< The 2015 Latin America Research Team
Total appearances: 19
Team debut: 1995J.P. Morgan delivers its strongest showing on this lineup in 12 years, rising from runner-up to secure third place. Under the guidance of Marcelo Motta in São Paulo and Monterrey-based newcomer Adrian Huerta, its four-strong group monitors 14 regional cement and construction stocks. In February they simultaneously upgraded Brazilian homebuilder MRV Engenharia e Participações from neutral to overweight and downgraded domestic rival Direcional Engenharia from overweight to neutral. MRV was enjoying a jump in sales, they noted, while Direcional’s new developments were underperforming. Sure enough, by mid-July, MRV’s shares had risen 14.2 percent, to 7.97 reais, while those of Direcional had tumbled 31.5 percent, to 4.45 reais. During the same period, the regional sector inched up 1.9 percent. This year Motta and Huerta also guide a troupe to third place on the Real Estate roster. “They are a one-stop shop for complete coverage,” one portfolio manager attests. Motta moved to J.P. Morgan in 2007 from Santander, where he worked as an analyst. The 29-year-old researcher received a bachelor’s degree in economics from the Universidade de São Paulo. Huerta, 41, has been with the firm since 1999, joining from Mexican brokerage Vector Casa de Bolsa. He holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from the Instituto Tecnológico y de Estudios Superiores de Monterrey.