ADAMS EXPRESS COMPANY - FORM N-Q - MARCH 31, 2010

FORM N-Q

 

 

QUARTERLY SCHEDULE OF PORTFOLIO HOLDINGS OF REGISTERED MANAGEMENT INVESTMENT COMPANY

Investment Company Act file number: 811-00248
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THE ADAMS EXPRESS COMPANY
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(Exact name of registrant as specified in charter)

 

 

7 Saint Paul Street, Suite 1140, Baltimore, Maryland 21202
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(Address of principal executive offices)

 

 

Lawrence L. Hooper, Jr.
The Adams Express Company
7 Saint Paul Street, Suite 1140
Baltimore, Maryland 21202
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(Name and address of agent for service)

 

 

Registrant's telephone number, including area code: (410) 752-5900
Date of fiscal year end: December 31
Date of reporting period: March 31, 2010

Item 1. Schedule of Investments.


SCHEDULE OF INVESTMENTS

 

 

 

March 31, 2010

(unaudited)

 

     Shares or Principal   Value (A)

Stocks — 96.9%

 

Consumer — 21.4%

 

Consumer Discretionary — 7.2%

 

Lowe’s Companies, Inc.

  600,000   $ 14,544,000

McDonald’s Corp.

  250,000     16,680,000

Newell Rubbermaid Inc. (B)

  400,000     6,080,000

Ryland Group Inc.

  343,500     7,708,140

Target Corp.

  320,000     16,832,000

Walt Disney Co.

  480,000     16,756,800
       
      78,600,940
       

Consumer Staples — 14.2%

   

Avon Products, Inc.

  324,600     10,994,202

Bunge Ltd. (B)(F)

  160,000     9,860,800

Coca-Cola Co.

  250,000     13,750,000

CVS/Caremark Corp.

  285,000     10,419,600

Dean Foods Co. (B)(C)

  425,000     6,668,250

Del Monte Foods Co.

  800,000     11,680,000

Hansen Natural Corp. (C)(F)

  260,000     11,278,800

Mead Johnson Nutrition Co.

  117,383     6,107,437

PepsiCo, Inc. (G)

  360,000     23,817,600

Procter & Gamble Co.

  315,000     19,930,050

Safeway Inc.

  390,000     9,695,400

Unilever plc ADR

  721,300     21,119,664
       
      155,321,803
       

Energy — 11.1%

   

Chevron Corp.

  200,000     15,166,000

CONSOL Energy Inc. (F)

  200,000     8,532,000

Exxon Mobil Corp. (G)

  215,000     14,400,700

Halliburton Co.

  300,000     9,039,000

Petroleum & Resources
Corporation (D)

  2,186,774     52,110,824

Spectra Energy Corp.

  405,780     9,142,223

Transocean Ltd. (C)

  160,000     13,820,800
       
      122,211,547
       

Financials — 12.6%

   

Banks — 2.7%

   

PNC Financial Services Group, Inc.

  270,000     16,119,000

Wells Fargo & Co.

  425,000    
13,226,000
       
     
29,345,000
       

Diversified Financials — 8.2%

   

Bank of America Corp.

  1,185,000     21,152,250

Bank of New York Mellon Corp.

  403,775     12,468,572

Capital One Financial Corp.

  100,000     4,141,000

JPMorgan Chase & Co.

  510,000     22,822,500

Morgan Stanley

  300,000     8,787,000

State Street Corp. 

  230,000     10,382,200

T. Rowe Price Group Inc. (B)

  190,000     10,436,700
       
      90,190,222
       

Insurance — 1.7%

   

Prudential Financial, Inc. (B)

  310,000     18,755,000
       
   

Health Care — 12.0%

   

Abbott Laboratories

  320,000     16,857,600

Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.

  159,061     4,246,929

Gilead Sciences Inc. (C)

  200,000     9,096,000

Hospira Inc. (C)(F)

  225,000     12,746,250

Johnson & Johnson 

  255,000     16,626,000

Medtronic, Inc.

  350,000     15,760,500

Pfizer Inc.

  1,015,125     17,409,394

Senomyx, Inc. (C)

  1,284,400     4,206,410

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. ADR

  330,000     20,816,400

UnitedHealth Group Inc.

