< The 2014 All-America Research TeamMark WeintraubBuckingham Research GroupFirst-Place Appearances: 0
Total Appearances: 4
Analyst Debut: 1998Unranked in 2013, Mark Weintraub of Buckingham Research Group rejoins the roster at No. 3, marking his first finish above runner-up. The researcher covers 13 U.S. paper and packaging names “like a CFO or CEO, with instincts and insights that exhibit a high degree of knowledge,” as one portfolio manager puts it. One name on which Weintraub has recently changed course is MeadWestvaco Corp., a Richmond, Virginia–based packager and specialty paper producer. Since January 2011 he had recommended buying the stock, repeatedly reiterating his stance on the strength of management’s ability to monetize MeadWestvaco’s real estate assets, among other factors. But in June, with the shares up 30.1 percent over the trailing 12 months and ahead of U.S. packagers by 8.3 percentage points, he reduced them to neutral, deeming them fairly valued. The downgrade proved well timed, indeed, just 0.88 cents off the share price’s historical high point. In mid-September, MeadWestvaco was trading at $42.42, down 2.2 percent since June and lagging its peers by 3.9 percentage points. “As an independent, Mark is objective because he feels no push from investment banking,” declares one buy-side analyst.
RUNNER(S)-UP
Chip Dillon
Vertical Research Partners
Gail Glazerman
UBS
Ghansham Panjabi
Robert W. Baird & Co.