Mark Troman & team
Bank of America Merrill Lynch
Mark Troman and his London-based foursome at Bank of America Merrill Lynch “navigate details in a way you can only master after years of experience,” asserts one New York–based money manager. The team, now in its third straight year in second place, follows 34 companies and singled out Sweden’s Hexagon as a top pick in January 2012. The analysts argued that the maker of industrial measurement technologies was well positioned for growing demand for automation from China. By late December the stock had jumped 44.3 percent, from 112.99 Swedish kronor to Skr163.10, and led the sector by 32.4 percentage points. It remains buy rated, although the analysts warn that earnings haven’t kept pace with the price-earnings multiple expansion, posing a valuation risk going forward. — Ben Mattlin