Mercer University was named runner-up in the 2023 CFA Institute Southern Classic Research Challenge, which features aspiring investment professionals representing colleges and universities in Georgia, South Carolina and Alabama.

CFA Institute Research Challenges are held across the globe to test university students’ analytic, valuation, report writing and presentation skills. Each challenge includes analysis of a publicly traded company, mentoring by a faculty and a professional research analyst, writing a research report, and presenting the same to a panel of experts.

This year’s subject company was Pulte Group, a residential construction company headquartered in Georgia. Mercer’s second-ranked team, which was attempting a three-peat after two consecutive years of championships, consisted of five students: graduating School of Business seniors Emily Smith, Zachary Waller, George Wall and Thomas Cowart, as well as Robert Zell, a Master of Science in Business Analytics student on the Atlanta campus.

The students were led by faculty mentor Dr. Jeff Ngene, associate professor of financial economics, who has coached Mercer’s CFA Institute Research Challenge teams since 2014, and industry mentor George Hauptfuhrer, who has worked with the University’s teams for the past six years.

“Although we did not bring the cup home for the third time in a row, I am still extremely proud and bullish about our students,” Dr. Ngene said. “They clearly stand out as polished, confident and ready for the job market. This is a testimony of the quality of our students, their diligence and dedication, and the profound role of engaged and analytical experiential learning. The team raises the profile of Mercer University and the Stetson-Hatcher School of Business. Our success demonstrates the depth, breadth and quality of the talent Mercer University produces and the rich skills finance students gain to prepare them for their chosen career paths.”

The first CFA Institute Research Challenge competition was hosted by the New York Society of Security Analysts in 2002 and involved just five teams from the New York area. Since then, the competition has grown to include thousands of students from over 1,000 universities in more than 75 countries.

The CFA Institute Southern Classic was hosted on Feb. 24 by CFA Society Atlanta, founded in 1960 to serve the practitioner’s need for specialized knowledge, advanced studies and information on new developments in investments and financial management and to promote high standards of professional conduct among its members. Atlanta is among the largest of the more than 160 CFA Institute member societies, with more than 178,000 charter holders and affiliates.

CFA Institute is a global, not-for-profit professional organization that provides investment professionals with finance education. It aims to promote the standards in ethics, education and professional excellence in the global investment industry.