Posted on March 14, 2025 by Rebekah Alegria
A team of finance students from the Carlos Alvarez College of Business at UTSA won the South Texas CFA Research Challenge.
2025 South Texas CFA Challenge Winners, UTSA Alvarez
The competition, held this month at UTSA, brought together 10 finalist teams from universities across North and South Texas to compete in an investment research and financial analysis competition.
Alvarez team members were Johnathon Bloxham, Farzad Hussain, Reed Knapp, Tristan Phan and Kelsie Warmack. The team was led by Ron Sweet, associate professor of practice in finance and advisor to the Investment Society.
The students conducted an analysis of a publicly-traded company, including a valuation, investment risks and a final buy, sell or hold recommendation. Their presentation and ability to defend their findings before a panel of CFA judges earned them the top spot among South Texas competitors.
“This team had a lot of enthusiasm and was great at researching the company,” said Sweet. “Their detailed knowledge of the company gave them a huge edge in the Q&A portion of the presentation.”
The CFA Research Challenge is an annual global competition that tests students’ ability to conduct professional-level financial research. Participants analyze a real company and present their findings to industry professionals. This year’s event included 75 students, faculty, mentors, judges and guests, fostering a collaborative environment for experiential learning and networking.
“The challenge is a real-world example of financial analysis and valuation in finance,” Sweet explained. “It is a perfect application of finance and allows students to prove they can take what they learned in class and apply it under pressure.”
UTSA has been one of the most successful schools in Texas in the CFA Research Challenge, advancing to the third round three times in the past six years. “I believe our courses emphasize application, and with participation in the Investment Society, students gain opportunities outside of the classroom to apply their academic learning,” said Sweet.
— Rebekah Alegria
