Ken Takamiya
Nomura Securities Co.
After three years in the runner-up position, Ken Takamiya climbs to third place. The Nomura Securities Co. analyst dubbed Mizuho Financial Group a top pick in June, at ¥122, largely on president and CEO Yasuhiro Sato’s plans to consolidate operations to improve efficiency and enhance oversight at the holding company. “I strongly believed that Sato’s reforms would change the company fundamentally and also the sentiments of market participants,” Takamiya explains. The Tokyo-based lender’s stock had rocketed to ¥212 by mid-March, for a stunning 73.8 percent advance that trumped the sector by 8.3 percentage points. Takamiya “generates unbiased, meaningful advice,” asserts one Tokyo-based fund manager. — Ben Mattlin