Richard Gross Barclays Capital

Richard Gross of Barclays Capital falls from No. 1 to No. 3, but he earns praise for having “a deeper understanding of the science behind the numbers,” as one buy-side loyalist puts it. Gross highlighted his buy rating on El Paso Pipeline Partners in January, at $23.69, citing the aggressive expansion efforts of several of the partner companies. By late August shares of the Houston-based company had surged 32.2 percent, to $31.31, and bested the sector by 25 percentage points. Gross remains bullish.