For a fifth consecutive year, Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. analyst Aaron (Ronny) Gal, 46, is the sector champion. “Ronny is very knowledgeable in terms of changing Food and Drug Administration regulatory guidance and how it may impact the companies,” one booster asserts. “In addition, his annual biosimilars conference has further differentiated him from his peers. It is a must-attend event.” This year’s meeting will be held December 6 in New York; more than 100 attendees are expected. Pharmaceuticals shares led the S&P 500 by 3.4 percentage points during the first eight months of this year, climbing 17.9 percent, and Gal expects them to carry on apace through year-end, “as the industry-consolidation theme continues to play out,” he says. Looking forward, he is advocating Parisppany, New Jersey–based Actavis. Management at the integrated specialty pharma company has undertaken a “successful diversification strategy in purchasing Ireland-based Warner Chilcott,” he believes. (That deal is expected to close before 2014.) And he sees significant potential for the branded novel drugs in Actavis’s women’s health pipeline. The stock closed August at $135.18; Gal has set a target price of $140. — Leslie Kramer |
The 2013 All-America Research Team: Pharmaceuticals/Specialty, No. 1: Aaron (Ronny) Gal
