milwaukee community by founding a clothing drive initiative called Student Athletes Give. He also participated in the NCAA's Leadership Development Workshop in 2011 and 2012, Marquette's annual Hunger Clean Up and the Feed My Starving Children event organized by the university’s Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC). Fluent in English and Swedish, he also speaks German.