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George Staphos
Bank of America
Merrill Lynch
First-place appearances: 14

Total appearances: 23

Analyst debut: 1993

It’s ten years in a row at No. 1 for Hall of Famer George Staphos, 48. The Bank of ­America Merrill Lynch researcher has “one of the broadest coverage lists yet possesses an extraordinarily nuanced view of these unique and differentiated businesses,” one fund manager says. Indeed, with the recent addition of eight building products manufacturers, the analyst now tracks 33 companies, an increase of 50 percent over the past year. Of these names, Staphos favors ­Perrysburg, Ohio–based Owens-­Illinois and Sealed Air Corp. of Elmwood Park, New Jersey. He upgraded the former from neutral to buy in October 2012, at $19.93, crediting the beer-bottle ­maker’s advances in capital deployment, free cash flow generation and Latin America penetration. By the end of August, the stock had bolted 42.4 percent, to $28.39. Sealed Air’s shares should benefit from the packaging materials manufacturer’s free cash flow and renewed efforts to pay down debt. ­Staphos upgraded them from neutral to buy in August 2011, as a bargain at $18.98. They jumped 49.6 percent, to $28.40, through August 2013. — Ben Mattlin