H-ton Investment Club No. 1 on LI for Portfolio Returns

Huntington’s Investment Club team finished No. 1 for portfolio returns in the Long Island high school stock market contest that ran from March 11 through June 14. The Blue Devils were the only team to have portfolio returns that beat the S&P 500 Index.

“On an individual level, we had eight members in the top 25; four in the top 10 and three in the top five out of 202 participants, all of which had returns that surpassed the S&P 500 return of 23.4 percent during the span of the competition,” said Bryan Outsen, a Huntington business teacher who serves as the Blue Devils’ faculty advisor.

Participants were given an initial account of $100,000 to invest. “Students are able to buy and sell stocks, bonds and mutual funds, as well as purchase options and perform margin calls,” Mr. Outsen explained.

The Huntington team members meet bi-weekly to discuss trends and high performing investments in order to improve their total return as a club.

Club President Dante Salgado finished No. 3 on Long Island for portfolio returns with Huntington juniors James Masler and Alex Dumas placing No. 4 and No. 5, respectively.

Salgado, a senior, saw his portfolio return 14.0745 percent above the S&P 500 as he turned $100,000 into equity worth $120,084.06.

Several other Huntington Investment Club members also turned in outstanding performances with freshman Eli Levi placing No. 8 on LI for portfolio returns. Sophomores Claire Parks and Isabella Palacios combined to finish No. 13. Junior Zachary Schnitzer placed No. 15 with junior Vincenza Garofalo finishing No. 22 and senior Justin Alvarez in the No. 24 spot.

“As a club our total profit in three months was $86,224.36,” Mr. Outsen said. “We will be participating in the national competition that runs from September to June 2025, where students will have the opportunity to win scholarships and national recognition.”