It was standing room only at Stetson’s Annual Stock Pick Showcase Wednesday, Nov. 4 at Orlando’s Citrus Club as five teams from the student-led Roland George Investments Program competed for cash prizes and the opportunity to have their recommendations approved by trustees for investment by RGIP’s $11.5 million investment fund.

The audience, including members of CFA Society Orlando and the broader business community, voted for the top three stock recommendations within this year’s theme of “New Energy Transition.” 

The top pick of the evening was MP Materials (NYSE: MP), presented by the team led by RGIP’s Chief Investment Officer Jude Drake, a senior finance and economics major from Orlando. “While MP trades on the multiples at a 63% premium on earnings value to sales, which sounds rich, it’s actually an 8% discount on earnings value to EBITDA,” said Drake. “That tells you the market is paying for growth but hasn’t fully priced in the earnings inflection we’ve presented tonight.” Drake finished the team pitch by announcing that Q3 earnings would be reported the following day after market close, enticing the audience that there was still time to get in.

Many in the room could be seen checking the current stock price on their phones.

While that type of in-depth and poignant analysis resulted in signals the pitch had been successful, Pierce Timco, managing director of investment research and associate partner at David Vaughan Investments, was enthusiastic about the caliber of talent found on all five teams.

“I love to come to these Stock Pitch Showcases to listen to fresh, new ideas,” said Timco, “but what I heard from all the teams tonight was what I look for in an analyst as a portfolio manager. They had done their research and knew what they were talking about. They were prepared and knowledgeable, which became even more clear as they fielded questions from the audience. That’s a difficult situation to handle confidently and they were able to share the reasoning behind their recommendations under pressure.”

RGIP is One of the Largest Student-Managed Investment Funds in the Nation

Established in 1980, RGIP students manage a real portfolio of stocks and bonds while gaining hands-on experience in equity research, portfolio management and investment analysis. It is a signature program of Stetson’s Hatter Ready program which takes concepts and theory beyond the classroom so students are ready to compete in the workplace after graduation. Stetson’s Board of Trustees recently decided to reinvest $4 million of RGIP returns into the program, bringing RGIP’s total managed assets to $11.5 million, making it the largest student-run investment fund in Florida.

“The program has an incredibly vibrant and rich history of growth and training students for success after graduation,” said Matthew Imes, PhD, director of the Roland George Investments Program and the Roland and Sarah George Chair of Finance at Stetson. “We run RGIP just like an investment management firm with many graduates fielding multiple job offers. They graduate with not only a degree but also certifications from FactSet and Bloomberg.”

According to the Orlando Business Journal, now is an optimal time to pursue financial analyst careers, which are projected to grow faster than the average for all occupations over the next decade, as revealed by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Finance also ranks internationally among the most attractive career paths for students.

RGIP Showcase 2026 Teams

MP Materials (NYSE: MP)
Jude Drake, Ali Zayniddinov, Daniele Mastroianni and Aayusha Sapkota

Powell Industries (NYSE: POWL)
Julia Ivashko, Endrik Brettmann, Cayden Trent and Janak Singh

American Superconductor (NYSE: AMSC)
Afonso Conde, Elizaveta Garifullina, Kara Hubbard and Pedro Sanford Sampaio

MYR Group(NYSE: MYRG)
Nicholas Gendreau, Robert Scapicchio, Zach Caja and Ryder Bax

nVent Electric (NYSE: NVT)
Conal Walsh, Dietrè Greisinger, Rebekah Walters and Paul Janeczko

Many thanks to David Vaughan Investments for sponsoring the 2026 RGIP Showcase Student Awards and recognizing the outstanding work of Stetson students.

Disclaimer: Past performance is not indicative of future results.

-Deb Lovett