At the height of the Great Depression, Witt Stephens formed a group to purchase inexpensive Arkansas Bonds. He paid 10 cents on the dollar for the bonds, which by that time has suffered devaluation. Mr. Stephens held onto the bonds until the economy bounced back and he sold them for a tidy profit. Witt’s brother, Jack, joined the business in 1946 and served the position of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) from 1956 until 1986. Jacks son, Warren, took over after his father retired and still holds the position of CEO today. The company remains a family owned business and supports the same goals and principles stabled by Witt in 1933.
Stephens Inc is a privately held investment team that operates eight investing vehicles and includes institutional trading and sales, wealth management, insurance, capital management, research, private equity, public finance and investment banking. Their primary focus is to help high net worth investors, state and local governments, and institutions and companies build value. The company operates worldwide including North and South America, Africa, Asia Pacific and Europe.
Their core services include sales and trading, research, corporate finance and advisory services. The Advisory team works with acquisitions and mergers and a general advisory capacity. The corporate finance team works with private placements, IPO’s and Bond issuance.
The investment team has a committed focus on middle and small market mergers and acquisitions advisories. The industry field of interest includes logistics and transportation, media and telecommunications, energy and power solutions, information technology, life sciences and healthcare and financial services. Additional fields of interest include retail and consumer services, business services, construction services and building materials, and defense and aerospace.
Stephens has won several awards for its equity research division by providing successful insight into their analysis of the 300 stocks they hold I transportation and technology, the health care industry, IT services, industrial services and consumer services. The success of the clients is directly proportional to the success of the Stephens financial and management team.
The Stephens Capital Management team is a registered investment advisor and has been supervising portfolios since 1982. The equity and fixed income portfolio has a current value of more than $3 billion. The group also provides business, as well as personal insurance solutions. Included in their repertoire of financial management is wealth creation and management, along with institutional trading and sales.
The team at Stephens has a wide variety of financial and investment experience and has the capability to provide solutions to help clients achieve their financial goals. The team always strives to establish a solution that endures for the long term, even if it is developed to solve a short term problem. It is the goal to establish long term relationships with clients for the purpose of developing trust and confidence and the ultimate goal of continuity with an investment plan.
The Stephens team realizes the term “sound financial advice” is more than just a motto. It is a goal and one that is the underlying message for each transaction. The financial team works closely with each client to understand their needs, wants, desires and goals before formulating a financial management and investment solution. One size does not fit all and clients are not put into the same box. Each client’s needs are as individual as their character, and the Stephens team recognizes that and that has always been part of their success.
