Wedbush Securities

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Wedbush Securities
Private
Industry Financial Services
Founded Los Angeles, California
(1955)
Founder Edward W. Wedbush
Robert Werner
Headquarters 1000 Wilshire Boulevard
Los Angeles, California
Key people
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  • Edward W. Wedbush, President
  • Gary L. Wedbush, EVP, Head of Capital Markets and Clearing
  • R. James Richards, EVP, Mergers & Acquisitions
  • Rich Jablonski, EVP, Head of Treasury
  • Shawn T. Keagy, EVP, Chief Financial Officer
Products Financial Services
Investment Banking
Fixed Income
Equity Research
Correspondent Clearing
Retail Brokerage
Wealth Management
Website www.wedbush.com

Wedbush Securities Inc. is a privately held financial services and investment firm that provides private and institutional brokerage, investment banking, equity research, fixed income, public finance, correspondent clearing, and asset management to individual, institutional and issuing clients. Wedbush Securities was founded in 1955 and is headquartered at 1000 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California. The firm has over 100 offices, over 125 correspondent offices and close to 1,000 employees nationwide.

History

The firm was founded in 1955 by two high school friends, Edward W. Wedbush and Robert Werner, in Los Angeles, California. They each contributed $5,000 to capitalize their new company, Wedbush & Company.[1] The company was named after Wedbush because neither partner wanted a possible business failure named after them and Wedbush lost a coin toss.[2]

Wedbush opened its first office in 1957 located in the Crenshaw district of Los Angeles. Three years later, Robert Werner decided to sell his interest in the firm to Ed Wedbush.[3] In 1971, the firm became members of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), the Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation (DTCC), and the National Securities Clearing Corporation (NSCC). In 1972, the firm began offering correspondent clearing services, providing trade execution for other brokerage firms.[4] The firm also added an Investment Banking group in 1975.

File:1000 Wilshire.jpg
Headquarters building at 1000 Wilshire, Los Angeles

Wedbush expanded their trading and research capabilities and added several retail brokerage offices.[5] In 2000, the firm launched BrokerInsight, a workstation for order entry, portfolio valuation, and account management and in 2006, the firm became the #1 Liquidity Provider on NASDAQ. In late 2009, the firm changed its name to Wedbush Securities Inc. from Wedbush Morgan Securities Inc.

On June 13, 2011, Wedbush Securities' parent company, Wedbush Inc. announced the acquisition of Lime brokerage, a provider of low-latency, high-throughput trading technologies and high-volume agency brokerage.[6]

Barron's released the research results conducted by Zacks Investment Research for top stock picking firms. Zack's scored Wedbush as the number one stock picking firm for three of their four survey periods. Barron's announced that, "Los Angeles-based Wedbush Securities surfed to top honors by wide margins over the six, 12 and 36 months ended Dec. 31, 2011." [7]

Corporate divisions

The firm is organized into three main divisions: Capital Markets, Clearing and Technology, and Private Client Services.

Capital Markets Group

Wedbush Securities’ Research platform consists of over 25 analysts, coverage of more than 300 stocks, a consumer channel checking team and Wedbush Decision Metrics (primary, survey-based research). The Equity Research team provides insights into emerging investment opportunities within sectors such as consumer products and services, new media and entertainment, clean technology and industrial growth, and life sciences. The Wedbush Securities Equity Sales and Trading Group delivers information flow and investment ideas as well as best execution services to small, mid and large cap clients. The group covers more than 1,100 U.S. and European institutions through their Los Angeles, New York, Boston, San Francisco, Seattle, Dallas and Minneapolis offices and are market makers in over 700 NASDAQ stocks.[8]

The Investment Banking Group provides clients with financing and advisory services while the Fixed Income Group provides investment solutions and financing assistance to private client, institutional, municipal and corporate clients.

Clearing and Technology Group

The Clearing and Technology Group provides clearing and prime brokerage services for retail broker dealers, institutional firms, black box trading firms, professional trading firms, hedge funds, investment banks, and municipal bond underwriters for a range of services such as prime brokerage and high-frequency trading.

Private Client Services Group

The Private Client Services Group provides brokerage, advisory products, and services to private and institutional clients, including wealth management, retirement planning, investment management and financial planing.

Legal disputes

In 2011 it was ordered to pay a former bond trader $3.5 million in withheld compensation[9] for "morally reprehensible" conduct, and was ordered to pay an investor about $2.9 million after an arbitration panel decided that a customer's account had been "churned" and looted by a former Wedbush broker.[9]

On October 20, 2011 it was revealed that Wedbush securities is taking legal action against liquidnet inc for alleged violation of trade secrets.[10]

Recent awards

  • Barron's ranks Wedbush Securities as the number 1 stock picking firm in 2011 [7]
  • Wall Street Journal’s Best on the Street 2011 ranked Wedbush analysts #3 in Alternative Energy, Household & Personal Products and #5 in Aerospace & Defense.[11]
  • In 2010, The Financial Times and Starmine ranked Wedbush analysts #1 top earnings estimators in Biotechnology and Diversified Consumer Services and #3 in Communication Equipment.[12]
  • Forbes ranked Wedbush analysts #1 in Computer Software & Services, #3 in Semiconductors, Apparel and Soap & Cosmetics in 2010.[13]
  • Wedbush was named Barron’s best Wall Street Performer for First Half of 2010 and all of 2010.[14]
  • Wedbush was picked as the Top Stock Picking Firm for the first half of 2009.[15]

References

  1. ↑ "After More Than 50 Years in the Securities Business, RSF Resident Still Dedicated to the Work He Loves." Rancho Santa Fe Review, February 19, 2009, p. 8
  2. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. ↑ "After More Than 50 Years in the Securities Business, RSF Resident Still Dedicated to the Work He Loves." Rancho Santa Fe Review, February 19, 2009, p. 8.
  4. ↑ "He’s Still Smiling." Eugene Register-Guard, May 22, 1974, p. 2C.
  5. ↑ "Morgan Olmstead, Wedbush Call It a Definitive Deal." Los Angeles Times, September 22, 1988.
  6. ↑ “Wedbush Buys Lime Brokerage to Help Meet New Market-Access Rules” (SF Chronicle webpage link) <[1][dead link]> SF Gate, June 13, 2011
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Focus Lists Were Out of Focus in 2011's Turmoil" http://online.barrons.com/article/SB50001424052748703964504577193133014270486.html?mod=BOL_hpp_mag#articleTabs_article%3D1
  8. ↑ “Wedbush Sales & Trading.” http://www.wedbush.com/services/cmg/equities-division/sales-trading
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  11. ↑ “The Master Stock Pickers” <http://www.wsj.com/documents/graphics/documents/BestOnTheStreet2011/Best-on-the-Street-2011.html?mg=com-wsj#industry=AlternativeEnergy> Wall Street Journal, May 9, 2011. Retrieved June 13, 2011
  12. ↑ Thomson Reuters | StarMine Analyst Awards
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ “Market Beaters” <http://online.barrons.com/article/SB50001424052970204177904576110092321663486.html#articleTabs_panel_article%3D1> Barron’s, June 12, 2011. Retrieved July 13, 2011.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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