Mark Mahaney Citi
The buy side says: “Mark understands the companies but does not get caught up in their hype.”
Mark Mahaney captures the crown for a fourth year in a row. The Citi researcher, who is based in San Francisco, is “one of best analysts who has come through the dot-com-burst cycle,” insists one fund manager. Mahaney, 45, raised Priceline.com to top pick back in August 2008 and has highlighted the recommendation repeatedly since, believing that the Norwalk, Connecticut–based online travel-services provider has sustainable competitive advantages in Asia, Europe and Latin America, with a top-notch management team to push profits in all regions. In February the company reported that international operations accounted for $1.4 billion of the company’s record $1.9 billion in gross profits last year, a 69.7 percent increase over 2009. The stock catapulted 84.3 percent, from $291.48 to $537.26, in the 12 months through August — far ahead of the sector’s 17.2 percent advance over the same period.