The buy side says: “Mark knows how to ask the tough questions that get to the core of an issue.”
Citi’s Mark Mahaney, 44, is No. 1 for a third straight year. “He has high conviction in his ideas and does deep analysis on the stocks he covers,” proclaims one impressed investor. The San Francisco–based analyst upgraded Akamai Technologies from neutral to buy in December, making the case that, thanks to a rebound in Internet advertising, shares of the Cambridge, Massachusetts–based developer of online content-delivery applications were attractively valued at $23.77. In June, after the stock had skyrocketed 86.4 percent, to $44.30, and pummeled the sector by 96.4 percentage points, Mahaney downgraded it to hold, on valuation. The downgrade appears to have been premature, however, as Akamai’s stock continued to rise, albeit more slowly; it had climbed 4 percent higher, to $46.07, by the end of August. “He’s got a very good grasp of the macro trends that cut across the sector and is very well connected to the West Coast community, which gives him an advantage in understanding some of the potential competitive issues and trends impacting the group,” according to one portfolio manager.
