John Hodulik UBS
After three years at No. 1, John Hodulik of UBS slips to second place, but clients continue to applaud his winning recommendations. “John is one the better stock pickers in the group,” declares one impressed investor. Hodulik upgraded Denver’s Qwest Communications International from neutral to buy in December, at $4.14, touting the company’s improving revenue trends as it paid down debt and predicting that it would make an attractive acquisition target. “The company did see fundamentals improve, continues to deleverage and recently agreed to be acquired by CenturyLink,” the analyst says. Qwest’s stock had soared 36.5 percent, to $5.65, by the end of August. Monroe, Louisiana–based CenturyLink, the largest independent telecommunications services provider in the U.S., in April announced plans to acquire Qwest, and shareholders approved the merger in August. The deal is expected to be completed early next year.