COUNTRY TRUST BANK Buys 3, Sells 2 in 4th Quarter

COUNTRY TRUST BANK recently filed their 13F report for the fourth quarter of 2022, which ended on 2022-12-31.

The 13F report details which stocks were in a guru’s equity portfolio at the end of the quarter, though investors should note that these filings are limited in scope, containing only a snapshot of long positions in U.S.-listed stocks and American depository receipts as of the quarter’s end. They are not required to include international holdings, short positions or other types of investments. Still, even this limited filing can provide valuable information.

Country Trust Bank is a private investment management firm based out of Bloomington, Illinois. The company has grown from its inception to now have additional locations in Edwardsville, Springfield, Peoria, and Moline, all in the state of Illinois, and Beaverton, Oregon. Country Trust Bank is one of the companies the Country Financial operates through with the others being Country Mutual Insurance Company, Country Life Insurance Company, and Country Capital Management Company. This specific company offers a variety of investment management, trust, and retirement planning services to its clients. Country Trust Bank conducts its research internally, utilizing a fundamental methodology to make its investment decisions. The company invests in the growth stocks of companies, allocating its assets in the public equity and fixed income markets on a global scale. Country Trust Bank invests most heavily in the finance sector, which alone makes up almost a third of the firm’s total asset allocations, and also invests in the information technology, which makes up another fifth of its allocations, health care, industrials, energy, consumer staples, and consumer discretionary sectors, among other sectors to a lesser degree, in order of decreasing allocation. The company holds its allocations for just under 6 quarters and holds its top 10 allocations, which makes up approximately a quarter of its total allocations, for 3.6 quarters on average. In the most recent quarter, Country Trust Bank had a turnover rate of 17.5%. The company currently oversees over $14.2 billion in total assets under management. Both of Country Trust Bank’s total number of accounts and total assets under management have been increasing in recent years with its total managed assets growing significantly from $11.4 billion back in 2008 to its current amount today. Country Trust Bank mainly caters to investment companies and also provides its services to a variety of other clientele.

As of the latest 13F report, the guru’s equity portfolio contained 311 stocks valued at a total of $3.38Bil. The top holdings were VEA(5.66%), FBND(5.52%), and AAPL(4.39%).

According to GuruFocus data, these were COUNTRY TRUST BANK’s top five trades of the quarter.

iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF


During the quarter, COUNTRY TRUST BANK bought 391,861 shares of ARCA:AGG for a total holding of 1,085,076. The trade had a 1.13% impact on the equity portfolio. During the quarter, the stock traded for an average price of $96.31999999999999.

On 01/18/2023, iShares Core U.S. Aggregate Bond ETF traded for a price of $100.6953 per share and a market cap of $87.03Bil. The stock has returned -7.61% over the past year.

There is insufficient data to calculate the stock’s financial strength and profitability ratings.

Booking Holdings Inc


The guru established a new position worth 18,067 shares in NAS:BKNG, giving the stock a 1.08% weight in the equity portfolio. Shares traded for an average price of $1898.11 during the quarter.

On 01/18/2023, Booking Holdings Inc traded for a price of $2316.52 per share and a market cap of $89.66Bil. The stock has returned -3.18% over the past year.

GuruFocus gives the company a financial strength rating of 6 out of 10 and a profitability rating of 8 out of 10.

In terms of valuation, Booking Holdings Inc has a price-earnings ratio of 37.96, a price-book ratio of 24.62, a EV-to-Ebitda ratio of 21.71 and a price-sales ratio of 5.81.

The price-to-GF Value ratio is 0.71, earning the stock a GF Value rank of 10.

Abiomed Inc


The guru sold out of their 129,908-share investment in NAS:ABMD. Previously, the stock had a 1% weight in the equity portfolio. Shares traded for an average price of $334.59 during the quarter.

On 01/18/2023, Abiomed Inc traded for a price of $381.02 per share and a market cap of $17.18Bil. The stock has returned 8.18% over the past year.

GuruFocus gives the company a financial strength rating of 10 out of 10 and a profitability rating of 10 out of 10.

In terms of valuation, Abiomed Inc has a price-earnings ratio of 65.47, a price-book ratio of 11.18, a price-earnings-to-growth (PEG) ratio of 3.12, a EV-to-Ebitda ratio of 58.08 and a price-sales ratio of 16.28.

The price-to-GF Value ratio is 1.09, earning the stock a GF Value rank of 3.

Fidelity Total Bond ETF


COUNTRY TRUST BANK reduced their investment in ARCA:FBND by 641,544 shares. The trade had a 0.9% impact on the equity portfolio. During the quarter, the stock traded for an average price of $44.58.

On 01/18/2023, Fidelity Total Bond ETF traded for a price of $46.7001 per share and a market cap of $2.92Bil. The stock has returned -7.21% over the past year.

There is insufficient data to calculate the stock’s financial strength and profitability ratings.

In terms of valuation, Fidelity Total Bond ETF has a price-earnings ratio of 8.77 and a price-book ratio of 2.89.

Health Care Select Sector SPDR


During the quarter, COUNTRY TRUST BANK bought 200,684 shares of ARCA:XLV for a total holding of 207,760. The trade had a 0.8100000000000001% impact on the equity portfolio. During the quarter, the stock traded for an average price of $132.05.

On 01/18/2023, Health Care Select Sector SPDR traded for a price of $133.46 per share and a market cap of $41.04Bil. The stock has returned 2.67% over the past year.

There is insufficient data to calculate the stock’s financial strength and profitability ratings.

In terms of valuation, Health Care Select Sector SPDR has a price-earnings ratio of 22.51 and a price-book ratio of 4.75.


Please note, the numbers and facts quoted are as of the writing of this article and may not factor in the latest trading data or company announcements.

When GuruFocus covers insider information, we only track open market or the private purchase and sale of common stock with the transaction code of P or S. Therefore, all the transactions mentioned in this article are only the ones with transaction code of P or S.

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