Jarrod Castle, Dominic Edridge & team
UBS
Vaulting from runner-up to the second team is the UBS quartet under Jarrod Castle and Dominic Edridge. The London-based researchers, who cover 27 stocks, upgraded Air France–KLM from neutral to buy in September, at €4.82, largely on the strength of the French air carrier’s restructuring efforts. The airline had eliminated unprofitable flights, signed new labor contracts to reduce operating expenses and was poised to sustain price increases, they contended. The stock flew 45.2 percent, to €7, through December, and the analysts continue to recommended it. “Jarrod’s market timing and Dominic’s fundamental analyses pack a powerful one-two punch,” asserts one New York–based portfolio manager. — Ben Mattlin