Stock Pitch Worksheet printable pdf download

Stock Pitch Worksheet

Step 1: Pick a Stock

Stick with industries you understand. If you really enjoy shopping, look at retailers. If you’re a

Comp Sci major, pitch a software company. This will make your research a lot easier and ultimately

you will deliver a better stock pitch. For example, Warren Buffett, arguably the world’s best investor,

does not invest in technology companies because they are outside of his sphere of competency.

Qualitative approach: Look at the overall economy and choose a sector and industry that you think

has particularly positive/negative cyclical or secular themes. Then try to choose the best/worst

company in that industry.

Quantitative approach: Use arbitrary parameters to filter the overall universe of stocks (e.g. below

average P/E, high revenue and earnings growth, high ROE). Yahoo! Finance and MSN Money both

offer free stock screeners.

Don’t stress over this part of the process. For interviews, the execution is much more important than

the idea. As long as you understand your company well and make a compelling argument, you will

probably impress your interviewers—regardless of which stock you choose to pitch.

Step 2: Craft a Persuasive Pitch

There are three basic parts to an effective stock pitch: story, numbers, and valuation. The checklist

below should serve as a rough guide as you begin to craft your own stock pitches over winter break.

Try to include all of the components I have listed below, but make sure you emphasize those that

support your case. And don’t forget to at least briefly acknowledge risks to your thesis.

When delivering your stock pitch, note that it should act as a summary of your research/knowledge of

the company. The interviewer will expect more in-depth knowledge/reasoning in the Q&A. You want

to be able to have a discussion, so don’t give it all upfront!

Basic Information (example: VistaPrint)

Company name: VistaPrint

Ticker: VPRT

Price: $33

52-week range: $17.55 – $37.75

Note: This is important to know, but a stock’s past returns shouldn’t have any bearing on your

decision to buy or sell over an intermediate- to long-term time horizon (i.e. > 6 months).

Market cap: $1.4B

Recommendation: Buy

FEP, Duke University

Last updated 12/14/11

Stock Pitch Worksheet