Students at Gonzaga Awarded $2,000 and Trip to D.A. Davidson Conference
D.A. Davidson & Co., a full-service investment firm with a national scope, today announced that a team of students from Gonzaga University in Spokane has been named the winners of the 2nd Annual Fred Dickson Memorial Award. Named in honor of D.A. Davidson & Co.’s late chief market strategist, the Fred Dickson Memorial Award is given annually to the participating team that demonstrates overall excellence and adherence to the program’s objectives.
Gonzaga students have been participating in this program for 19 years and, as a group, clearly appreciate the importance of thoughtful approach to the investment process.
-James Ragan, director of IIG Research
“We are very pleased to congratulate the Zags on earning this award based on the long-term excellence of their involvement in this program,” said Ragan.
As winners of the award, the Gonzaga team will be given a $2,000 cash reward and an expenses-paid trip for five participants to D.A. Davidson’s Managed Assets Strategic Conference, a premier company event scheduled for March 2017 in Spokane.
Over the course of their participation in the investment program, Gonzaga’s student teams have produced among the best and most consistent investment returns. In addition to finishing among the five teams with the strongest investment returns for the most recent program year, Gonzaga earned the top spot for portfolio return over the past five years on both an absolute (compounded annual return of +12.9%) and risk-adjusted basis. The Zags were No. 2 in the risk-adjusted return rankings for the three- and one-year periods and also have qualified for profit sharing by earning higher than a 5% return in 12 of the 19 years participating in the program. Most importantly, the students on the team win by gaining a solid foundation for understanding what it takes to be a successful investment manager.
“The students and faculty have been incredibly engaged, and it's a privilege to see them work this hard and have such a consistently excellent program and investment returns,” said Michael Jackson, D.A. Davidson’s branch manager for Spokane and the Gonzaga program advisor. “The class combines individual learning, with each student required to pitch a stock idea to the full class, with a team-based approach to determine allocation levels with risk considerations in mind. It’s an approach that works – and one that makes me proud to be a Gonzaga alum.”
D.A. Davidson's Student Investment Program was established in 1985 to give college and university students a hands-on experience in investing while also learning skills and concepts that include investment research, performance measurement, teamwork, and communications. The program is provided to 20 colleges and university teams in the West and Midwest.
About D.A. Davidson & Co.
Employee-owned D.A. Davidson & Co. is the largest full-service investment firm headquartered in the Northwest, offering wealth management advice and services as well as equity and fixed income capital markets services and advice.
D.A. Davidson is part of D.A. Davidson Companies, a financial services holding company with more than 1,350 employees working in 23 states. The Montana-based company is celebrating its 81st anniversary of serving clients with straightforward advice, personalized solutions and industry expertise. Also part of D.A. Davidson Companies are D.A. Davidson Trust Company, a trust and wealth management firm; Davidson Investment Advisors, a professional asset management firm; and Davidson Fixed Income Management, a registered investment adviser offering fixed income portfolio management and other advisory services. For more information, see www.dadavidson.com or Twitter: @DADavidsonCo