Associate Equity Research Analyst, Consumer

Company: Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
Location: Appleton
Posted on: June 6, 2021

Job Description:

Summary

We exist to help people achieve financial clarity. At Thrivent, we believe money is a tool, not a goal. Driven by a higher purpose at our core, we are committed to providing financial advice, investments, insurance, banking and generosity programs to help people make the most of all they've been given.

At our heart, we are a membership-owned fraternal organization, as well as a holistic financial services organization, dedicated to serving the unique needs of our clients. We focus on their goals and priorities, guiding them toward financial choices that will help them live the life they want today-and tomorrow.

Job Summary:

The equity research associate position assists and supports senior equity research analysts in conducting fundamental research on sectors, industries, and companies to identity the best investment opportunities that lead top exceptional portfolio performance while managing risk.

Job Description

Job Responsibilities and Duties:

OVERALL

• Assists and supports senior equity analysts researching, modeling, analyzing and communicating investments in the consumer sector.
• Requires strong fundamental research skills and a passion for stock picking across growth and value stocks spanning small to large capitalization ranges.
• Despite being an early career position, quickly develop a sophisticated level of expertise in assigned industries.
• Identify sources, sustainability, follow and understand drivers of competitive position of companies and understand growth drivers, total addressable markets and returns on invested capital for companies within assigned industries.
• Critically assess the strategies of company management and the implications for stock price performance. Understand the impact of external forces on assigned industries - regulation, macroeconomic activity, labor, technological change, etc.
• Recognize sector specific financial statement reporting issues and note valuations approaches and opportunity via mis-valuation.
• Be able to clearly communicate conclusions to senior analysts and portfolio managers.

SPECIFIC

• Conduct due diligence and proprietary research relating to investment suitability for multiple mandates by developing a network of contacts within industry in addition to Wall Street analysts, such as: expert networks, private company competitors, consultants, suppliers, customers, trade journals, reporters, retired employees, etc.
• Build and maintain company financial models and generate forecasts. Models include proprietary revenue forecasts, income statement, balance sheet, cash flow, and multiple valuation analysis including DCF.
• Understand how to calculate financial metrics including: return on invested capital, growth rates, margins. Understand earnings volatility, capital requirements and apply valuation techniques.
• Craft and manage sector and industry coverage lists gathering relevant company operating, financial and valuation metrics.
• Monitor assigned companies, constantly reassessing investment merits.
• Demonstrate preparedness and confidence translating real-time developments into actionable recommendations with senior analysts.
• Have a long-term investment philosophy, whilst producing new, actionable ideas.
• Develop analytical frameworks designed to systematically identify risks and opportunities that inspire confidence in senior analysts and portfolio managers.
• Support all relevant communications efforts of partner senior analysts, interacting with other analysts and portfolio managers as required and requested.

Job Qualifications:

• Up to 2 years of buy or sell side equity research experience.
• In addition to current buy or sell side experience, previous experience in financial analysis, corporate development or a technical role will be considered part of overall experience.
• Experience and grounding in fundamental equity analysis including proprietary modeling in a process driven environment.
• An understanding of financial markets (stocks, bonds, etc.), current economic events and trends and their interrelationship.
• Understanding of risk management as it relates to managing equity portfolios.
• Personal characteristics such as curiosity, creativity, dependability, self-motivation, discipline, reason, team-focus, initiative, and the ability to take responsibility for her/his decisions and impact on portfolios. The capacity to admit error and learn from mistakes.
• Ability to develop and maintain relationships, both internally and externally, and to communicate both logically and persuasively.
• Undergraduate degree is required; an MBA and/or CFA are strongly preferred.
• Mathematics, data science, programming (R, Python, MATLAB, Tableau) background a plus.

Other Critical Factors:

• Assisting senior analysts in stock selection decisions that consistently add value versus benchmarks and quantitative models.
• Having a passion for excellence. An ability to admit mistakes, learn, and improve to avoid errors in the future. A willingness to focus and commit to be the best.
• A facility to communicate concisely an assessment of critical variables that will determine a company's success or failure and a desire to engage in critical debate, embracing alternative viewpoints and constructive criticism.
• Comfortable with thinking creatively - confident enough to develop, propose and defend non-consensus viewpoints. Be dedicated and proprietary.
• Provide feedback to senior analysts and portfolio teams on ways to improve process. Looking for a great teammate.
• Use of all available technological resources to improve effectiveness and efficiency.

Reporting Relationships:

• You will report to assigned senior equity analysts and have significant interaction with large-, mid- and small-cap portfolio manager teams across growth, core and value styles, as well as, the director of equity research, other equity analysts, and risk management team.

Thrivent provides Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) without regard to race, religion, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy, national origin, age, disability, marital status, citizenship status, military or veteran status, genetic information, or any other status protected by applicable local, state, or federal law. This policy applies to all employees and job applicants.

Thrivent is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation, please let us know by sending an email to human.resources@thrivent.com or call 800-847-4836 and request Human Resources.

Keywords: Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, Appleton , Associate Equity Research Analyst, Consumer, Other , Appleton, Wisconsin