Karim Salamatian & team
Credit Suisse
Newcomer Karim Salamatian guides the Credit Suisse team of 17 from runner-up to third place. The Hong Kong–based leader “is not afraid to stick his neck out and make controversial calls,” observes one buy-side enthusiast. Case in point: Samsonite International. In November the analysts urged clients to buy the stock, at HK$15.26, on the belief that the Luxembourg-headquartered luggage manufacturer was undervalued, especially in light of rising demand in Asia and North America. In mid-April the company reported that year-over-year net sales in the first quarter had jumped nearly 16 percent, to $466.5 million, and by the end of that month, the stock had climbed to HK$19.10 — for a gain of 25.2 percent that bested the consumer discretionary sector by 19.7 percentage points. Salamatian’s crew follows 125 companies, some two dozen more than a year ago at this time, and plans to add more names this year as it expands coverage in China, India and the Philippines. — Katie Gilbert