  140,000     4,573,800

Zimmer Holdings, Inc. (C)(F)

  150,000     8,880,000
       
      131,219,283
       

Industrials — 15.5%

   

Cintas Corp. (B)

  300,000     8,427,000

Curtiss-Wright Corp.

  360,000     12,528,000

Emerson Electric Co.

  300,000     15,102,000

General Electric Co.

  1,488,000     27,081,600

Harsco Corp.

  310,000     9,901,400

Illinois Tool Works Inc. 

  250,000     11,840,000

Masco Corp. 

  450,000     6,984,000

Norfolk Southern Corp.

  100,000    
5,589,000

Oshkosh Corp. (B)(F)

  380,000     15,329,200

Spirit AeroSystems Holdings, Inc. (C)

  720,000     16,833,600

Tata Motors Ltd. ADR (B)

  1,000,000     18,460,000

United Technologies Corp.

  300,000     22,083,000
       
      170,158,800
       

Information Technology — 17.9%

 

Semiconductors — 2.9%

   

Broadcom Corp.

  400,000     13,272,000

Intel Corp.

  840,000     18,698,400
       
     
31,970,400
       

Software & Services — 8.9%

   

Automatic Data Processing Inc. 

  300,000     13,341,000

Google Inc. (C)

  24,000     13,608,240

Microsoft Corp.

  1,180,000     34,538,600

Oracle Corp.

  1,100,000     28,259,000

Visa Inc.

  90,000     8,192,700
       
      97,939,540
       

Technology Hardware & Equipment — 6.1%

 

Apple Inc. (C)

  75,000     17,619,750

Cisco Systems, Inc. (C)

  850,000     22,125,500

Dell Inc. (C)

  285,000     4,277,850

Hewlett-Packard Co. (B)

  199,989    
10,629,415

QUALCOMM Inc.

  300,000     12,597,000
       
      67,249,515
       

Materials — 2.9%

   

Cliffs Natural Resources Inc. (F)

  102,140     7,246,833

Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc.

  115,000     9,607,100

Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan Inc. (B)(F)

  54,000     6,444,900

Praxair, Inc.

  109,292     9,071,237
       
    32,370,070
       

Telecom Services — 1.0%

 

AT&T Corp.

  400,000     10,336,000
       

Utilities — 2.5%

   

MDU Resources Group, Inc.

  562,500     12,138,750

Northeast Utilities

  350,000     9,674,000

WGL Holdings, Inc. (B)

  164,225     5,690,396
       
    27,503,146
       

Total Stocks (Cost $922,835,109)

  1,063,171,266
       

Short-Term Investments — 3.0%

 

Commercial Paper — 0.8%

   

General Electric Capital Corp., 0.15%, due 4/16/10

  $9,800,000     9,799,388
       

Money Market Funds — 2.2%

   

Fidelity Institutional Money Market – Government Portfolio, 0.04% (E)

  100,778     100,778

RBC U.S. Government Money Market (Institutional Class I), 0.09% (E)

  19,947,082     19,947,082

Vanguard Federal Money Market, 0.01% (E)

  35,499     35,499

Western Asset Institutional Government Money Market (Class I), 0.05% (E)

  3,552,726     3,552,726
         
      23,636,085
         

Total Short-Term Investments
(Cost $33,435,473)

    33,435,473
         

Total Securities Lending Collateral — 4.0%
(Cost $43,428,755)

 

Money Market Funds —  4.0%

   

Invesco Aim Short-Term Investment Trust – Liquid Assets Portfolio (Institutional Class), 0.13% (E)

  43,428,755     43,428,755
         

Total Investments — 103.9%
(Cost $999,699,337)

    1,140,035,494   

Cash, receivables, prepaid expenses and other assets, less liabilities — (3.9)%

    (42,323,645)
         

Net Assets — 100%

    $ 1,097,711,849   
         

 

 

Notes:

(A) Securities are listed on the New York Stock Exchange or the NASDAQ and are valued at the last reported sale price on the day of valuation.
(B) A portion of shares held are on loan.
(C) Presently non-dividend paying.
(D) Non-controlled affiliate, a closed-end sector fund, registered as an investment company under the Investment Company Act of 1940.
(E) Rate presented is as of period-end and represents the annualized yield earned over the previous seven days.
(F) All or a portion of this security is pledged to cover open written call option contracts. Aggregate market value of such pledged securities is $9,736,764.
(G) All or a portion of this security is pledged to collateralize open written put option contracts with an aggregate value to deliver upon exercise of $2,090,000.

