Harold Thompson & team, Deutsche Bank
In second place for a second year running is the Deutsche Bank crew headed by Harold Thompson, who impresses one investor with an “extremely thoughtful, long-term view that is rare among his peer group.” The four companies the analysts cover lend themselves to “long-term analysis and investment strategies,” the London-based team leader explains. “Our research product does not look to make short-term noise, but to be value-added and thus long-term focused.” The company to watch in 2012, he adds, is U.K.-based Reckitt Benckiser Group, the world’s largest producer of household products. The stock’s price has dampened over the past two years as sales have slowed and profits fallen, Thompson says, but his group believes a turnaround is due. “Reckitt Benckiser could be one of the best stocks to own in 2012,” he declares.