The 2014 All-Russia Research Team: Metals & Mining, No. 3: Eduard Faritov

Earning the No. 3 position on this list for a second year running is Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s Eduard Faritov, “one of the few analysts who sheds conventional wisdom to arrive at a commonsense understanding of what moves stocks,” as an asset manager in London puts it. Faritov monitors 15 Russian metals and mining players and currently favors Norilsk Nickel, a Moscow-based producer of base and precious metals, thanks to rising nickel prices. When the company’s dividend yield jumped in September, he upgraded Norilsk from neutral to buy, projecting that rising prices for palladium and platinum — which together account for nearly one third of revenue — would buoy the share price. Indeed, they have. By the end of May, the global depositary receipts had soared 36.7 percent, to $19.17, keeping pace with the sector’s rise. “His unique valuation tools are an invaluable asset to shareholders,” proclaims another advocate.