 

See accompanying notes.


SCHEDULE OF OUTSTANDING WRITTEN OPTION CONTRACTS

 

 

 

March 31, 2010

(unaudited)

 

 

Contracts

(100 shares

each)

     Security   

Strike
Price

    

Contract

Expiration

Date

    

Value

COVERED CALLS
100     

Bunge Ltd.

   $ 75      Jul 10      $ (5,500)
266     

Cliffs Natural Resources Inc.

     90      Jul 10        (50,540)
380     

CONSOL Energy Inc.

     55      Apr 10        (3,800)
200     

CONSOL Energy Inc.

     60      Apr 10        (1,000)
250     

Hansen Natural Corp.

     44      Apr 10        (16,250)
100     

Hansen Natural Corp.

     47      May 10        (9,500)
100     

Hansen Natural Corp.

     50      Jun 10        (6,500)
100     

Hospira Inc.

     60      May 10        (7,500)
166     

Oshkosh Corp.

     55      Apr 10        (1,660)
41     

Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan Inc.

     150      Jun 10        (4,346)
41     

Potash Corporation of Saskatchewan Inc.

     155      Jun 10        (2,911)
100     

Zimmer Holdings, Inc.

     65      Jun 10        (7,000)
                       
1,844                   (116,507)
                       
COLLATERALIZED PUTS
100     

Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc.

     70      May 10      (9,500)
100     

Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc.

     75      May 10      (18,100)
200     

UnitedHealth Group, Inc.

     32      Apr 10      (11,000)
                       
400                   (38,600)
                       
                  $ (155,107)
                     

See accompanying notes.


 

 

NOTES TO SCHEDULES OF INVESTMENTS AND OUTSTANDING WRITTEN OPTION CONTRACTS (Unaudited)

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1. SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

The Adams Express Company (the "Company") is registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940 as a diversified investment company. The Company is an internally-managed closed-end fund.

Affiliated Companies - Investments in companies 5% or more of whose outstanding voting securities are held by the Company are defined as "Affiliated Companies" in Section 2(a)(3) of the Investment Company Act of 1940.

Security Transactions - Investment transactions are accounted for on the trade date. Gain or loss on sales of securities and options is determined on the basis of identified cost.

Security Valuation - Investments in securities traded on a national security exchange are valued at the last reported sale price on the day of valuation. Over-the-counter and listed securities for which a sale price is not available are valued at the last quoted bid price. Short-term investments (excluding purchased options and money market funds) are valued at amortized cost, which approximates fair value. Purchased and written options are valued at the last quoted bid and asked price, respectively. Money market funds are valued at net asset value on the day of valuation.

In accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, fair value is defined as the price that the Company would receive upon selling an investment in an orderly transaction to an independent buyer. Additionally, a three-tier hierarchy has been established to classify fair value measurements and is summarized as follows:

  • Level 1 -- fair value is determined based on market data obtained from independent sources; for example, quoted prices in active markets for identical investments,
  • Level 2 -- fair value is determined using other observable inputs obtained from independent sources; for example, quoted prices for similar investments,
  • Level 3 -- fair value is determined using unobservable inputs and the Company's own assumptions, developed based on the best information available in the circumstances.

The Company's investments at March 31, 2010 were classified as follows:

 

Level 1

 

Level 2

 

Level 3

 

Total

Common stocks

$1,063,171,266

 

$--

 

$--

 

$1,063,171,266

Short-term investments

23,636,085

 

9,799,388

 

--

 

33,435,473

Securities lending collateral

43,428,755

 

--

 

--

 

43,428,755

               

Total Investments

$1,130,236,106

 

$9,799,388

 

$--

 

$1,140,035,494

               

Written options

$(155,107)

 

$--

 

$--

 

$(155,107)

There were no transfers into or from Level 1 or Level 2 during the three months ended March 31, 2010.

