The buy side says: “He is the gold standard in the sector.”
Sanford C. Bernstein & Co.’s Roderick Bourgeois leads the pack for a fifth year running. Bourgeois, 41, is “uniquely insightful with regard to near-term tactics, long-term industry structure and competitive dynamics,” declares one money manager. Clients continue to profit from the analyst’s take on Cognizant Technology Solutions Corp. of Teaneck, New Jersey, which he elevated to top pick back in January 2009, anticipating rising demand for the consulting firm’s outsourcing services. Bourgeois has reiterated his recommendation repeatedly since. In the 12 months through August, Cognizant’s shares soared 65.2 percent, from $34.87 to $57.61, and shot past the sector by 57.7 percentage points. Bourgeois “digs deeper into the companies and industries he covers than most other analysts do, and his analysis is heavy on facts, with the appropriate level of skepticism,” observes one buy-side supporter. Adds another: “He has an ability to formulate a near-term view on a stock without losing the forest for the trees — which is a problem many sell-side analysts have.”
