News

FGCU team finishes 3rd in Student Investment Tournament

April 02, 2023 / Lutgert News / Tags: 2023, Competition, Economics & Finance, Finance, Undergraduate

Congratulations to FGCU student analysts Mitchel Coker, Jessica Garciduenas and Adam Abdelfattah for taking home the $500 third place prize in a ‘Stock Pitch’ competition sponsored by the University of South Florida and Star Mountain Capital. The FGCU team pitched current Eagle Fund holding, BorgWarner Inc, as their investment idea. As part of their research process, the students made extensive use of Bloomberg Terminal, the company’s Annual Report, SEC Filings, Investor Relations Website, Earnings Call Transcript, Supply Chain information, Wall Street Research and various news publications. The students also held a conference call with BorgWarner’s Director of Investor Relations as part of their due diligence process. Here’s a brief snippet from the student’s presentation … “BorgWarner is undergoing a major business model transformation from a supplier of internal combustion engine (ICE) auto parts to a key provider of Electric Vehicle (EV) components. This transition will allow the company to both accelerate sales growth and expand profit margins over the next several years.” ‘We believe the market has not fully appreciated the BorgWarner story....... and that is reflected in low equity market valuations across multiple metrics…… relative to the market, it’s industry competitors and the company’s own historical levels. Our DCF analysis generated a intrinsic value price target of $84, representing an 80% upside opportunity from the current market price. Additional stock price upside is possible, however, if investors begin to place appropriate value on the fast-growing EV components business, in a Sum Of The Parts analysis.” “The company possesses several catalysts including: a recently announced plan to Spin-Off its fast-growing EV unit, continued deployment of Free Cash Flow towards accretive EV related acquisitions, and improving ESG rankings.”

Eagle Fund students present 2022 investment results to the FGCU Foundation

February 09, 2023 / Lutgert News / Tags: 2023, Eagle Fund, Economics & Finance, Finance, Undergraduate

FGCU's Student Managed Investment Fund ("Eagle Fund") manages $800k in equity and bond portfolios on behalf of the FGCU Foundation. Today, Eagle Fund students presented their 2022 investment results to the Foundation's investment committee. Student analysts / portfolio managers Xhesi Tase, Jessica Garciduenas, Ben Hermiston, and Paul Reisinger reviewed the Eagle Fund's investment philosophy, process, performance, attribution, current portfolio positioning and future outlook. Foundation committee members commended the students for the strong portfolio returns and an excellent presentation. In addition to gaining hands-on experience in securities analysis and portfolio management, Eagle Fund students are provided with several opportunities to hone their presentation skills. Legendary investor, Warren Buffett, said the best advice he can give to recent college graduates is “Invest in yourself. The one easy way to become worth 50 percent more than you are now — at least — is to hone your communication skills — both written and verbal. You can have all the brainpower in the world, but you have to be able to transmit it.” For more information on the Eagle Fund please visit www.fgcu.edu/eaglefund

Inaugural FGCU Economics Poster Presentation Expo

December 09, 2022 / Lutgert News / Tags: Economics, Economics & Finance, Research, Undergraduate

At the inaugural FGCU Economics Poster Presentation Expo, senior economics students presented their empirical economic research papers to faculty and executive council members. Each student defined a research question, conducted a literature review, developed a conceptual model, gathered data, explored the appropriate research methodology, coded in R to answer their research question, and provided a summary and conclusion of their findings.

LCOB Finance Program Partners with the CFA Society of Naples

July 15, 2021 / Lutgert News / Tags: 2021, Award, CFA, Competition, Economics & Finance, Finance

This spring a team of Lutgert Finance majors won the award for ‘Best in Creativity’ in the 2021 CFA Ethics Invitational hosted by CFA Tampa. This accomplishment included a team trophy and prize for each of the students. Arnae Molin, Jade Tywang, Michael Vega, and Jessica Villafuerte earned this distinction among university teams from across the state of Florida for their thoughtful and creative video presentation. Designed to help prepare those entering the investment profession for the ethical challenges that they will face in the workplace, student teams were given an ethics case to analyze and make recommendations in an 8 - 10 minute video presentation. The FGCU Team, competing for the first time, was sponsored by the CFA Society of Naples.

Finance Majors Manage Part of FGCU Endowment

May 27, 2021 / Lutgert News / Tags: Eagle Fund, Economics & Finance, Finance, Fundraising, Undergraduate

Sixteen years ago, Lutgert College’s Alico Eminent Scholar in Finance came up with a radical idea: Why not teach students about the stock market in real time, by allowing them to actively manage a small part of the University’s endowment?

Lutgert Students answer call for Voluntary Income Tax Assistance

May 11, 2021 / Lutgert News / Tags: Accounting, Charity, Economics & Finance, Finance

When tax season comes around in Southwest Florida, Accounting and other Lutgert business majors volunteer their time and knowledge to help low-income, disabled, and non-English speakers file their income tax returns. To align with social distancing and other COVID safety restrictions, this year’s Voluntary Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program was conducted predominantly via 19 designated drive-through sites in Lee, Hendry, Glades, Okeechobee, and Charlotte counties.