Hidemaru Yamaguchi Nikko Citi
second team Hiroshi Tanaka Mizuho
third team Fumiyoshi Sakai Credit Suisse
runners-up Kenji Masuzoe Deutsche; Mayo Mita Morgan Stanley; Masatake Miyoshi BofA–Merrill Lynch; Yasuhiro Nakazawa Mitsubishi UFJ; Masayuki Onozuka JPMorgan; Ryoichi Urushihara Nomura
Being “rich in short- and long-term ideas,” according to one client, helps Nikko Citi analyst Hidemaru Yamaguchi capture the crown for an eighth year running. Yamaguchi, 43, upgraded Chugai Pharmaceutical Co. to buy in February, at ¥1,186, on the promising growth prospects of its rheumatoid arthritis treatment, Actemra. One year later the stock was up a very healthy 42.2 percent — 71.1 percentage points ahead of the sector’s 28.9 percent loss. Hiroshi Tanaka of Mizuho Securities Equities Research, who holds steady in second place, “has insightful industry knowledge,” according to one buy-sider. Tanaka told investors to buy Kyowa Hakko Kirin Co. in October, calling the pharmaceuticals research company’s shares a bargain at ¥619. The stock had surged 23.9 percent, to ¥767, by the end of February. Repeat third-teamer Fumiyoshi Sakai impresses clients with what one calls his “expert technical understanding.” A former AstraZeneca executive, the Credit Suisse researcher upgraded Eisai Co. to outperform in June, citing strong demand for its Alzheimer’s medication Aricept and ulcer treatment Pariet. By the end of February, Eisai’s stock was ahead of the sector by 9.1 percentage points.
