Months of preparation, research and data analysis made three UF finance seniors winners and $1,000 richer.
Kristen Mousa, 21, James Goyer, 22, and Paul Stanley, 22, won first place at the 2017 Harvard University Stock Pitch Competition on Saturday against competitors from schools throughout North America, including New York University, Cornell University and the University of Texas at Austin.
The win came less than a month after the team won at the University of Michigan, Goyer said. Goyer and Stanley also won similar competitions at Ohio State University and the University of Georgia earlier in the year.
In Harvard’s competition, teams chose a stock and made a presentation based on research and data analysis to explain why a person should buy or sell their stock.
Initially, 45 schools sent in proposals, Mousa said. The UF team was chosen as one of 18 semifinalists to travel to Cambridge, Massachusetts, to present their pitch to professionals in the financial services industry.
“It’s a great learning opportunity for once we get into our careers, because when you’re in the real finance world, there’s a lot of presentation-making, a lot of speech-giving, a lot of data analysis,” Mousa said.
The trip was sponsored by UF’s master of science in finance combined degree program, which the three students belong to, and alumni donations, Mousa said.
The UF team chose Seritage Growth Properties, a retail real estate investment trust that leases its properties to big retailers, as their stock, Mousa said.
Seritage’s biggest client, Sears, is approaching bankruptcy, which has caused the company’s stock to perform poorly, Mousa said. She said the team’s pitch focused on a special deal Seritage has with Sears to pay below the market rate for retail rent, allowing them to take back some properties from Sears each year.
She said the biggest challenge was conveying the information in a 10 to 12 minute presentation. The team practiced in front of UF students and faculty several times to ensure their presentation was comprehensive, she said.
Each team member put in nearly 100 hours over the course of three months to prepare, Goyer said.
UF’s team advanced to the final round against the University of Waterloo from Ontario, Canada, after both schools won in their brackets. The final presentation was in front of judges and an audience of about 60 people, Goyer said.
“To come out on top and be able to learn so much within that preparation process and then get rewarded for it was a really great feeling,” Goyer said.
Goyer said despite having competed in many competitions before, this one felt different because the group competed against high-quality, prominent schools.
“To be able to represent the University of Florida on such a big stage, especially in front of some of the most elite schools and prominent professionals within financial services and, essentially, the world, to be up there and represent the Gator Nation, it’s a great feeling,” Goyer said.
