Argus Investors' Counsel (AIC) is the investment management arm of Argus Research Group. AIC specializes in discretionary, separate account, equity investment management for institutional and private investors. Our clients include corporations, public and private pension funds, Taft Hartley organizations, foundations, endowments, and high net-worth individuals. Argus Investors' Counsel was founded in 1960.  

AIC’s defining qualities come from the tenure and experience of the investment team, as well as from the substantial research resources of Argus Research.AIC’s Core Equity strategy seeks to outperform the S&P 500 benchmark by 200 to 300 basis points through a market cycle of 3-5 years while maintaining a low tracking error of 3%-4%. The process attempts to achieve this goal by constructing a core portfolio of approximately 50 long-term holdings to create a portfolio that has a more efficient risk reward profile and greater diversification than the output of conventional capitalization weighted index strategies. 

The advantages of the Core Strategy include:

• Predictability: Produce dependable, repeatable returns that are systematic and do not rely on short term forecast of earnings or economic trends.
• Risk Management: Strict equal weighting and ongoing rebalancing manages individual stock and industry risks.
• Downside Protection: Our process maintains true diversification and has produced valuable downside protection in declining market environments.
Argus Core Equity Flash Report

  July 2018

  June 2018

  May 2018

  April 2018

  March 2018

  February 2018

  January 2018

  Year End / December 2017

  Year-End / December 2016

White Paper - Large-Cap Core Report

  March 2017 Large-Cap Core

The portfolio management team at Argus Investors' Counsel consists of Sharon Wagoner and Donna Palais. They have worked together since 1994. Each has managed equity portfolios through a broad spectrum of market conditions, economic cycles and geopolitical events.

Sharon D. Wagoner - President and Chairman

Sharon is chairman of Argus Investors’ Counsel, and holds several executive positions on the board of directors of Argus Research Group. She also has portfolio management responsibilities and brings expertise from her years as an analyst of the pharmaceutical and entertainment industries. Part of the third generation of management, Sharon is a granddaughter of Harold B. Dorsey, who founded Argus in 1934. Prior to joining Argus, Sharon served as an officer and analyst at John S. Herold Inc., where she co-authored a monthly investment research publication. She contributes a legal and compliance perspective to the firm, having served as a partner in the law firm of Tyre and Smith before joining Argus. Sharon holds a B.A. in Economics from Duke University and a J.D. from Fordham Law School. She was a member of the Phi Delta Phi Honorary Law Fraternity.

Donna M. Palais - Vice President

Donna has managed portfolios for AIC clients since 1994, including public and corporate retirement funds, Taft-Hartley funds, foundations, endowments and high-net-worth individuals. Prior to joining Argus, Donna managed portfolios at Citibank Global Asset Management. She holds a BS in Psychology and an MBA with a concentration in Finance from Fordham University.

James Kelleher, CFA - Director of Research & Senior Analyst

Jim has worked in the financial services industry for over 25 years and joined Argus in 1993. He is director of research at Argus and a member of the Investment Policy Committee. Jim has been instrumental in building Argus’ proprietary valuation models, which are a key part of the proprietary Argus Six-Point Rating System. He also oversees Argus’ technical analysis products; writes the Portfolio Selector report and other publications; and manages several Argus model portfolios. As a Senior Analyst, Jim covers Communications Equipment, Semiconductors, Information Processing and Electronic Manufacturing Services companies. he is a CFA charter-holder, and is a three-time winner in The Wall Street Journal's "Best on the Street" All-Star Analyst Survey. In July 2010, McGraw-Hill Professional published Jim's book, "Equity Valuation for Analysts & Investors." The book, a single-volume treatment of financial modeling and valuation process, introduces the Argus proprietary valuation methodology known as Peer Derived Value.

Peter Canelo - Chief Investment Strategist

In his role at Argus, Peter looks at the market from a top/down perspective and simultaneously evaluates a broad list of companies on the basis of growth, value, quality and momentum. He earned his MBA in Finance and Monetary Economics from Columbia University and a BAA in Architecture from the University of Southern California. Peter has over 30 years experience in the financial services industry with five major Wall Street firms. He has previously served as head of the retail strategy team at Dean Witter/Morgan Stanley, with responsibility for recommending asset allocation for private taxable accounts. His analytical contributions were consistently among the highest of the top producers in the Morgan Stanley retail system from 1998 through 2001 and with Private Wealth Management System in 1999-2001. Peter was among the highest-rated U.S strategists among European institutional clients in both 2000 and 2001. He continues to be well recognized and discussed in the financial media, including CNBC, CNN, Bloomberg and PBS.

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