A group of students studying finance at Drake University will advance to regional competition after winning the state CFA Investment Institute Research Challenge on February 19.
The winning team of Zach Diestler, Jeff Konrad, Sean Phillips, and Brett Vondra topped undergraduate teams from Iowa State University, University of Northern Iowa, Loras College, and the University of Iowa in the state bracket of the worldwide event sponsored by the Chartered Financial Analyst institute.
Notably, Drake’s team of undergraduates also finished ahead of graduate students from the University of Iowa, which boasts a number one ranking for its Masters in Finance program from the Financial Times. The students are coached by Rick Long, assistant professor of practice in finance.
The teams were tasked with analyzing the stock of Winnebago Industries. All teams prepared a written report and presentation analyzing the company and making a recommendation whether to buy, sell, or hold the company’s stock.
“The team did the vast majority of the preparation on their own,” said Long. “They researched Winnebago and the travel trailer industry and spent many hours developing a valuation model for the company. They also traveled to a Winnebago dealership to look at the company’s products.”
Drake’s team will advance to the regional and global competitions, which will be held Tuesday, April 12 through Thursday, April 14, in Chicago. There, they will compete with teams from North America, Europe, and Asia.
Drake’s undergraduates consistently rank highly in the state competition. They placed second in 2014 and 2015, after the University of Iowa’s MBA program.