Four Notre Dame undergraduate students participated in the Spring 2017 Investment Competition hosted by the University of Southern California Value Investing Group. The national stock pitch competition, held March 31, showcased the investing skills of students across the country.
Sarah Graney, Paul Lipari, Lauren Weetman and Janne Fuss worked as a team to give a buy or sell recommendation on an equity of their choice. After submitting an investment summary, teams presented stock pitches to a panel of judges who evaluated the pitches on stock pick quality and presentation quality. The conference also gave students the chance to network with industry professionals from firms such as Morgan Stanley and Apriori Capital, as well as engage with other student leaders from various universities.
The preparation for the competition paid off as teams were able to practice their investing skills in a realistic setting.
“Participating in the USC competition was a great experience,” Fuss said. “I learned a lot from the upperclassmen on my team as we were preparing for the presentation. The hardest part was definitely finding a good company to pitch. After that we split up the work and met as a group a few times a week to compare our progress.”
Teams also were able to watch one another and gain exposure to other investment decisions, according to Fuss: “My favorite part of the competition was watching the other presentations. Some schools had interesting ideas, while others were convincing with their presentation skills. Overall, I'm grateful for the experience and the opportunity to participate!”