Marquette AIM students will be heading to Chicago this week to compete in the Americas' CFA Institute Research Challenge

For the 7th Time in 8 Years Marquette’s AIM Program Has Advanced a Team to the Americas’ Level of the CFA Research Challenge

APRIL 2016

MILWAUKEE – In February the Applied Investment Management (AIM) team from Marquette University won the Madison round of the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Institute’s Annual Research Challenge, finishing first against teams from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (Applied Security Analysis Program), University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (Applied Investments Program), and another AIM team from Marquette University.

This marks the seventh time in the past eight years that Marquette’s AIM Program has advanced a team to the Americas’ Level of the CFA Research Challenge.

The Americas’ and Global Finals are hosted by CFA Institute and will be held in Chicago beginning on April 12. The winner from each local competition from around the world advanced to one of the three regional competitions. The winner from each regional competition (held on Wednesday, April 13) will advance to the CFA Global finals (held on Thursday, April 14 at 5:30 CST). The event is being held at the Hilton Chicago and additional information can be obtained at the CFA Institute Research Challenge website.

The CFA Institute Research Challenge is an annual global competition that provides university students with hands-on mentoring and intensive training in financial analysis. Student teams work to research and analyze a publicly traded company, write a research report highlighted by a buy, sell, or hold recommendation, and then present and defend their findings to a panel of industry experts.

 

Conor Connelly, Ryan Woo, Joanne Wycklendt, Paul Tran, and Michael Reardon

Team members include Conor Connelly, Michael Reardon, Paul Tran, Ryan Woo and Joanne Wycklendt. Providing coaching to the team is faculty advisor Dr. David Krause, AIM program director, and industry mentor, Travis Keshemberg.


The CFA Institute's Research Challenge is celebrating its 10th anniversary and they are bringing the 106 university teams from across the globe (including Marquette's AIM team members) to Chicago for the regional and global championship. This year there were more than 950 teams that participated in the CFA Research Challenge. 

In conjunction with the CFA Research Challenge, the CFA Institute is also offering students the opportunity to participate in the ENGAGE® International Investment Education Symposium on Thursday, April 14. The CFA Challenge Global final, featuring the top university regional teams, will immediately follow the symposium.

Dr. Krause said, “In addition to the AIM team competing in the Americas CFA Challenge - we’re looking forward to the ENGAGE student academic conference. In April we are planning to bring at least ten other AIM program students to the Challenge and conference."

James Bianco

"The lineup looks to be outstanding with many high-profile speakers who are among the best and the brightest in the US corporate, government, and financial industry. We especially are looking forward to Jim Bianco’s presentation. Jim is a Marquette graduate and former student of mine – his research is highly regarded and his frequent appearances on CNBC and Bloomberg are a testament to his expertise. It should be a fun and informative week for our students in Chicago.”

 

 

Another Set of AIM Students in the Class of 2017 Delivered Equity Presentations on Friday, April 8, 2016

On April 8, 2016, Seven Students in the AIM Class of 2017 Pitched the Second Set of Stocks

   

Nick Dykema pitched Methode Electronics

Over 50 students in the AIM Room attended the second set of equity pitches delivered by the Class of 2017 in the AIM Room on Friday. The seven AIM student presentations also were viewed on-line via a webcast by more than 15 alumni and family members across North America.

These presentations also included the opportunity for real-time micro-blogging (via Twitter). During the AIM student equity pitches on Friday more than 20 questions and comments were posted at #AIMpitch at the @MarquetteAIM Twitter site.

Jaclyn Godwin presented Allianz

The presenting students have the opportunity to respond to the questions over the weekend before the students vote on whether or not to add the stocks they pitched. The student equity pitches have always been one of the main highlights of the AIM program and the new class did a solid job.

The opportunity for students to actively manage domestic and international equity portfolios has been an important part of Marquette AIM program’s experiential learning. The AIM students who presented on Friday included (Student Name, Fund and Sector, Company Name, and Ticker): 

• Derek Grifka International Industrials   BAE Systems ADR  (BAESY)
• Tyler Sucharzewski International Healthcare   Flamel Technologies SA  (FLML)
• Jaclyn Godwin   International Financial Services  Allianz Se  (AZSEY)
• Casey McClelland   Energy    Carrizo Oil & Gas Inc.   (CRZO)
• Andrew Szyman     Healthcare    Emergent BioSolutions Inc.   (EBS)
• Jack O’Connor   Healthcare    Ensign Group, Inc.  (ENSG)
• Nick Dykema    Technology  Methode Electronics, Inc.  (MEI)

 Their AIM equity write-ups can be accessed at: AIM_Equity_Write_Ups_4_8_16.pdf.

