Robert Loest

Robert Loest has a Ph.D. in biology and is a financial analyst charterholder (CFA) and former naval officer. He has managed money for institutions and individuals since 1987 and is frequently quoted in the press. He has appeared as a regular or occasional guest on many financial programs, including CNNfn, CNN, CNBC, Fox Financial News, Bloomberg, Wall $treet Week with Louis Rukeyser and two years as a regular panelist on CNBC's “Market Week with Maria Bartiromo,” broadcast from the floor of the NYSE.

Loest employs a value-based, bottom-up approach to stock selection. He invests in companies that consistently generate high amounts of free cash flow and demonstrate high returns on invested capital. He estimates a fair value based on discounted FCF, and typically purchases stocks only at a discount to estimated fair value. He also employs various risk management tools to minimize the level of risk. His primary objective is to generate high risk-adjusted returns.

Loest received his B.A. degree in 1966 from the University of Tennessee and his Ph.D. in biology from Florida State University, where he taught as an assistant and did research until 1977. He graduated from Navy Officer Candidate School in Newport, R.I., and served as a naval officer from 1967 to 1972. He received his Financial Analyst Charter (CFA designation) in 1992 is a member of the CFA Institute and a regular member and founder of the Knoxville Chapter of Financial Analysts. Loest is interested in philosophy and the history of Medieval, Renaissance and Enlightenment Europe, and enjoys bicycling and inline skating.