BALTIMORE, MARYLAND -- APRIL 13, 2006 - The Board of Directors of The Adams Express Company (NYSE:ADX) today declared an interim dividend of $0.05 per share, payable June 1, 2006, to stockholders of record May 18, 2006, and announced the Fund's strong performance for the First Quarter.
FIRST QUARTER PERFORMANCE BESTS BENCHMARKS
For the three months ended March 31st, the total return on Adams Express' net asset value, after adjusting for income dividends and capital gain distributions paid, was 5.6 percent. Comparable figures for the Standard & Poor's 500 Index and the Dow Jones Industrial Average were 4.2 percent and 4.3 percent, respectively.
For the twelve months ended March 31st, the total return on Adams Express' net asset value, after adjusting for income dividends as well as capital gain distributions paid, was 11.5 percent. Comparable figures for the Standard & Poor's 500 Index and the Dow Jones Industrial Average were 11.7 percent and 8.3 percent, respectively.
Adams Express' net asset value at March 31, 2006, is compared with the year earlier in the following table:
NET ASSET VALUE |
3/31/2006 |
3/31/2005 |
Net assets |
$1,320,511,116 |
$1,256,421,330 |
Shares outstanding |
85,308,628 |
85,342,592 |
Net assets per share |
$15.48* |
$14.72 |
*After capital gain distribution of $0.02 per share paid in March 2006.
The net capital gain realized on investments at the end of the First Quarter was $0.09 per share.
The Company repurchased 839,200 shares of its Common Stock during the quarter.
SECURITIES TRANSACTIONS
The Fund added three new names to its portfolio during the First Quarter with the additions of Florida Rock Industries Inc., Marathon Oil Corp., and Morgan Stanley, and increased its holdings in Advanced Medical Optics, Inc., BankAtlantic Bancorp, Inc., Comcast Corp., Oracle Corp. (in exchange for its shares of Seibel Systems, Inc.), and Wachovia Corp. The Fund eliminated its holdings in BellSouth Corp., DiamondCluster International, Inc., Keyspan Corp., and Vodafone Group plc ADS; its holdings in Seibel Systems, Inc. were eliminated by the merger with Oracle. The Fund reduced its holdings in Aqua America, Inc., Corning Inc., Cree, Inc., Martin Marietta Materials, Inc., MDU Resources Group, Inc., and Murphy Oil Corp.
The First Quarter Report is expected to be released on or about April 21, 2006.
The Adams Express Company is a Baltimore-based closed-end investment company. It is traded on the New York Stock Exchange and Pacific Exchange, and its symbol is ADX.
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For further information, please contact:
Joseph M. Truta, President
Lawrence L. Hooper, Jr., Vice President, General Counsel & Secretary
(410) 752-5900 or (800) 638-2479
E-mail: contact@adamsexpress.com
Website: www.adamsexpress.com
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