James Van Varick

Rising senior at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business studying Finance and Spanish.

This is a portfolio of my stock-pitching work, collected over time. Where I've revisited a name, the original report appears alongside a later update.

AAON, Inc.

NASDAQ: AAON · HVAC / Building Products

Original thesis. I initiated AAON at $88.29 in August 2025 with a $107 price target. The thesis centered on BASX's exposure to rapidly growing data-center cooling demand, with product differentiation and decarbonization supporting the core AAON brand.

Update. By the June 2026 update, shares had risen 44% to $127.19. BASX backlog reached $1.6bn, the core AAON brand returned to growth, and several operational disruptions were beginning to ease. I raised my price target to $166.

Global Ship Lease, Inc.

NYSE: GSL · Containership Leasing

Original thesis. I initiated GSL at $23.18 in March 2025. The company combined contracted cash flows, rapid deleveraging, and low operating breakevens while trading at roughly 2.4x earnings. It led me to a $68 price target.

Update. By the July 2026 update, shares had risen 78% to $41.31. In this report I moved to evaluating GSL through a credit lens rather than setting a price target: with net leverage down to 0.4x EBITDA, I believe the company can service and retire its obligations, including the dividend, through 2030 even if charter rates fall significantly.