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May 24, 2006

Trinity University Names ‘Outstanding Stock Analysts’ In Student Managed Fund’s Inaugural Honors Award; Fund Tops $1 Million

SAN ANTONIO – Three participants in the Trinity University Student Managed Fund have been named “outstanding stock analysts” for the 2005-2006 academic year, the first time such recognition has been made. The trio will share a $1,000 award sponsored by an alumnus of the fund, which is folded into the University’s endowment.

Two of the successful managers also took part in the Texas Investment Portfolio Symposium earlier this semester at Baylor University in Waco. The larger group placed second in an investment portfolio competition, losing to Southern Methodist University but edging out Rice and Baylor Universities from the field of finalists. In the competition, the Trinity program was the only one with only undergraduate students.

The Student Managed Fund (SMF) – which was launched in 1998 after several students, including Sardar Biglari, who founded The Lion Fund after graduating from Trinity in 1999 – approached the Trinity University Board of Trustees requesting permission to invest money in the University’s endowment as a “real world” learning experience. Trustees authorized $500,000 at that time and have added money periodically. Today, the fund stands at more than $1.1 million, thanks to allocations from the Trustees and interest earned through investments.

Winners of the inaugural “Student Managed Fund Outstanding Stock Analyst” award were Christopher “Kipp” Cummins of Dallas; Alex Guerri of Whitefish, Mont.; and Bill Nichols of Los Alamos, N.M. They served together on a research team and produced a stock report on Henry Schein Inc. (HSIC), the largest distributor of health care products to office-based practitioners in North America and Europe, according to Philip L. Cooley, the Prassel Distinguished Professor of Business who teaches the SMF class.

Of their presentation, Professor Cooley said, “Their research report on HSIC is fundamentally hard-hitting and comprehensive, presented in a persuasive format.” Since helping to inaugurate the SMF, Mr. Biglari has remained in touch with Professor Cooley and decided to sponsor the $1,000 award to outstanding SMF students this year.  

All students in the class graduated from Trinity in May. Before earning their bachelor’s degrees, a total of nine future entrepreneurs participated in an investment portfolio symposium for college students at Baylor University. Hanley Bonynge of Seattle, who majored in finance and political science with a minor in economics, said the Trinity students felt their showing was a "significant achievement" since it was the only program featuring only undergraduates. The others were all graduate students or a mix of undergrads and graduate student investors. Mr. Bonynge said the fund managers were proud of the fact that they routinely beat the benchmark – the Standard & Poor's 500 – with a greater than 12 percent return since 1998.

The other eight students who took part in the investment competition were:

n      Mr. Cummins, who majored in finance.

n      Mr. Guerri, who graduated cum laude with a double major in finance and marketing.

n      Chris Denny of Colorado Springs, Colo., who majored in finance and economics.

n      Joanna Fulton of Dallas, who graduated cum laude with majors in finance and marketing.

n      Andres Miramontes of San Antonio, who majored in economics and finance.

n      Nicole Ouzoonian of Houston, who majored in finance and history.

n      Adam Pearson of McAllen, Texas, who majored in finance and economics.

n      Tristan Richardson of Edmond, Okla., who majored in economics and finance.

 

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© 2006 Trinity University