Vincent Andrews III
Morgan Stanley
First-place appearances: 0

Total appearances: 2

Team debut: 2012

Leapfrogging from runner-up to second place is Morgan Stanley’s Vincent Andrews III, who “has the most comprehensive and far-reaching views of the global sector,” according to one fund manager. Andrews tracks 27 names and continues to champion Monsanto Co. He has rated the St. Louis–based seed producer overweight since April 2010, as a bargain at $66.78. A trip to Brazil in April of this year revealed high local demand for Monsanto’s new insect-resistant Intacta soybeans, and the analyst thought China was likely to allow importation of the product. So that month, with the stock at $102.70 and ahead of the sector by 13.2 percentage points, Andrews reiterated the recommendation. In June, China’s Ministry of Agriculture gave Monsanto the green light on Intacta. Though the shares slipped to $97.89 through August, trailing the sector by 14.7 percentage points, he expects them to rally and outperform in the next 12 months. “Monsanto is in the early innings of a new product cycle — Intacta soybeans — that the market does not fully appreciate yet,” he says. — Ben Mattlin