Casey McClelland pitched CRZO

  Copies of all student presentations since the inception of the AIM program can be viewed at the AIM web site.

On April 10th, Mike Rice Visited Dr. Krause's AIM and Alternative Investments Classes

Mike Rice (AIM Alumnus) Visited Marquette Last Week

Mike Rice of RCP Advisors

Mike Rice is a Senior Associate of Business Development with RCP Advisors. The firm is  a private equity investment management firm that provides access to North American lower middle market private equity fund managers through funds-of-funds, secondary funds, and co-investment funds as well as advisory services and research. RCP generally works with buyout fund managers with funds of between $200 million and $1 billion in committed capital. These fund managers then seek to invest in lower middle sized companies - typically, with $10 million to $250 million in enterprise value.

Mike visited the students in the AIM program and also presented to Dr. Krause’s Alternative Investments class. This is the fifth year that he visited campus and talked about private equity investing with Krause’s finance students. 

Mike Rice and Dr. David Krause

Dr. Krause said, “Like so many of the other speakers we bring on to campus, Mike is able to relate to the students. I know that they gained a lot of practical knowledge, as well as learned more about private equity investments.”

At RCP Partners he is responsible for supporting the business development function of the Firm. This includes sourcing investment opportunities as well as overseeing the Firm’s fundraising efforts. Prior to RCP, Mike worked as an Analyst with Barclays Capital’s Institutional Equity Sales group, where he was responsible for covering hedge fund and mutual fund clients throughout the Midwest.

He received a BS in Finance and Accounting from Marquette University and was a member of the Applied Investment Management (AIM) Program. He is an active member of the Evans Scholar Foundation’s Leadership Council.

View the 2nd Set of Marquette AIM Student Equity Pitches for the Class of 2017 on Friday, April 8th at 2:45 CST

You can join the AIM Program Student Equity Presentations in person, online or via Twitter on Friday, April 8tht at 2:45 pm CST 

 

The AIM student equity pitches take place each Friday afternoon during the semester – either in the AIM Room or at a local investment company. Watch the second set of  presentations by the students in the AIM Class of 2017.

Webcast Link: 
https://meet77796088.adobeconnect.com/r1809gnh86r/

Andy Reed pitching EGOV

 The students prepare and distribute a professional equity write-up (note: every AIM write-up since the inception of the program in 2005 is archived here).  

Student Presenter	Company Name	Ticker	Sector
Derek Grifka	BAE Systems ADR	BAESY	International Industrials
Tyler Sucharzewski	Flamel Technologies SA	FLML	International Healthcare
Jaclyn Godwin	Allianz Se	AZSEY	International Financial Services
Casey McClelland	Carrizo Oil & Gas Inc.	CRZO	Energy
Andrew Szyman	Emergent BioSolutions Inc.	EBS	Healthcare
Nick Dykema	Methode Electronics, Inc.	MEI	Technology
John O’Connor	Ensign Group, Inc.	ENSG	Healthcare

 

 This week’s equity write-ups can be found at: 

AIM Student Equity Write-Ups April 8

 

The students are responsible for making a five-minute pitch before their peers, faculty and any alumni or investment professional in attendance (note: the Friday afternoon equity presentations are also webcast live - see below on how to join the webcast). 

 

Following the student’s pitch the floor is opened for questions and answers for about ten minutes. This has been highly instructive as the students must be prepared to defend their investment recommendation and answer questions in an extemporaneous manner. 

