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Greenville College places 2nd St Louis Collegiate Investment Contest Print E-mail

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - 04/29/2008

Greenville College places 2nd St Louis Collegiate Investment Contest

GREENVILLE, IL - While the country has been in a perceived economic rescission the students at Greenville College were showing their financial fortitude in a local investment contest. In the second annual St. Louis Collegiate Investment Management Contest the Greenville College Management Department received second place with a 37% growth in their portfolio over 28 months. This follows a first place finish in contest consummating last year.

The contest was open to all St. Louis area Colleges and Universities and nine schools participated; Greenville College, Lindenwood University, University of Missouri at St. Louis, St. Louis University, University of Missouri-Columbia, Principia College, McKendree University, Quincy College and, Harris Stowe State University.

The contest parameters were as follows. Each school was given a hypothetical $1 million to invest.  They are to select 20 "value" companies.  ("Value" companies are those with lower P/E, or Price/Earnings, ratios.)  They then invest a hypothetical $50,000 in each of these 20 companies.  The winner is the school whose portfolio has grown the most during the 28 month period. This year's winner was Lindenwood University whose portfolio grew nearly 47% and will receive the $10,000 prize.

The contest began December 1, 2005 and ended March 31, 2008. The students in the Investments (FIN 347) class are usually involved with picking the stocks. During the fall of 2005 the class was not offered so 2006 graduate Tyler Campo did a majority of the selections. Dr. Larry Sayler, associate professor of Management and professor of the Investments course at Greenville College embraces the second place finish with a great attitude, "Our portfolio was up 37% in 28 months which is still outstanding, in my humble opinion!"

The highlights of the Greenville portfolio were McDermott International (up 287%), CSX (up 129%), and ManTech International (78%). The lowlights included Oxford Industries (down 59%) and Biovail Corp (down 56%).  Some other companies in the portfolio were Goodyear Tire, Home Depot, and Prudential Financial.

In the first contest Greenville College led the pack with a 40% portfolio increase. St. Louis University was a close second that year finishing approximately $100,000 behind Greenville College. Two more contests are already under way. The third annual Collegiate Investment Management Contest began December 1, 2006 and will conclude March 31, 2009. The fourth contest began December 1, 2007 and will end March 31, 2010. The fifth contest will begin this December.

The St. Louis Collegiate Investment Management Contest was organized by Principia College. UMB Bank, St. Louis, supervised the contest and determined the results. Principia College had a donor endow the contest providing for some heated competition for years to come. The person who endowed this contest believes in long term investing (hence, the 28 months) and investing in "value" stocks, thus defining two contest parameters.

Greenville College is a four-year accredited Christian liberal arts school with more than 1500 traditional undergraduate, graduate, and adult degree completion students.  Founded in 1892 and affiliated with the Free Methodist Church, the college is located in Greenville, Illinois, 45 miles east of St. Louis.

 

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Robyn Florian
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