David Risinger | First TeamDavid Risinger Merrill Lynch Second Team John Boris, Bear Stearns Third Team Jami Rubin, Morgan Stanley Runner-Up C. Anthony Butler, Lehman |
| Rising the last level to finish on top for the first time, David Risinger of Merrill Lynch impresses investors with “very thorough” work on big-picture issues like Medicare Part D coverage and a willingness “to go out of consensus” on individual stocks. Risinger broke from the herd in March, when he told investors to buy Schering-Plough Corp. just days after the Kenilworth, New Jersey–based drug manufacturer announced its $14.4 billion acquisition of Akzo Nobel’s drug unit Organon BioSciences, saying the merger offered more growth potential than the market recognized. By mid-September the stock was up 31.0 percent, dramatically outperforming the sector’s 2.4 percent gain over the same period. Risinger, 38, who earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Bucknell University in 1991, covered pharmaceuticals companies for Morgan Stanley before joining Merrill in 1999. Previously unranked John Boris is “the master of long-term earnings models,” declares one money manager. Clients appreciate the Bear Stearns analyst’s fundamentals-driven calls, such as his January upgrade of Merck & Co., on his belief that shares of the Whitehouse Station, New Jersey– based company were undervalued at $42.99. By mid-September the stock was up 15.2 percent, to $49.54. Jami Rubin of Morgan Stanley, who advances from runner-up to third, is “not afraid to stick her neck out” in the quest for upside. Rubin covers both major and specialty pharmaceuticals, which allows her to drill down into the universe of smaller-cap companies that follow the big pharma business model. Last October she initiated coverage of Warner Chilcott, a Rockaway, New Jersey– based dermatological-products manufacturer, with a buy recommendation on strong growth prospects. By mid-September shares were up 41.5 percent. | |
