Marcos Severine J.P. Morgan First-place appearances: 0
Total appearances: 5
Team debut: 2010 Despite his move from Itaú BBA to J.P. Morgan in October, Marcos Severine extends his hold on the No. 3 position to a third straight year. “Marcos is a clear and articulate thinker,” declares one asset manager. From his base in São Paulo, Severine relaunched coverage on 15 Brazilian utilities a month after he changed firms, and he plans to expand into other Latin American countries over the coming year. One current enthusiasm is São Paulo–headquartered hydroelectric power plant operator Alupar Investimento, which the researcher upgraded from neutral to overweight in June, at 16.64 reais, assigning the stock a price objective of 21 reais. Although noting a “fast deceleration of the Brazilian economy” and “limited upside potential for the sector,” Severine advises investors to favor Alupar because it is not state-owned, pays a high dividend of 10 percent and has exposure to the rapidly growing electricity-distribution segment.