Create a document in which you analyze a specific stock.

In your submission, talk about the following points:

(Information in italics is not required, but are rather ideas you could use)

• Introduction
  • What stock are you analyzing? What’s its ticker symbol?
  • What does the company do?
  • How does it make money?

• Sustainability
  • Innovation
    • Has the company innovated or not?
    • How so?
    • How will this impact the company?
  • Market Share
    • Is the company a dominant player in their industry?
    • What are the trends in market share over time and how will that impact the company?
  • Branding
    • Is the company’s brand recognizable or powerful?
    • How will this impact the company?
  • Industry
    • What sector and industry are the company in?
    • What are the trends of this industry and how will it impact the company?
    • Does the company have a competitive advantage?

• Management
  • What is the background and previous experience of the CEO?
  • What significant decisions has the CEO made and have they worked out for the company?
  • What is the vision of the CEO?
  • Is the overall management team skilled and working in the interest of the company? How so? How will this impact the company?
  • Does the company have a strong culture?

• Growth
  • What are the trends in revenue, and how will this impact the company?
  • What are the trends in net income, and how will this impact the company?
  • What are the trends in shares outstanding, and how will this impact the company?

• Financials
  • Price
    • What is the price of the stock currently, and how has it performed in different time frames?
    • How expensive is the stock? You can use ratios such as P/E, P/B, EV/EBITDA, P/S, a different price ratio, or a fair value calculation such as the DCF.
  • Debt
    • Does the company need a large amount of debt to run its business?
    • Does the amount of debt put the company in a bad position, or make it too a risky an investment? You can use ratios such as the D/E, Interest Coverage, Current Ratio, a different debt ratio, or cite evidence from the balance sheet.
  • Profitability
    • How profitable is the business and how does this impact shareholders? You can use ratios such as Profit Margin, Operating Margin, Gross Margin, a different profitability ratio, or cite evidence from the income statement.
  • Dividends
    • Does the company pay dividends? Why or why not?
    • If the company does pay dividends, how much? How does that impact shareholders and the company? You can use ratios such as Dividend Yield, Payout Ratio, a different dividend ratio, or cite evidence from the cash flow statement.

• • Conclusion
    • Buy Rating
      • Overall, is the stock a buy, hold, or sell at the current price?
      • Why?
    • Price Target
      • What price do you expect the stock to be at in 1 year?
      • Why?

Information in italics is not required, but are rather ideas you could use. What you want to include in each section is completely up to you. Adding more than what is required is also allowed and encouraged.

Reports will be selected to move onto the next round based on your understanding of the stock, the depth of analysis, and the accuracy of information. For a higher chance of moving on to the second stage, have more than just text in your report. Include charts, pictures, screenshots of financial statements, and/or quotes from executives.

Submissions should be in either .pdf (PDF) or .docx (Microsoft Word Document) form, and sent to icoastudents.programs@gmail.com. All submissions are due April 16^th at 11:59pm PST, and anything sent after that time will not be accepted.

If your report is selected to move onto the next round, you will have the opportunity to present about your stock and answer questions from a panel of experienced investors. You will know if your report was selected by April 30^th at 11:59pm PST, and if so you will receive more information about the second round. Those whose reports are selected to move on will receive a certificate recognizing their accomplishment, and the winner of the second round will receive a trophy.

If you have questions regarding this competition, please contact us and we will respond ASAP.