< The 2014 All-China Research Team

Total Appearances: 5

Analyst Debut: 2010Hak Kan (Leon) Chik “has an eye for moneymakers,” cheers one fund manager. The J.P. Morgan strategist is back on top, rising from the No. 3 position he earned in 2012 and 2013 to reclaim first-place honors. From his base in Hong Kong, Chik monitors 24 Chinese small- and midcap companies. One name he has added over the past year is Xinyi Solar Holdings, a Wuhu-based manufacturer of photovoltaic glass that went public last December. Chik initiated coverage at that time with an overweight rating. He deemed the company, which was spun off from Hong Kong’s Xinyi Glass Holdings, well positioned to benefit from growing demand for solar panels. It already captured 21 percent of the domestic market, and management had solid plans for rapid expansion, the analyst explained. The shares had performed spectacularly by late last month, soaring 160 percent, to HK$2.47, while the sector managed a mere 1.2 percent gain. Another favorite of the 44-year-old analyst is Beijing-based TAL Education Group. He began reporting on the K-12 after-school tutoring services provider in April, when TAL’s American depositary receipts were trading at $20.73. Citing price increases and a steadily rising influx of new students, Chik recommended that investors overweight the securities. Through late November the ADRs had catapulted 54.5 percent, to $32.03, while the sector slipped by 1 percent. He believes that a price of $45 is justified. “Leon is the champion of the sector,” insists another fan.