SECOND TEAM
Gareth Jenkins & team UBS
UBS repeats at No. 2. This year the two-member team is led by newcomer Gareth Jenkins, who “combines caution with a real visionary gift,” in the words of one money manager. (Jenkins replaces Nicolas Gaudois, who moved to Seoul to cover Asian chip makers for the Swiss bank.) The analysts initiated coverage on semiconductor-materials manufacturer Aixtron in April with a buy rating, at €26.47, making that case that the Herzogenrath, Germany–based company’s light-emitting diode, or LED, business was gaining share in noncomputing lighting applications. By late December the stock had advanced 4.3 percent, to €27.60.