CFA Institute Research Challenge
Selected Team Member · San Diego State University
Research In ProgressEquity Research Team Member — Company & Strategic Analysis
Overview
Selected to represent SDSU in the 2026–2027 CFA Institute Research Challenge, conducting fundamental equity research on WD-40 Company (NASDAQ: WDFC).
Company & strategic analysis responsibilities
- Responsible for analyzing WD-40's business model, product portfolio, geographic revenue exposure, distribution channels, management strategy, and competitive positioning.
- Leading the company overview and business mapping workstream, including research into corporate governance, ESG considerations, and business risks to support the team's investment thesis.
Research milestones
- Selected
- Research In Progress · Current
- Analysis Complete
- Report Complete
- Presentation Complete
- Competition Complete
Research workflow
- Understand the business
- Understand the industry
- Analyze the financials
- Build the forecast
- Value the company
- Develop the thesis
- Identify catalysts
- Identify risks
- Write the report
- Present the recommendation
Company research
WD-40 Company · NASDAQ: WDFC
Company overview, business model, revenue drivers, competitive position and management analysis will appear as approved research is published.
Industry analysis
Research in progress. The public record will connect industry structure, competition, demand drivers and company positioning to cited evidence.
Research notebook
Structured research updates, questions and sources. Only entries approved for public portfolio use appear here.
- Company Overview
- Business Model
- Revenue Drivers
- Industry
- Competitive Position
- Management
- Historical Financials
- Revenue Growth
- Margins
- Cash Flow
- Balance Sheet
- Capital Allocation
- Valuation
- Catalysts
- Risks
- Questions
- Sources
- Research Updates
Research Notebook · In Progress. No public entries have been released.
Financial analysis
Historical evidence and forecasts remain separate. No company values are populated until supported research is approved for release.
Historical financials
Not yet published.
Forecast assumptions & periods
Not yet published.
- Revenue
- Revenue Growth
- Gross Margin
- Operating Margin
- EBITDA
- EPS
- Free Cash Flow
- ROIC
- Debt
- Cash
- Working Capital
- Share Count
- Capital Allocation
Valuation
Valuation model · In DevelopmentPlanned analytical coverage: DCF, trading comparables, historical multiples, EV / EBITDA, P / E, FCF yield, scenarios and sensitivity analysis. These methods are not marked complete without published evidence.
Investment thesis
Investment view, recommendation, target price, current price, potential upside / downside, investment horizon and thesis are not yet published.
Catalysts
No catalysts approved for public release. Future entries will document timing, financial impact, evidence and status.
Risks
No risk analysis approved for public release. Future entries will document financial exposure, monitoring signals and potential thesis impact.
Team research experience
Working within a team-based research process to analyze a public company, develop valuation work, challenge assumptions, synthesize findings, and communicate an investment conclusion.
Research materials · Evidence library
Only documents explicitly approved for public portfolio use are linked. Private team notes, restricted materials, confidential communications and unapproved drafts are excluded.
Research Notebook
In Progress · No public artifact
Company Analysis
Not Yet Published
Industry Research
Not Yet Published
Excel Valuation Model
In Progress · No public artifact
DCF
Not Yet Published
Comparable Companies
Not Yet Published
Financial Forecast
In Progress · No public artifact
Research Report
Not Yet Published
Investment Memo
Not Yet Published
Presentation Deck
Not Yet Published
Final Competition Report
Not Yet Published
Supporting Sources
Not Yet Published
Final presentation
Not Yet Published. A presentation link will appear when an approved public artifact is available.
What this experience develops
Ongoing applied research; the following areas describe the intended work, not completed modeling credentials.
- Equity Research
- Financial Statement Analysis
- Financial Modeling
- Valuation
- DCF
- Comparable Company Analysis
- Industry Research
- Investment Thesis Development
- Risk Analysis
- Investment Writing
- Presentation Skills
- Team Research
Luna1 research connection
Educational and informational purposes only. No personalized financial advice. Selection information is provided by the portfolio owner; no competition result is represented.