The buy side says: “Robin is my go-to analyst for the cruise lines.”
Robin Farley holds on to her crown for a ninth consecutive year. The UBS analyst highlighted her buy rating on Miami-based Carnival Corp. throughout the second half of last year, on expectations that the company would resume dividend payments - a development that Farley had predicted in July 2009 and which the company confirmed in January. Farley, 40, reiterated her bullish stance in March, at $36.73, as spring bookings looked promising. The stock sailed as high as $43.60 in late April before hitting troubled waters roiled by global economic concerns; by late August it had sunk to $31.18. Farley remains positive, with a target price of $43. “Because she’s so keyed into the management teams at the cruise lines and has great contacts at the travel agencies, she gives me real-time insights that I can use,” explains one loyalist. Farley’s May reiteration of her neutral stance on Harley-Davidson proved more successful. She told investors that the Milwaukee-based motorcycle maker’s improved year-over-year sales did not constitute the turnaround story that she was seeking. The stock skidded 28.7 percent, from $34.11 to $24.33, through August.
