< The 2014 All-America Research Team
Total Appearances: 14
Analyst Debut: 2001Among the 12 All-America Research Team Hall of Fame analysts who earn first place this year, David Raso of ISI Group boasts the second-longest winning streak — 14 years. Only his colleague Ed Hyman has dominated his space longer, with 35 consecutive No. 1 finishes in Economics. Raso, 44, is “the hardest-working analyst in the sector,” one money manager attests, “with the most extensive fieldwork.” He officially reports on 14 U.S. machinery names and keeps sights on at least five more. The researcher did an about-face in November and issued a series of downgrades. Among them was a lowering of CNH Industrial from buy to neutral, largely because the U.K.-based agricultural and construction equipment producer was facing declining demand and he deemed its shares reasonably valued. Through mid-September, CNHI’s New York Stock Exchange–listed shares tumbled 27.1 percent, to $7.92, while the sector gained 9.3 percent. An exception to that November wave of pessimism was United Rentals, a Stamford, Connecticut–based equipment renting and leasing concern. Raso dubbed it his top pick at that time, owing to the company’s solid earnings growth and strong dividend yield. By mid-September the stock had soared 75.9 percent, to $116.29. He still recommends that investors buy United Rentals, advising that the share price could rise to $123. “David is the authority in on-the-ground research in his space,” insists another loyalist.