< The 2015 All-America Research Team
Geoffrey Meacham
Barclays
First-place appearances: 0
Total appearances: 9
Analyst debut: 2007
Geoffrey Meacham left J.P. Morgan and has since December been leading Barclays’s coverage of major biotechnology and pharmaceuticals names. The Atlanta-based researcher, 45, earned his seventh straight No. 2 appearance on the Biotechnology lineup last year and claims third place in this year’s Large-Cap sector, which together with Mid- & Small-Cap replaces the previous broad category. As of mid-September the S&P Biotechnology Select Industry Index had jumped 28 percent so far this year — while the S&P 500 declined by 4.9 percent — and Meacham remains bullish. “We expect continued outperformance of biotech, given new launches, elevated deal activity” and many forthcoming data sets from late-stage testing, he explains. Among the names the analyst is advising investors to buy is Alexion Pharmaceuticals, a Chesire, Connecticut–based developer of pharmaceuticals for addressing rare, or so-called orphan, diseases. “The stock should have a strong second half,” he projects, “given two new launches and an improving growth rate for its core Soliris franchise,” a treatment for certain blood disorders. His price target for the stock is $220; Alexion closed at $166.58 in mid-September. “Geoff is really good in gauging what generalists will do,” one portfolio manager remarks. “As a health care specialist, it’s good to know the generalists’ money flow.”