 

 

 

 How to view the AIM Student Equity Presentations on April 1, 2016

Webcast Link: 
https://meet77796088.adobeconnect.com/r1809gnh86r/

How to comment using Twitter: 

 

Go to the MarquetteAIM Twitter account (you can use Search Twitter on your site) and click Follow  

During AIM presentations, go to #AIMpitch and follow the tweets (discussion) on Twitter (it will also be appearing on the Rise Display Board in the AIM Room and on your smartphone)  

Click here to go to AIM Twitter

   

Tweet your comments and questions during the AIM equity pitches and remember to: 

 Follow the rules of etiquette for using Twitter during AIM pitches:

• Use the hashtag #AIMpitch to start each tweet
• Use $TICKER (note: this is called a cashtag and it be should the unique ticker/symbol for the stock that is being presented, ex: $TSLA)
• Keep you comment short because each tweet is limited to a maximum of 140 characters
• Example for Tweeting on a student’s Tesla equity pitch (note: the ticker for Tesla is TSLA):
•  #AIMpitch $TSLA How do lower gas prices impact demand for electric cars?

Daniel Fernandez (AIM Student) Takes Home BIG EAST Player of the Weeek Tennis Award

NEW YORK –  Marquette's Daniel Fernandez was named the winner of the BIG EAST Men's Player of the Week Award, the conference announced on Wednesday, April 6th. Congratulations Daniel!
  

Daniel Fernandez

BIG EAST Men's Tennis Player of the Week
Daniel Fernandez, Marquette, Sr.
Fernandez was 4-0 on the weekend in wins over league opponents Creighton and Xavier, playing No. 1 singles and doubles.  He clinched the team victory with a straight-set win against Creighton and the doubles point versus Xavier with a 7-5 win after trailing 4-1. The Golden Eagles improve to 10-9 on the year. 

Benjamin Jagoe and Brad Bryndal, Vice Presidents at Huizenga Capital Management, spoke to AIM students

Ben Jagoe and Brad Bryndal of Huizenga Capital Management Visited the AIM Program

Dr. Krause, Patrick Schulz, Ben Jagoe and Brad Bryndal

Benjamin Jagoe (Marquette alumnus) and Brad Bryndal, Vice Presidents at Huizenga Capital Management spoke to students in the Marquette University AIM Class of 2017 on Wednesday, April 6, 2016.

Huizenga Capital Management is the family office for the Huizenga family and is located in Oak Brook, Illinois. Huizenga Capital Management was founded in 1990 and oversees investments in a wide range of asset classes, including private equity, hedge funds, public securities, real estate and oil & gas. The Huizenga family has been involved in founding, operating and investing in numerous successful businesses including Waste Management, Blockbuster Video and a wide range of private businesses, including professional sports teams. The firm was recognized by Institutional Investor as its – “2012 Family Office of the Year.”  

Ben Jagoe and Brad Bryndal addressed AIM students

Ben has visited the campus in the past and has hired interns to work at the investment office during the summer. In 2015, Patrick Schulz (a student athlete and member of the Applied Investment Management Class of 2016) served as a Research Analyst Intern at Huizenga Capital Management. 

Other past AIM students who interned with Huizenga included  John Hurley (who is an Analyst at Citi in Chicago) and John Schneider (who is an Investment Analyst at Parametric in Minneapolis.

Dr. David Krause, AIM program director said, “It was a pleasure to host Ben and Brad on campus today. They did an excellent job presenting to the students in the AIM Class of 2017. They talked about the range of investments and decision-making process within a family office. The students asked many good questions and it was a timely visit. I know that their examples of different stock screening methods will likely be employed by our students.” Later in the day they interviewed five prospective intern candidates.

Jason Rector Visited Marquette's AIM Program and Discussed Hedge Fund Due Diligence on April 4, 2016

Jason Rector (CFA, 2009 Marquette AIM Alumnus) Spoke to the AIM Program Students About Hedge Funds and Risk Parity 

Jason Rector

Jason Rector presented in Dr. Krause’s AIM and Alternative Investments classes. This is the fourth year that he has assisted in discussing the process of evaluating hedge funds.

Dr. Krause said, “It was a pleasure to have Jason join us each year. His insights on hedge funds are important and he is highly experienced in the due diligence process. The students enjoy Jason’s discussions and real-world experience.”

Jason Rector is an analyst at the State of Wisconsin Investment Board (SWIB) in Madison, Wisconsin. Since joining the organization in 2015, his duties involve primary focusing on external manager due diligence (hedge funds and long-only managers).

Prior to SWIB Jason worked in Chicago at Mesirow Advanced Strategies, the Hedge Fund of Funds within Mesirow Financial. He was part of the due diligence/research team responsible for investigating and monitoring the current and prospective funds in their portfolios.

Jason is also enrolled in the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business. He is pursuing his Masters of Business Administration.