second team Tien-Tsin Huang J.P. Morgan
third team Jason Kupferberg UBS
Roderick Bourgeois retains the top spot, for a fourth consecutive year. Investors commend the Sanford C. Bernstein analyst’s “incredibly in-depth research” and “stellar performance,” as evidenced by his coverage of Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp. Bourgeois, 40, elevated the Teaneck, New Jersey–based consulting firm to top pick in January, at $18.06, on rising demand for outsourcing services. The stock had catapulted 93.1 percent, to $34.87, by late August. “His top pick proved to be solid gold in a time when most stocks utterly tanked,” cheers one grateful client.
J.P. Morgan’s Tien-Tsin Huang moves up one rung to second place. Noted by investors for his “cool detachment from day-to-day gyrations” and “fearless ability to take a definitive stand,” Huang downgraded Heartland Payment Systems of Princeton, New Jersey, from equal weight to underweight in October 2008, at $25.56, citing concerns over the credit card payment processer’s lack of multiple revenue streams amid a consumer spending slowdown. In February, after the stock had plummeted 78.5 percent, to $5.49, and underperformed the sector by 56.2 percentage points, the analyst moved it back to equal weight, on valuation. The share price had climbed to $12.51 by late August.
Newcomer Jason Kupferberg takes third place. One money manager credits the UBS analyst with having “the sharpest instincts in the sector.” Kupferberg reiterated his buy rating on MasterCard in January, at $128.85, despite cyclical headwinds from weak consumer spending. The shares had surged 57.3 percent, to $202.63, by August 31.
Click here to see the All-America Research Team rankings.
