Euisup (Andy) Lee, Arun Subrahmanyam & team Bank of America Merrill Lynch
Euisup (Andy) Lee and Arun Subrahmanyam guide the Bank of America Merrill Lynch quartet up one rung to third place. (Lee also co-leads the top-ranked team in Industrials.) Working out of Hong Kong, Mumbai and Seoul, the analysts provide “really nice weekly updates on sales and inventories,” according to one investor, who also praises the team members for hosting conference calls with top managements: “They do a nice job of following up by sending out notes that summarized everything that was said.” Top picks include Zhongsheng Group Holdings, a dealership network headquartered in Beijing, on the belief that “dealers can enjoy solid growth from their maintenance business,” Lee says. Another favorite: Seoul-based Hyundai Motor Co. Despite concerns on “capacity constraints” and strong competition among Korean automakers, the manufacturer’s “value pricing” strategy should continue to fuel revenue growth, he adds. — Paul Sweeney