Sriharsha Pappu,
Yonah Weisz
& team
HSBC
Dubai-based Sriharsha Pappu and Yonah Weisz, who works out of Tel Aviv, guide the HSBC threesome up one rung to second place. “Their accuracy in forecasting earnings for their coverage universe is very impressive,” extols one investor. Case in point: In August the analysts urged clients to buy Industries Qatar, at 138.70 riyals, making the case that the Doha-based manufacturer’s efforts to increase capacity would drive earnings growth. They were right. In February the company reported that net profit had risen 6.3 percent year-over-year in 2012, to 8.4 billion riyals ($2.3 billion). By the end of May, the stock had climbed to 166.70 riyals, for a gain of 20.2 percent that outpaced the sector by 28.5 percentage points. — Katie Gilbert