Five Martha and Spencer Love School of Business students assumed the role of research analysts, and tested their ability to value a stock, write an initiation-of-coverage report, and defend their recommendation to a panel of industry professionals.
An Elon undergraduate student team was among the state finalists in the local CFA Institute Research Challenge hosted by CFA Society North Carolina on Feb. 23 in Greensboro, N.C.
The team comprised of Martha and Spencer Love School of Business seniors John Carroll, Christopher Folsom, Tanisha Gupta, Zachary Lahey and Emma Ott. Raj Gupta, associate professor of finance, mentored and accompanied the team.
The CFA Institute Research Challenge provides students with hands-on mentoring and intensive training in financial analysis. Student teams researched LendingTree, Inc. (NASDAQ: TREE), the nation’s leading online loan marketplace, and presented an analysis and investment recommendations to a panel of industry professionals.
“Being a part of the CFA team was one of the most challenging yet rewarding experiences of my time at Elon,” Tanish Gupta said. “The competition allowed our team to conduct thorough research and analyses on LendingTree using an application of techniques we learned from our LSB coursework. Going through such a rigorous, hands-on investment recommendation experience was invaluable to shaping our analytical skills for the real world.”
Other participating teams included Appalachian State University, University of North Carolina at Wilmington and North Carolina State University.
“Competing in the CFA Institute Research Challenge was an experience unlike any class I have taken at Elon,” Ott said. “This opportunity allowed me to enhance my research, quantitative and presentation skills, which I know will be transferable to my future career. After many long days and late nights spent in KoBC, I am proud to have been part of such a hard-working team from the LSB.”