SpringfieldNewsSun.com

Springfield, Ohio — Wittenberg University caught the eye of Wall Street after the university's investment club bucked a down-trend in the market to see an impressive return on their investments.

Lowell Stockstill, investment club advisor and professor of the department of management, said he was not sure how to react when a writer from Street.com contacted him via email, asking to do an article about the club.

That call "came right out of the blue," Stockstill said. "It was surprising a Wall Street publication would be aware of our Wittinvest club."

But it would be hard to ignore the club's 50 percent return on a $50,000 grant considering the S&P 500 has been down by more than 13 percent.

The primary purpose of the 8-year-old voluntary club is education, "although we do try to follow sound investment principals," Stockstill said. The original $50,000 was donated in 2000 by the Jim and Vanita Oelschlager Foundation.

The club's been bullish about Procter and Gamble "which has sort of been a steady stalwart for us," said Wittenberg senior Matt Wigton. "(P&G) does relatively well however the market moves."

They've also liked General Electric — another large-cap company.

"One stock that's been a pleasant surprise is Darden Restaurants, which owns Red Lobster and Olive Garden," Wigton said. "They've done well as the market has fluctuated."

Their sound investments have helped them give back a little. Each year, the club puts five percent of their portfolio towards projects at the university, such as furnishing an investment library, new carpet in the faculty hallway and a flat screen television for stock watchers.

The significance of the Street.com article was not lost on the club, Stockstill said.

"Street.com is a widely distributed investment newsletter (whose) principal owner is Jim Cramer from Mad Money," Stockstill said. "To be recognized by an investment professional of his caliber was very excited for the students."

Contact this reporter at (937) 328-0347 or kmori@coxohio.com.