| Taking third place for a third consecutive year, Robert Koort is known for being “unafraid to really get behind his stock picks and market them better than anyone else — which investors appreciate,” declares one supporter. In January the Houston-based Goldman, Sachs & Co. researcher upgraded Westlake Chemical Corp. from neutral to buy, at $53.59, predicting that profits would rise as the price of ethane, one of the Houston-based petrochemicals producer’s key raw materials, fell. He was right. In August the company reported second-quarter diluted earnings per share of $1.72 — well above consensus EPS estimates of $1.41 — and record quarterly profit of $115.5 million, a year-over-year spike of 42.5 percent. By the end of August, Westlake’s stock had jumped 28.3 percent, to $68.78, and bested the broad market by 19.2 percentage points. Koort, who tracks 21 stocks, continues to rate it a buy. RUNNER(S)-UP Laurence Alexander Vincent Andrews III David Begleiter Kevin McCarthy John McNulty |