In April, a team of CSUN business students were given the opportunity to strut their financial knowledge in New York City for the Chartered Financial Analyst Institute Research Challenge global competition. The team gave a detailed financial report on a company and presented it to a team of professional judges.

To make it to the Americas Regional portion of the competition, which was held in New York City just before the global finals, the Matadors had placed first in the Los Angeles competition in February.

“I’m always ready to represent CSUN,” said Danny Cho, a graduating senior in financial analysis. “We are not considered a targeted university for recruitment into careers such as equity research, investment banking, private equity, etcetera, so I’m always out to prove that we have students that can be on the same playing field as the targeted universities. I love the opportunity to be able to inspire our faculty and peers at our university, and let them know that we are worth investing in.”

The team’s subject company was Edwards Lifesciences Corporation, which specializes in creating transcatheter and surgical heart valves for patients suffering from various heart conditions. The team had to decide to issue a buy, hold or sell rating on the company and rationalize the recommendation based on its financials, valuation, competitive position and risks surrounding the company.

“Our team felt very well-prepared, I think, because of the foundational financial classes at CSUN,” said Seong Yu, a graduate in Financial Analysis. “It was a stamp of validation to our team and the hard work we put in.”

The team kept a great attitude throughout the competitions, said Sean Lancaster, a senior in accountancy and financial analysis.

“We weren’t even expecting to make it to New York to begin with,” Lancaster said. “Once we actually won, though, our confidence rose and we were ready to show New York everything we had to offer. At the end of the day, everyone seemed to be impressed by what we created. We felt proud.”

College of Business and Economics, CSUN, David Nazarian College of Business and Economics, Education, Research