< The 2015 All-America Research Team

Total Appearances: 7

Analyst Debut: 2009

In his seventh appearance on this lineup, Ronald Epstein of Bank of America Merrill Lynch claims his first top finish, vaulting from the No. 3 spot he held the past two years. With 33 stocks under coverage, the researcher “is always traveling, immersing himself in the industry to the point where I don’t know when he sleeps,” one client marvels. Another fund manager declares that ”Ron is an independent thinker.” Epstein has of late turned bearish on several names. For example, in June 2014 he lowered his rating on Berwyn, Pennsylvania–based aircraft-components producer Triumph Group from neutral to underperform, citing overcapacity and capital concerns. Sure enough, by the middle of last month, the stock had plummeted 33.4 percent, to $47.32, while U.S. aerospace and defense electronics shares overall rose 1.3 percent. More dramatically, he slashed his position on Stamford, Connecticut’s Crane Co. from buy to underperform in March. The manufacturer of airplane sensing and control systems faces earnings challenges from soft end markets, the analyst advises. Down 25.1 percent through mid-September, at $49.96, the stock has lagged its peers by 17.1 percentage points. Epstein, 48, joined Merrill Lynch in July 2001, immediately after receiving an MBA in finance from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. He also holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from New York’s Skidmore College and a master’s degree and Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Duke University in North Carolina. Before he became an equity analyst, Epstein worked as a research scientist at Chicago-based Boeing Co., the world’s largest aerospace company.