< The 2014 All-America Research Team
Merrill LynchFirst-Place Appearances: 2
Total Appearances: 7
Analyst Debut: 2008Repeating in first place on this lineup is Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s Justin Post, whom one loyalist describes as a “client-focused, dynamic analyst” who “understands the ebbs and flows of every stock he covers.” The 45-year-old researcher works out of San Francisco and over the past year has expanded his sector portfolio by eight names, for a total of 40 U.S. Internet companies. He is bullish on the group, which advanced 29.1 percent over the 12 months through mid-September, while the nation’s broad market rose 17.5 percent. Post cites as broad catalysts potential double-digit sales growth as transactions increasingly move from offline to online platforms; opportunities for high returns on investment expenditures; and new business models that will capitalize on the always-on connectivity and portability of mobile devices, including the sharing, or peer-to-peer, economy. “Our top subsectors for 2014 are the social and travel groups,” he notes. “We also think those Internet companies with high exposure to the mobile Internet should outperform.” Post’s “focus on major industry trends is a great help in investing in a fast-moving industry like the Internet,” cheers another investor.