Investment Club Watch

Try Jim Cramer's Action Alerts PLUS
CLICK HERE NOW

University of Oregon Investors Focus on Small-Caps

12/11/07 - 01:47 PM EST

Jonas  Elmerraji

As the fall semester comes to a close, the University of Oregon Investment Group has more to think about than grades. This team of undergraduates is responsible for a $1 million investment portfolio and holding the lead in an 18-college portfolio competition. How do they do it? Here's a look inside the UOIG.

How the UOIG Works

Since 1998, the University of Oregon Investment Group (UOIG) has existed to provide the school's undergrads with a chance to get hands-on experience investing real money.

The group is composed of 33 members who each act as a either a sector sector analyst analyst or one of three portfolio managers.

Sector analysts research stocks in a given sector (UOIG splits companies into consumer goods; industry, materials, and energy; healthcare; technology; and financial companies) and during the group's Friday morning meetings, they pitch their buy or sell recommendations to the other members.

Portfolio managers supervise the analysts and are responsible for tracking and analyzing the performance of the portfolio of funds as a whole, as well as give guidance to the analysts.

Senior Darren Crook, the portfolio manager for the group's Tall Firs portfolio, explains: "We work a lot with our sector leaders on identifying different subsectors, or different companies that we like, trying to exploit opportunities that we see. The analysts themselves have the opportunity to value valuation or research any company they'd like, but sometimes they would like some help figuring out which company [to focus on]."

In total, the group manages three portfolios: Tall Firs, DADCO and Svigals. And like other investment clubs, stocks are only added to the UOIG's funds after a group-wide vote.

About the UOIG's Three Portfolios

Tall Firs: Tall Firs is the group's largest portfolio by far, accounting for over $800,000 of UOIG's assets asset under management. Named in honor of the University of Oregon's 1939 national champion basketball team, Tall Firs has long-term appreciation appreciation in mind.

DADCO: On the other hand, the DADCO portfolio focuses on "growth growth at a reasonable price" (GARP). DADCO is the group's first portfolio and was created as part of the D.A. Davidson Student Investment Program, a portfolio competition developed by Montana-based investment firm D.A. Davidson & Company to give college students the chance to invest real capital capital. The UOIG splits the DADCO fund's earnings with the Davidson program.

The DADCO portfolio is rebalanced at $50,000 each September, and its performance is ranked against the program's 18 other competing schools, including nearby Portland State University.

Svigals: The newest addition to the UOIG is the Svigals Portfolio. Wholly owned by University of Oregon alum Howard Svigals, the portfolio adds more than $100,000 to the group's assets under management.

Previous «
1 2 3
Jonas Elmerraji is the founder and publisher of Growfolio.com, an online business magazine for young investors.

Investing A-to-Z

Investment Club Watch

Go To Section Home


12/10/07
A Primer on Benchmarking Your Investments

Here's an introduction to gauging your investment performance.


11/28/07
NYU Student Investors Try Joy Global

The student-run Investment Analysis Group digs into Joy Global, Lockheed Martin and Hologic. Here's why.


11/15/07
U of Maryland's Undergrad Fund Earns 'Street Cred'

The student-run Senbet Fund looks at HealthSpring and the financial sector.


11/12/07
USC Students Beat Their Benchmarks With ADRs

MBA students at the University of Southern California's Marshall School of Business look overseas for value plays.


11/01/07
NYU Portfolio Managers Battle Over Crocs

What is it about a high-flying stock that can scare some investors away?


10/17/07
I'm 26. How Do I Invest for Income and Growth?

Investing in your 20s offers challenges and opportunities. Here's some advice on how to handle both.


05/19/08
Cramer on Top Searched Stocks: Yahoo!

Yahoo! is among the most searched stocks on TheStreet.com. Here's what Cramer had to say about the stock recently.


05/17/08
Jim Cramer's Best Blogs

Catch up on his thinking on the hottest topics of the past week.


04/26/08
Coming Week: Make or Break

Investors will have to deal with a Fed meeting and another flood of earnings and economic data.


05/19/08
Top Rocket Stocks: Ensco

Ensco International and Echelon have the potential to move higher in coming days.


04/28/08
Monday's Analysts' Upgrades, Downgrades

See who made what calls.


05/19/08
Telecom Giants See a Savior in Video

The addition of video is helping telecom companies compete against cable and satellite companies.


05/19/08
Contract Expiration Tempers Oil's Rise

The June West Texas Intermediate contract reflects selling pressure ahead of Tuesday's expiration. But stocks in the sector are generally trading higher.


05/19/08
Analysts' Upgrades, Downgrades: Amazon

See who made what calls.


Your Recent Quotes: Quote Up0 | Quote Down0
Dow S&P 500 NASDAQ
Oil*
Gold
10 Yr
0.00%
%
%
%
Data delayed 20 min
Sign up for our FREE newsletters now.

Keep on top of the market and the critical information you need to make more profitable investing decisions.

  • Cramer's Daily Booyah!
  • Before the Bell

Privacy Policy

See All Free Newsletters

Premium Stock Ideas