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Kenichiro Yoshida, who slipped to third place last year, climbs back to No. 1 to claim his seventh first-place finish in eight years.
Kenichiro Yoshida Goldman Sachs
second team Yasuhiro Narita Nomura Nomura
third teamTomokazu Soejima Morgan Stanley
runners-up Toshiyuki Johno Nikko Citi; Hideaki Kuribara Mitsubishi UFJ; Takashi Murakami Credit Suisse
Kenichiro Yoshida, who slipped to third place last year, climbs back to No. 1 to claim his seventh first-place finish in eight years. Yoshida, 46, wins praise for his efforts "to improve relationships with his buy-side clients to help them understand his views," explains one portfolio manager. The Goldman Sachs (Japan) researcher, who also is ranked second in Broadcasting, downgraded Toyota Tsusho Corp. to sell in March 2008, at ¥2,235, in part because of the company’s heavy dependence on the auto industry. The stock had careened to ¥805 by late February, a 64.0 percent plunge that trailed the sector’s loss by 16.0 percentage points. In second place for a second straight year is Yasuhiro Narita of Nomura Securities Co., who impresses clients with detailed reports and winning stock picks. One example: Narita highlighted his buy recommendation on Mitsui & Co. in October, at ¥793, largely because of its high asset quality and low debt ratio. The stock had zipped to ¥920 by the end of February. Tomokazu Soejima of Morgan Stanley Japan advances from runner-up to third place. Also a fan of Mitsui, Soejima recommended the stock in December, and by the end of February, the share price had surged 19.8 percent.