Tatsuo Yoshida
Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities Co.
After three straight appearances in the winner’s circle, Tatsuo Yoshida slips to second place. The analyst, who moved from UBS to Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities Co. last year, “is someone with really interesting views — he came from the auto industry and brings a bit of that perspective,” explains one buy-side supporter. Yoshida has outperform ratings on both Honda Motor Co. of Tokyo and Aichi-based Toyota Motor Corp., primarily because of the manufacturers’ export power driven by the cheaper yen and the “steady recovery of the U.S. auto market, where these companies make money,” he explains. Nissan Motor Co. is also likely to benefit from rising overseas demand; the Yokohama-based automaker’s shares were trading at ¥985 in mid-March, and Yoshida believes they will climb to ¥1,000 this year. — Paul Sweeney