Anthony Noto |
First TeamAnthony Noto Goldman Sachs Second Team Imran Khan, JPMorgan Third Team Mark Mahaney, Citi Runners-Up Douglas Anmuth, Lehman; Robert Peck, Bear Stearns |
For a fifth consecutive year, Anthony Noto, 39, takes top honors, for “marrying big-picture themes with company-specific opportunities or threats,” as one client puts it. The Goldman Sachs analyst perceived threats to Yahoo!, which he downgraded in January on concerns about the Sunnyvale, California–based Internet services provider’s difficulties in attracting advertising. As of mid-September the stock had dropped 10.9 percent, while the sector rose 6.3 percent. “He saved me money — I wish I’d spoken to him sooner than I did!” says one happy investor. Noto helped buy-siders make money too, with his September 2006 contrarian buy call on EBay, citing the San Jose, California–based online auctioneer’s long-term earnings growth. Through mid-September 2007 the stock was up 31.8 percent. In second place for a third straight year, Imran Khan of JPMorgan Securities “is a standout when it comes to identifying and clearly articulating the drivers of a business,” explains one investor. Clients rave about Khan’s spectacular call on Shutterfly, a Redwood City, California–based online photo-publishing service, which he recommended last November, on rising demand. Through mid-September the stock had skyrocketed 125.0 percent. Mark Mahaney advances from runner-up to third. The Citi analyst trumpeted Bankrate, a North Palm Beach, Florida–based financial services information company, in March, on the belief that concerns were overstated with regard to the company’s advertising revenues from subprime mortgage lenders. Six weeks later, with the stock up 26.7 percent, Mahaney urged investors to take profits. The stock slipped 2.2 percent from his downgrade through mid-September. |
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Technology: Internet