Two teams from the Labovitz School of Business & Economics' Financial Markets Program competed in the Upper Midwest local finals of the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Institute’s Annual Research Challenge on February 27 in Minneapolis.
The CFA Challenge is an annual, global competition that provides university students with hands-on mentoring and intensive training in financial analysis.
Student teams research and analyze a publicly traded company—this year’s was the Tennant Company—and write a research report with a buy, sell, or hold recommendation.
Participants of Team 1, all seniors and Financial Markets Finance majors, were Sean Grote, Wayne Lefebvre, Brandon Rud, Nick Speltz (captain), and Jordan Thorpe.
Team 2 participants, also all seniors and Financial Markets Finance majors, were Lucas Aubin, Jack Jenson, Sam Moorhead, and Ben Thelen (captain)
“The CFA Research Challenge was an amazing learning experience that allowed our team to demonstrate the skills we learned in the LSBE Financial Markets Program,” said Thelen. “Throughout the process we individually faced challenges, but as a team we were able to collectively overcome those challenges. During the competition, we learned and developed our skills thanks to our mentors Joe Artim, faculty advisor, and David Brandmire, our industry advisor. We are extremely grateful for having had the opportunity to present our research at the local round. “
"Participating in the CFA Research Challenge was one of the most rewarding, yet rigorous projects that we have ever completed during our college careers,” said Speltz. “Being able to directly apply our coursework from the Financial Markets Program to analyze a company and produce a real sell-side investment report was a tremendous opportunity that many students do not get the chance to do. Our program director and faculty advisor Joe Artim has created a culture of excellence and has always pushed our team to be the best we could possibly be.
"I would also like to thank our industry mentor, Doug Greiner, for his support throughout the entire competition. Looking back at the beginning of the challenge, I could not be more proud of our team and the progress we have made in our technical knowledge and soft skills. The commitment we made to ourselves and team over the last five months has laid the foundation for future success. We will always hold many fond memories of the challenge and our time spent working together towards a common goal."
The LSBE teams competed against those from Bethel College, North Dakota State University (NDSU), College of St. Benedict & St. John’s University, and Gustavus Adolphus College.
The winning team, NDSU, advances to the America’s Regional Finals in New York City in April.
Learn more about LSBE's Financial Markets Program.