Gregory Gilbert |
Gregory Gilbert Merrill Lynch SECOND TEAM Aaron (Ronny) Gal Sanford C. Bernstein THIRD TEAM Marc Goodman Credit Suisse RUNNERS-UP Corey Davis Natixis Bleichroeder ; Richard Silver Barclays ; David Steinberg Deutsche |
Repeating in first place, Gregory Gilbert, 35, wins praise for alerting investors to merger and acquisition opportunities. One example: Alpharma, a painkiller developer headquartered in Bridgewater, New Jersey, which the Merrill Lynch analyst recommended in June 2007, at $24.99. In August 2008 rival King Pharmaceuticals of Bristol, Tennessee, advanced a $1.4 billion buyout bid. Alpharma’s shares skyrocketed on the news and in mid-September were trading at $37.75, a gain of 51.1 percent since Gilbert’s recommendation that outpaced the sector by 43.6 percentage points. Alpharma management has thus far rejected King’s offer, but negotiations continue. Aaron (Ronny) Gal of Sanford C. Bernstein & Co., who leaps from runner-up to No. 2, is “great on the generics story and great on the proprietary niche indications as well,” says one money manager. On the heels of generics maker Barr Pharmaceuticals’ consensus-beating May 2007 earnings report, Gal upgraded the Montvale, New Jersey–based company’s stock to buy, at $52.25. Israel’s Teva Pharmaceutical Industries announced in July that it would acquire the company for $66.50 a share. The deal is expected to close by year-end. “Fantastic access to management and a solid perspective on the sector,” in the words of one investor, help Marc Goodman advance from runner-up to third. The Credit Suisse analyst recommended Teva in June 2007, at $38.79, based on its mix of off-patent and proprietary products. The stock had risen 20.1 percent, to $46.57, by mid-September 2008.
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