Masahiro Nakanomyo Barclays Capital
The buy side says: “He’s the most knowledgeable analyst covering the sector.”
Climbing one rung to finish in first place — the position he held from 2007 through 2009 — is Barclays Capital’s Masahiro Nakanomyo. The 51-year-old analyst initiated coverage on Olympus Corp. in May 2009 with an underweight rating, at ¥1,724, largely because of the Tokyo-based camera maker’s high cost structure; he has highlighted his position repeatedly since. In October 2011, newly appointed Olympus president and CEO Michael Woodford — the first non-Japanese person to hold the top job — was ousted after blowing the whistle on what he considered questionable expenses on the company’s books. In February, Japanese authorities arrested seven people, including former Olympus chairman Tsuyoshi Kikukawa, in connection with alleged accounting fraud totaling $1.7 billion; in March, Woodford filed suit against the company, claiming wrongful dismissal. Nakanomyo “is one of a few who stayed cautious about Olympus, which became the stock of the year with financial fraud,” notes one money manager. Adds another grateful supporter: “He helped us avoid a terrible risk.” In the 12 months through February, Olympus’s share price tumbled 42.7 percent, to ¥1,359; during the same period the sector declined by 14.8 percent. — Ben Mattlin