Stock Research Competition

The Inaugural CFA Virginia Stock Pitch Competition

Competition Overview

Each participating team will research and present and investment recommendation on a company of their choosing. The competition is designed to provide students with a real-world opportunity to demonstrate research abilities, analytical valuation, report writing and presentation skills comparable with that of a Wall Street analyst.

• Each team will consist of 2-5 students. Each school is limited to two teams for this year’s competition.
• Cash prized will be awarded to the top teams as follows:
• First Place Team        $2,000
• Second Place Team   $1,000
• Third Place Team       $500
• Teams will select the company to present within the following guidelines: 
• Stocks must have a market capitalization above $5 billion and a share price above $5 at the close of the regular trading on the date of the written report submission (February 23, 2024) 
• Stocks must have an average daily volume of at least 100,000 shares and trade on the NASDAQ or NYSE.
• Stocks listed on only the OTCBB or Pink Sheets are prohibited.
• The pitch must be a common or preferred stock. ADRs GDRs, ETFs, ETNs, Closed-End Funds, and other exchange-traded securities, including derivatives (options/ futures) and currencies, are not eligible for the competition. 
• Teams will submit a 1–2-page summary of the stock pitch by midnight on February 23, 2024. Recommendations should be grounded in fundamental research. See below for more details on the written report. 
• Prior to the deadline for the written report, each team will be assigned an identifying team letter (A, B, C, etc.) to be used for the written report and presentation slides.
• Teams will present their recommendation to a panel of judges. Each team will present their recommendation to the judges, followed by Q&A from the judges. The total presentation time will be 17 minutes (12 minutes for presenting, 5 minutes for questions). All team members should participate in the presentation. See below for more information on the presentation format. 
• The results will be announced the night of the presentations. The written report will account for 30% of the total score while the presentation will account for 70%.

Competition Timeline 

·         The written report is due by midnight on February 23, 2024. Please e-mail the report to Jean McGowan @ [email protected]. To ensure the anonymity of the grading process, please make sure the report does not reference your school’s name or any other identifiable information. 

• Presentations will take place on March 27, 2024, at the Westwood Club in Richmond Virginia. Time TBD (late afternoon) 

Guidelines for the Written Report 

Participants are required to submit a comprehensively researched written pitch. The pitch should provide a summary of the recommendation and the fundamental support for that recommendation, and adhere to the following parameters: 

• The pitch should be a maximum of two pages, excluding the front cover page and an appendix of up to four pages. 
• The report should utilize A4-sized paper (210 mm x297 mm, 8.27” x 11.69”).
• The teams should use a 10- or 12-point font for the written report. 
• The report should include essential details such as the Company Name, Exchange, Ticker Symbol, Sector/Industry, Recommendation, Current Price, and Target Price in the header of the first page.
• The report should only include publicly available information to maintain the integrity of and authenticity of the pitch.
• The paper should include proper citations using accepted systems such as the Chicago Manual of Style, Harvard, or MLA.
• Original work by the team members is imperative. 

While the written report is a summary of what will be presented in person, it should cover the Business/Industry Overview, Investment Thesis, Valuation/Summary of Financial Analysis, and Investment Risk.

Guidelines for the Presentation: 

Presentations should involve all team members. Following the presentation, the judges will have time allotted for Q&A. We will share more information on the time and structure of the presentations soon. 

Each team will be allotted a total of 17 minutes to include the company pitch followed by Q&A from the judging panel (12 minutes for presenting, 5 minutes for questions). The score for team involvement will consider both the presentation and Q&A session.

The presentations will be evaluated based on the following criteria:  

If you have any additional questions, please contact Jean McGowan at [email protected] or Olga Zozulya at [email protected]