Meridian Funds Q4 Portfolio Update; Buys LII, LPLA, ALL, EMR, KLAC, WAG

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Feb 08, 2012
Meridian Funds just reported their fourth quarter portfolio. The funds are run by Richard Aster, who manages both value fund and growth fund. For the 10-year period ended on Dec. 31, 2011, Meridian Value Fund had a cumulative return of 55.8%, while the S&P 500 had 32%. Last year the fund lagged the market slightly, down 2.39%. As of 12/31/2011, Meridian Fund owns 151 stocks with a total value of $3.1 billion. These are the details of the buys and sells.

Meridian Value Fund seeks to achieve long-term capital growth. In this fund, Aster invests primarily in equities that are undervalued in relation to the company’s long-term earning power or asset value, or the stock market in general.

This is the portfolio chart of Richard Aster Jr. You can click on the legend of the chart to show/hide buys, sells, or holdings. Each ball on the chart represents a position in the portfolio. You can move your mouse on the balls to see the details of each position and click to see the details of all guru trades with this position.



For the details of Richard Aster Jr's stock buys and sells, go to http://www.gurufocus.com/StockBuy.php?GuruName=Richard+Aster+Jr

This is the sector weightings of his portfolio:

Industrials21.9%
Technology18.9%
Consumer Services16.9%
Financials13.9%
Consumer Goods12.3%
Oil & Gas5.8%
Health Care5%
Basic Materials4.6%
Utilities0.8%
Not Assigned0.2%


These are the top 5 holdings of Richard Aster Jr

  1. Willis Group Holdings (WSH) - 2,049,363 shares, 2.6% of the total portfolio. Shares reduced by 13.22%
  2. Mattel Inc. (MAT) - 2,759,429 shares, 2.5% of the total portfolio. Shares reduced by 10.05%
  3. Zebra Technologies Corp. (ZBRA) - 1,898,528 shares, 2.2% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 3.1%
  4. Valspar Corp. (VAL) - 1,663,325 shares, 2.1% of the total portfolio. Shares added by 3.86%
  5. SBA Communications Corp. (SBAC) - 1,510,025 shares, 2.1% of the total portfolio. Shares reduced by 0.5%


New Purchase: Lennox International Inc. (LII, Financial)

Richard Aster Jr initiated holdings in Lennox International Inc.. His purchase prices were between $25.42 and $34.75, with an estimated average price of $31.49. The impact to his portfolio due to this purchase was 0.26%. His holdings were 234,900 shares as of 12/31/2011.

New Purchase: Lpl Investment Holdings Inc. (LPLA, Financial)

Richard Aster Jr initiated holdings in Lpl Investment Holdings Inc.. His purchase prices were between $25.1 and $30.54, with an estimated average price of $28.28. The impact to his portfolio due to this purchase was 0.22%. His holdings were 219,565 shares as of 12/31/2011.

New Purchase: Klatencor Corp. (KLAC, Financial)

Richard Aster Jr initiated holdings in Klatencor Corp.. His purchase prices were between $37.23 and $49.05, with an estimated average price of $45.35. The impact to his portfolio due to this purchase was 0.02%. His holdings were 10,735 shares as of 12/31/2011.

New Purchase: Allstate Corp. (ALL, Financial)

Richard Aster Jr initiated holdings in Allstate Corp.. His purchase prices were between $22.71 and $27.72, with an estimated average price of $26.01. The impact to his portfolio due to this purchase was 0.02%. His holdings were 19,300 shares as of 12/31/2011.

New Purchase: Walgreen Co. (WAG, Financial)

Richard Aster Jr initiated holdings in Walgreen Co.. His purchase prices were between $30.74 and $35.34, with an estimated average price of $33.21. The impact to his portfolio due to this purchase was 0.02%. His holdings were 15,400 shares as of 12/31/2011.

New Purchase: Emerson Electric Co. (EMR, Financial)

Richard Aster Jr initiated holdings in Emerson Electric Co.. His purchase prices were between $40.69 and $52.13, with an estimated average price of $48.25. The impact to his portfolio due to this purchase was 0.02%. His holdings were 9,900 shares as of 12/31/2011.

Sold Out: Sealed Air Corp. (SEE)

Richard Aster Jr sold out his holdings in Sealed Air Corp.. His sale prices were between $15.61 and $18.35, with an estimated average price of $17.29.

Sold Out: Heartland Express Inc. (HTLD)

Richard Aster Jr sold out his holdings in Heartland Express Inc.. His sale prices were between $12.84 and $14.6, with an estimated average price of $13.87.

Sold Out: Kohls Corp. (KSS)

Richard Aster Jr sold out his holdings in Kohls Corp.. His sale prices were between $47.74 and $56.52, with an estimated average price of $51.99.

Sold Out: Hospira Inc. (HSP)

Richard Aster Jr sold out his holdings in Hospira Inc.. His sale prices were between $27.29 and $38.76, with an estimated average price of $31.5.

Sold Out: Hubbell Inc. Cl B (HUB.B)

Richard Aster Jr sold out his holdings in Hubbell Inc. Cl B. His sale prices were between $47.97 and $67.15, with an estimated average price of $60.48.

Sold Out: Vf Corp. (VFC)

Richard Aster Jr sold out his holdings in Vf Corp.. His sale prices were between $118.22 and $141.04, with an estimated average price of $132.42.

Sold Out: Chubb Corp. (CB)

Richard Aster Jr sold out his holdings in Chubb Corp.. His sale prices were between $58.12 and $70.31, with an estimated average price of $65.95.

Sold Out: Avon Products Inc. (AVP)

Richard Aster Jr sold out his holdings in Avon Products Inc.. His sale prices were between $16.09 and $23.85, with an estimated average price of $18.64.