NEW YORK, March 22, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- ConvergEx Group, a leading technology company, today announced the results of its Jaywalk Independent Research Provider Performance Awards for the fourth quarter of 2011.  This program seeks to recognize Jaywalk's Independent Research Providers (IRPs) for their exceptional research recommendations. 

"Today's awards honor the outstanding minds that make up Jaywalk's industry-leading independent research network," commented John Meserve, chief executive officer of ConvergEx Research Solutions.  "On behalf of ConvergEx Group, we offer them well-deserved congratulations."                                                                                        

"These IRPs have consistently had superior insights across a wide range of global industries that give their clients a real investment edge," said Nicholas Colas, ConvergEx Group chief market strategist. "Their ability to cut through the noise and offer actionable investment ideas is invaluable in these uncertain markets."

Performance statistics were calculated by Abacus Analytics using data from the beginning of October through the end of December 2011. Abacus' metrics focus on the degree to which an IRP's equal-weighted portfolio of Buy/Positive ratings outperformed their equal-weighted portfolio of Sell/Negative ratings.

The winners are:

Best Bullish Stock Selection
Ford Equity Research
Quantitative Research

Best Bearish Stock Selection
Blaylock Robert Van Research
MarketGrader

Best Overall Stock Selection
Zack's Investment Research

Director's Choice Award
Abacus Analytics

Best Bullish Stock Selection identifies IRPs whose buy calls most outperformed their coverage, scaled by their aggressiveness in making bullish recommendations.

Ford Equity Research
Since 1970, Ford Equity Research has built a reputation of excellence in providing high quality fundamental data, stock selection models, stock ratings and analytical tools. Investment managers across the country choose its stock selection models because of meticulous data cleaning and the reliability of results. The Ford Research Report universe consists of over 4,000 companies including over 400 foreign-based companies trading on U.S. exchanges and over 400 Canadian companies traded on both U.S. and Canadian exchanges. For each company, a weekly multi-page report is produced that details Ford's most current recommendation based on a systematic review that takes into account company fundamentals and price performance.

Quantitative Research
Quantitative Research Group's (QRG) global equity products and services offer managers cost-effective solutions for investment research and stock selection. The firm's principals have extensive experience in providing a range of stock ideas based on Alpha Capture, earnings prediction and momentum, intrinsic value analysis, and other factors to traditional investment management firms, hedge funds, bank trusts, and public and private pension fund organizations.  QRG U.S. and International investment solutions include disciplined application of its factors as components in clients' investment process for stock picking as well as customized turnkey portfolios for LargeCap, SmallCap and other strategies.

Best Bearish Stock Selection identifies IRPs whose sell calls most underperformed their coverage, scaled by their aggressiveness in making bearish recommendations.

Blaylock Robert Van Research
Blaylock Robert Van (BRV) Research is a decision support entity formed to deliver value added solutions to the institutional investment management market. Using fundamental, technical and quantitative disciplines, our research approach addresses the two key areas of active management – stock selection and portfolio selection. Whether an individual idea, or a more encompassing equity strategy, the BRV Research team provides turnkey solutions that deliver long-term, risk-adjusted superior returns. ELROI is a web-based, on-demand application that delivers integrated financial data and analytics to institutional investment professionals. Through daily coverage of 4,600 U.S. domestic stocks and ADRs, it allows for the examination of the key factors shown to impact stock price and portfolio performance, and for the creation and testing of portfolio strategies. It serves BRV as the firm's primary research product distributed to and used for institutional clients.

MarketGrader
MarketGrader was formed in 1999 to provide independent fundamental research on publicly listed companies to institutions, financial advisors and individual investors. Through the extensive use of technology and quantitative methodologies, MarketGrader today covers 6,100 U.S. and Canadian equities and 400 Exchange Traded Funds, placing special emphasis on the presentation and usability of its reports and research tools. MarketGrader's methodology was designed to identify companies with above average fundamentals, strong growth and reasonable valuations, reflecting the company's philosophy that in the long run stocks with strong fundamentals will outperform the market.

MarketGrader also developed and publishes 14 proprietary indexes as well as the Barron's 400 Index, which offer an alternative to traditional market-cap indexes through the use of a proprietary selection and rebalance methodology. The Barron's 400 has outperformed the S&P 500 by almost 8% per year in the last decade.

Best Overall Stock Selection
Zack's Investment Research
Chicago-based Zack's Investment Research, founded in 1978, provides institutional investors and financial advisors with individual investment data, market data systems, proprietary quantitative models and analyst written research. Zack's provides individual investors at Zacks.com with investment advice through Zack's Independent Research, its web-based Zack's Premium, and Trading Services and through an RIA subsidiary, Zack's Investment Management that manages hedge funds and separate accounts. A key element of Zack's methodology is the Zack's Rank, a stock scoring system, which has been utilized for over 20 years to rate US stocks.

Zack's 70 Equity Analysts, divided into eleven groups organized by industry, write detailed reports on approximately 1,000 U.S. companies and NYSE traded ADRs.  The coverage universe consists of the S&P 500 and the next largest and most widely held stocks.  The Zack's Recommendations of Outperform, Neutral and Underperform are created by quantitative earnings estimates revision model called the Zack's Rank.

Director's Choice Award is to acknowledge forward-thinking excellence in the overall business strategy of a particular IRP. The business strategies of the IRPs were evaluated in a recent survey conducted by Jaywalk.  As adaptation is critical to success in this rapidly changing industry, the recipient of this award has invested in new initiatives to increase the scope of its offerings and the appeal of its products to the demanding institutional investor community.

Abacus Analytics
Abacus Analytics is a quantitative consulting firm serving the brokerage and investment management communities. The firm's research and consulting services are organized around the portfolio management process, and include models and analytics for alpha generation, risk management, portfolio construction and performance attribution.

Abacus also provides sophisticated analyst evaluation systems for several leading securities firms. Using quantitative techniques to evaluate forecasting skill, Abacus helps research managers monetize their product and deliver greater value to their client base.

About ConvergEx Group
ConvergEx Group is a leading technology company providing mission-critical proprietary software products and technology-enabled services to asset managers and financial intermediaries globally.  Its products and services span the investment life cycle and are designed to enable customers to achieve improved results through operational and workflow efficiencies, execution and analytical tools and highly personalized service. The firm serves customers accessing over 100 global markets.  Formed in 2006, the firm has over 1,200 employees in 22 locations throughout the U.S., Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa.

ConvergEx Group includes ConvergEx Execution Solutions LLC (member NYSE/FINRA/SIPC); LiquidPoint, LLC (member CBOE/SIPC); G-Trade Services LLC (member FINRA/SIPC); Westminster Research Associates LLC (member FINRA/SIPC); Eze Castle Transaction Services LLC (member FINRA/SIPC); ConvergEx Prime Services LLC (member FINRA/SIPC); Eze Castle Software LLC; RealTick LLC; ConvergEx Solutions LLC, of which Cogent Consulting, ConnEx, Jaywalk and LDB are divisions; ConvergEx Limited in the UK and Australia; and ConvergEx Asia Pacific Limited in Hong Kong. ConvergEx Group, LLC is a subsidiary of ConvergEx Holdings, LLC.  Additional information is available at www.convergex.com.

SOURCE ConvergEx Group