< The 2014 All-America Research Team

Total Appearances: 8

Analyst Debut: 2004Earning his third consecutive top finish on this roster and his second straight appearance at No. 2 in Cable & Satellite, J.P. Morgan’s Philip Cusick is “known first and foremost for his work ethic,” one adherent attests. Moreover, adds another backer, the 40-year-old researcher “has the deepest Rolodex in the industry.” Shares of U.S. telecommunications services providers inched up 1.3 percent year to date through mid-September, against the broad market’s 7.3 percent gain, and Cusick — who monitors 26 names in the group — advises clients to be selective. “We are most positive on towers, positive on wireless and neutral on wireline,” he explains. “Wireless pricing continues to flex, but we think that the competition is rational rather than destructive.” But that is not to say that the industry’s tick toward prudence will persist without challenges and upsets. “As Sprint [Corp.’s] network improves, they will be challenged to find a niche of customers who care, or push T-Mobile [US] out of its value niche,” says Cusick. He forecasts that T-Mobile will prevail and favors the Bellevue, Washington–based provider among telecommunications companies. His $40 target price for the stock implies a 31.7 percent upside to its mid-September trading level. As for his favorite segment, the researcher adds, “We expect towers to be the best subsector given new spectrum bands to be deployed, high-capacity demand growth and four carriers with high [capital expenditure] budgets.”