Financial Institutions – Banks/Large-Cap: First

Deutsche Bank Securities’ Matthew O’Connor debuted at No. 1 in 2008 and has stayed there ever since. “Among Matt’s key strengths is his ability to tease out actionable conclusions from vast amounts of data,” asserts one buy-side devotee. In September 2011 the 37-year-old, who reports on 17 names, upgraded Regions Financial Corp. from hold to buy, at $3.87, on the Birmingham, Alabama–based lender’s aggressive cost-cutting. In June, after the stock had bolted 63.6 percent, to $6.33, he reduced it to hold, primarily on valuation. The stock advanced 10 percent, to $6.96, through August. O’Connor also told clients to buy Cleveland’s KeyCorp in September 2011, at $5.90, citing the regional bank’s plan to repurchase stock and its low exposure to mortgage or litigation risk. By the end of August, the shares had vaulted 42.9 percent, to $8.43, and led the sector by 7.4 percentage points. The analyst remains bullish. “Matt is uniquely skilled at ferreting out value-added information and deciphering investor sentiment,” concludes another supporter.