SECOND TEAM

Harold Thompson Deutsche Bank

Solo analyst Harold Thompson, who spent last year in third place, regains the No. 2 spot. The Deutsche Bank researcher urged investors to buy L’Oréal Group in January 2010, at €76.15, making the case that although the French beauty-products maker’s investment in brand positioning would cut into short-term profits, the strategy would hone the company’s competitive edge over the long term. By the end of the year, the stock had advanced 9.1 percent, to €83.08. Buy-siders laud Thompson’s “up-front and sensible analysis,” as well as his “focus on quarterly estimates and attention to earnings momentum.”