|
Stephen Maresca, who debuted in this sector last year as a runner-up, advances to third place; the Morgan Stanley analyst is also No. 1 in Master Limited Partnerships. “He is often out in front of the herd on identifying changes in the industry, letting me act quickly to capture higher returns,” explains one buy-side backer. Maresca believes that secular growth stories abound in the natural-gas sector, with businesses capable of delivering 7 to 9 percent earnings-per-share gains through 2014. “Many of the companies we cover are quite diversified, and thus are experiencing the shale-energy renaissance,” he says. Some will enjoy increasing cash flow through their master limited partnership subsidiaries, while others will benefit from acquisitions and pipeline-capacity expansion opportunities through their gas utilities. He is recommending Kinder Morgan of Houston along with two Tulsa, Oklahoma–based outfits, Oneok and Williams Cos. RUNNER(S)-UP Richard Gross Barclays |