The buy side says: “His stock picks are timely.”
Pierre Lau of Citi seizes top honors for his “encyclopedic knowledge,” “broad coverage” and “consistent customer service,” clients say. A 1994 graduate of the University of Hong Kong with a bachelor’s degree in finance and accounting, Lau worked as a utilities analyst for ABN Amro Asia before joining Citi in 2006.
In October the 39-year-old analyst downgraded Huadian Power International Corp. from buy all the way to sell, at HK$2.70, largely on spiking coal costs. By late May shares of the electricity generator, which is headquartered in Jinan, Shandong, had plunged 34.1 percent, to HK$1.78. During the same period the sector fell 16 percent.
Second Team
Ivan Lee Nomura
Nomura’s Ivan Lee, who claims second place, “is one of the few analysts with comprehensive coverage of Chinese water companies, which is a growing area,” declares one booster. Investors also applaud his long-standing attention to alternative fuels, especially his February 2009 coverage initiation on Hong Kong’s China Everbright International with a buy rating, at HK$1.55, based on its rich cash flow, largely from wastewater treatment. Through May 2010 the environmental-services provider’s shares had soared 90.3 percent, to HK$2.95.
Third Team
Franklin Chow Goldman Sachs (Asia)
Franklin Chow lands on the third tier. Based in Shanghai, Chow is “everything you’d expect a good analyst to be,” asserts one supporter. Last October the Goldman Sachs (Asia) researcher launched coverage of China High Speed Transmission Equipment Group Co. with a buy recommendation, at HK$16.36, citing its growing market share. The Hong Kong–based wind-power-equipment maker’s stock leapt to HK$19.60 in January before slipping to HK$18.24 by late May; nonetheless it bested the sector by 29.5 percentage points since Chow’s endorsement.
Runners-Up
Angello Chan BofA Merrill Lynch Global Research; Yanlin (Grace) Ding Nomura; Jiangqiao (Michael) Tong Deutsche Bank
To read the article, click on The 2010 All-China Research Team Rankings Released
View the complete results of the 2010 All-China Research Team Rankings