Slipping one notch to third, Jamilu Rubin of Goldman, Sachs & Co. is “always creative when it comes to figuring out how these companies are unlocking value — she knows their business better than they do,” declares one buy-side loyalist. Rubin upgraded Merck & Co. to buy in August 2009, at $28.88, on the Whitehouse Station, New Jersey–based outfit’s growth prospects.