Oswald Clint & team
Sanford C. Bernstein
The Sanford C. Bernstein trio under Oswald Clint spent the past four years in the runner-up position; this year the London-based analysts advance to third place. The team, with a coverage universe of 16, earns points for “solid contributions to my fund’s performance,” as one New York–based pension fund manager puts it. In June the researchers pounded the table on Portugal’s Galp Energia, at €9.01, after Italy-based Eni began to divest its stake, sparking a sell-off. Shares of the natural-gas supplier rallied 30.5 percent, to €11.76, through December. The stock remains among the third-teamers’ top picks for the year.
— Ben Mattlin