Mariya Kahn & team
Bank of America
Merrill Lynch
After two years on top, the Bank of America Merrill Lynch duo directed by Singapore-based Mariya Kahn slips to second place. “We think expectations for the Russian Internet ad market are low and see scope for earnings to surprise to the upside,” Kahn says. Search engine operator Yandex, the team’s top pick for the year, “is a great way for investors to play the Russian e-commerce boom,” she adds. (The company is headquartered in the Netherlands and its shares are listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market.) The analysts first raised the stock from neutral to buy in July, at $18.82. Since then it soared 44.3 percent, to $27.16, and bested the sector by a whopping 49 percentage points, through May. They have a target price of $33 on the shares. — Pam Baker