2. FEDERAL INCOME TAXES

For federal income tax purposes, the identified cost of securities at March 31, 2010 was $1,006,458,043 and net unrealized appreciation aggregated $133,577,451, of which the related gross unrealized appreciation and depreciation were $246,833,034 and $113,255,583, respectively.

3. INVESTMENT TRANSACTIONS

The Company's investment decisions are made by a committee of management, and recommendations to that committee are made by the research staff.

The Company is subject to changes in the value of equity securities held (equity price risk) in the normal course of pursuing its investment objectives. The Company may purchase and write option contracts to increase or decrease its equity price risk exposure or may write option contracts to generate additional income. Option contracts generally entail risks associated with counterparty credit, illiquidity, and unfavorable equity price movements. The Company has mitigated counterparty credit and illiquidity risks by trading its options through an exchange. The risk of unfavorable equity price movements is limited for purchased options to the premium paid and for written options by writing only covered call or collateralized put option contracts, which require the Company to segregate certain securities or cash at its custodian when the option is written.

When the Company writes (purchases) an option, an amount equal to the premium received (paid) by the Company is recorded as a liability (asset) and is subsequently marked to market daily in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities, with any related change recorded as an unrealized gain or loss in the Statement of Operations. Premiums received (paid) from unexercised options are treated as realized gains (losses) on the expiration date. Upon the exercise of written put (purchased call) option contracts, premiums received (paid) are deducted from (added to) the cost basis of the underlying securities purchased. Upon the exercise of written call (purchased put) option contracts, premiums received (paid) are added to (deducted from) the proceeds from the sale of underlying securities in determining whether there is a realized gain or loss.

4. PORTFOLIO SECURITIES LOANED

The Company makes loans of securities to approved brokers to earn additional income. It receives as collateral cash deposits, U.S. Government securities, or bank letters of credit valued at 102% of the value of the securities on loan. The market value of the loaned securities is calculated based upon the most recent closing prices and any additional required collateral is delivered to the Company on the next business day. Cash deposits are placed in a registered money market fund. The Company accounts for securities lending transactions as secured financing and receives compensation in the form of fees or retains a portion of interest on the investment of any cash received as collateral. The Company also continues to receive interest or dividends on the securities loaned. Gain or loss in the fair value of the securities loaned that may occur during the term of the loan will be for the account of the Company. At March 31, 2010, the Company had securities on loan of $42,239,812 and held cash collateral of $43,428,755. The Company is indemnified by the Custodian, serving as lending agent, for loss of loaned securities and has the right under the lending agreement to recover the securities from the borrower on demand.

Item 2. Controls and Procedures.

(a) The registrant's principal executive officer and principal financial officer have concluded that the registrant's disclosure controls and procedures (as defined in Rule 30a-3(c) under the Investment Company Act of 1940) are effective based on their evaluation of the disclosure controls and procedures as of a date within 90 days of the filing date of this report.

(b) There have been no significant changes in the registrant's internal control over financial reporting (as defined in Rule 30 a-3(d) under the Investment Company Act of 1940) that occurred during the registrant's last fiscal quarter that have materially affected, or are reasonably likely to materially affect, the registrant's internal control over financial reporting.

Item 3. Exhibits.

The certifications of the principal executive officer and principal financial officer pursuant to Rule 30a-2(a) under the Investment Company Act of 1940 are attached hereto as Form N-Q Certifications.

                                                                              
SIGNATURES
 
  Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act 
of 1940, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto  
duly authorized. 
 
 
 
By:  /s/ Douglas G. Ober 
  Douglas G. Ober 
  Chairman and Chief Executive Officer 
  (Principal Executive Officer) 
 
Date:  April 16, 2010 
 
 
  Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 and the Investment Company Act 
of 1940, this report has been signed below by the following persons on behalf of the registrant and in the 
capacities and on the dates indicated. 
 
 
 
By:  /s/ Douglas G. Ober 
  Douglas G. Ober 
  Chairman and Chief Executive Officer 
  (Principal Executive Officer) 
 
Date:  April 16, 2010 
 
 
 
By:  /s/ Brian S. Hook 
  Brian S. Hook 
  Treasurer 
  (Principal Financial Officer) 
 
Date:  April 16, 2010