| Sanjay Sakhrani | Keefe, Bruyette & Woods | “Sanjay is simply the most knowledgeable consumer finance analyst on the Street.” |
| Rocketing into the winner’s circle after debuting as a runner-up last year, Sanjay Sakhrani is “an encyclopedia on the important names within his space,” says one supporter. That sentiment is echoed by another money manager, who states that the Keefe, Bruyette & Woods analyst “really knows his stocks and can think quickly on his feet.” In December, Sakhrani, who tracks 15 companies, dubbed Capital One Financial Corp. his top pick for the year ahead, on the strength of its steady loan growth and then-pending acquisitions of ING Direct U.S.A. and HSBC’s U.S. credit card business, which he argued would boost the McLean, Virginia–based credit card issuer’s low-cost deposits and portfolio of loans. The stock surged 34.1 percent, from $42.17 to $56.53, and led the sector by 3.3 percentage points, through August. “He has excellent relationships with company managements; understands the industry, regulatory and litigation issues; and makes stock calls that make the buy side money,” explains one grateful supporter. Sakhrani, 37, earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from St. John’s University in New York and an MBA at Ithaca, New York’s Cornell University. He joined KBW in 2006 from Crédit Agricole subsidiary Calyon Securities (USA), where he followed the specialty and mortgage finance sectors. |